Aircraft Maintenance Technology - 11

Tyler Harbach, 27, Field Service Technical Representative, Lycoming Engines, Williamsport, PA

or Tyler Harbach, both his religion and his family influenced
his decision to get into the aviation industry. "I am from central
Pennsylvania, and both of my grandfathers were employed at Piper
Aircraft in Lock Haven," Harbach stated. "I am a Christian, and
growing up in the church I did, [I] had opportunities to interact
with missionary trainees preparing to go into full-time ministry
with New Tribes Missions, now known as Ethnos 360."
Later in Harbach's high school career, a missionary pilot came
to his church, telling stories about how he helped operate an air
ambulance service for a hospital in Africa. Inspired, Harbach would
go on to attend LeTourneau University, graduating with a degree in
Aeronautical Science, Missionary Aviation Concentration.
While at LeTourneau University, he earned his A&P and pilot's
certificates - commercial multi- and single-engine land, with an
instrument rating. After college, he would be hired at Lycoming
Engines where he received specialized, on-the-job training.
"I first started working at Lycoming in the production test
cells. I worked there for about 15 months before moving to the
experimental department. While there, I had opportunities to be
a part of all sorts of research and development projects, where we
were testing new engines, components, fuels, etc. In addition to
that, I was also part of the crew that builds our performance, noncertified, Thunderbolt engine series. I worked in this department

a little over two years before transferring to
the Field Service Technical Support department in January of 2019, where I currently
work. My normal job responsibilities consist
of troubleshooting any and every engine issue
via phone or email and traveling anywhere to
support AOG customers onsite as required,"
Harbach said.
Harbach notes his advanced training at
Lycoming includes working in-depth with the development and
implementation of the newest iE2 series of electronically controlled
engines. "I had an opportunity to complete the Lycoming Engines
Service School at the Pennsylvania College of Technology and have
had much hands-on experience with the development and implementation of the new Lycoming EIS," Harbach said. He has also
received high performance, complex and tailwheel flight training
endorsements, along with some spin training.
Harbach has co-instructed an abbreviated Lycoming Engines
Teardown and Overhaul course at Airventure and has taught IA
renewal courses at Sun 'N Fun. He is also an active member of
the Quarter to Two Flying Club, serving as a maintenance officer
and working with friends in the club to help them achieve various
pilot's licenses and ratings.

Elaina Johnson, 25, A&P and Avionics Technician, Chicago Jet Group, Plainfield, IL

laina Johnson's father was an air traffic controller and would
follow him around in the garage asking a million questions like,
"how does that work? Why is this built this way? What tool is that
for?" When he passed, she decided pursue a career in aviation, and
that's how she ended up as an aircraft maintenance technician.
Johnson, who received her training from Lewis University, where
her father taught part time before his passing, and has won several
scholarships from the Chicago Area Business Aviation Association
(CABAA), says she was fortunate enough to have gotten right
into private aviation after finishing her airframe and powerplant
licenses. She has worked at three different private hangars, Chicago
Jet Group (CJG) being her most current employer. She does just
about everything an airframe and powerplant tech does on a day
to day basis, but installing avionics STCs is her main focus within
the company. Johnson is involved in Women in Aviation and the
CABAA as well as National Business Aviation Association and
Aircraft Electronics Association with the CJG.
"I want to give back to the industry by encouraging young people,
especially young women, to get involved in aviation maintenance,"
Johnson explained. "I do this by striving to be the best I can be at
what I do and by way of doing so, prove to other women that it is
more than possible for us to succeed in this industry." Johnson
notes that her ultimate goal is to increase the number of women
in aviation maintenance; to show young women the opportunities

that are available to them.
"Being a young lady in the aviation maintenance field was not easy," noted Susan
Johnson, project engagement manager at VP
Aviation Technical Services who nominated
Elaina Johnson. "She did not want to be the
face of women in aviation maintenance, all
she wanted to do was to fit in and to learn.
Somewhere during her first job at Executive
Flight Management, she started to find what it meant to be a woman
in aircraft maintenance."
She dedicated some of her time to the CABAA's maintenance
committee and created presentations she would give to high school
students, letting them know that aviation was a viable career choice.
During her third year as an A&P mechanic, working for DuPage
Aerospace, she took on a job offer at Chicago Jet Group working
Avionics. "How amazing to have just been getting respect as a
knowledgeable A&P Mechanic to step into the unknown of avionics where she would have to start all over?" explained Susan
Johnson. "She excelled again! Elaina is now part of a team that
installs controller-pilot data link communications (CPDLC). She
has become so proficient that she now travels to other MROs to
test their installs of CPDLC." She will be representing CJG at this
year's AEA conference and considers her team at CJG her family.

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Aircraft Maintenance Technology

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