July-August 2022 - 30

Leonel A. Turcios
Avionics Manager, Million Air
Age: 30
Hometown: Houston, Texas
Alma mater: Texas
Southern University
Favorite hobby: I love
fishing and I love hunting.
Favorite thing about
aviation: Flying in a cockpit
and looking at the sunsets
at night.
Leonel Turcios finds reward in solving the complex,
and sometimes confounding, problems of his field.
" What I enjoy most about my job is the fact that
whenever you figure something out or whenever
you solve an issue that's been giving you trouble,
that's given a lot of people trouble, is very, very
rewarding. It gives you a huge sense of accomplishment, "
he said.
Turcios, avionics manager for Million Air, made his
mark with the company by solving a problem no
one else could.
" Million Air called the company I used to work for
because they needed a little bit of help. When I
got there, they had two aircraft that they had been
working on for about two months. They couldn't
figure anything out and I had dealt with the issues
before. So I knew what was wrong with them. So
the issue that they had been having for about two,
three weeks that they couldn't solve on these aircraft,
I solved two of them within the same day,
and then I solved another one within a week. That's
what got me this position, " he described.
Turcios received his training from Texas Southern
University, graduating with a degree in aviation
science management. Starting his aviation career
as a line technician, Turcios came into avionics
three and a half years ago somewhat by accident.
" I was taking an aircraft to what I thought was
a maintenance shop at the beginning. And got
through talking to the guy and asked him, 'What
do you guys do here?' And he said, 'Oh, we do
avionics.' So then I got to talk to him and told him,
'If you guys ever need any apprenticeship people,
let me know.' He called me about week later, he
said, 'Come talk to me.' I went over, talked to him,
gave him my resume and I got hired. "
Turcios added that the sense of comradery and
family that permeates aviation is one of his favorite
overall aspects of the industry.
" The sense of community that everybody knows
everybody. If I don't know you, the guy standing
right next to me will know you. And it's also a sense
of family in the aviation industry, " he said.
www.AviationPros.com/21274349
Matthew Lewis
Engine Technical Advisor, Jet Support Services, Inc.
Age: 39
Hometown: Griffith, Indiana
Alma mater: Purdue
University
Someone I look up to in
the industry: Neil Book and
Tim Ferrell
Favorite hobby: Restoring
old cars and playing bass in
a local band.
Favorite thing about
aviation: The people and
everyone in the industry.
Matthew Lewis pinpoints his eventual career in
aviation beginning when he was a kid helping his
dad repair their car.
" He had an older car that was constantly breaking
down. One time when I was 9 or 10 years old, the
timing belt broke on it and he asked for my help
handing him tools and stuff, and he said it was like
watching a light bulb go on when I figured out how
everything worked and we were able to get the car
running again. He said that was the point he knew
that I was probably going to do something related
to machines as a career, " Lewis said.
Today Lewis is an engine technical advisor for Jet
Support Services, Inc. (JSSI), where he's worked
in various roles for the past 16 years.
" My day-to-day job consists of managing repair
events for our fleet of aircraft from start to finish,
both on the scheduled and unscheduled AOG
side, " he described.
Lewis added that the most satisfying part of his
job is the event management side of his role.
" I enjoy using my technical knowledge and my
ability to research complex problems to save my
clients' money and get their aircraft flying in a
timely manner, " he continued.
His previous roles at JSSI have included the onboarding
of new clients, Honeywell engine product
line specialist and airframe technical advisor.
" Aviation is a great place to make a career. There's
good pay and a driven person can definitely build a
rewarding, stable career in this industry. It's complex,
interesting and challenging. It's an industry
that offers many opportunities that are attractive
to a self-motivated person looking to choose a
career, " he added.
Lewis continued that the community around aviation
and being a part of it is ultimately his favorite
part of his work.
" I love being able to meet people from diverse
backgrounds and locations and to be able to work
with them to solve complex problems. If I wasn't in
aviation, I probably would have much less exposure
to other cultures and would not have met
people from all over the world, " he said.
www.AviationPros.com/21274352
30 JULY/AUGUST 2022
AIRCRAFT MAINTENANCE TECHNOLOGY
http://www.AviationPros.com/21274349 http://www.AviationPros.com/21274352
July-August 2022

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of July-August 2022
