Aircraft Maintenance Technology - 29

Kerrigan Batsa, 24, Aircraft Maintenance Technician, PSA Airlines, Inc., Charlotte, NC

errigan Batsa's love of travel and her desire to earn a rewarding
career for herself is what inspired her to pursue the aviation
industry, most specifically, the maintenance of aircraft.
The mechanics Batsa worked with at her first aviation job, Carl
Schaefer and Kevin Boarts, motivated her to get into aviation maintenance by how much they loved their jobs and they both were
there to answer any questions she had during her time in school.
Batsa started in aviation as a guest service agent for Spirit Airlines
and was trained as an operations agent and a station lead, where
she worked before and during most of A&P school. She currently
works as an aircraft maintenance technician for PSA Airlines. In
this position, she is responsible for doing maintenance in the hangar
overnight or working the line and responding to maintenance calls
to get flights out on time during the day.
Batsa graduated from the Pittsburgh Institute of Aeronautics,
Myrtle Beach Campus, just this year, in January of 2020. She has
won scholarships during her time in school from Piedmont Airlines
and the Association for Women in Aviation Maintenance, of which
she is a member, but hasn't had the opportunity yet to attend a
conference.
Getting others involved in the world of aviation is important
to Batsa."I continue to spread word of this career path through

my friends and family, high school guidance
counselors and to women and students online
through social media," Batsa commented. She
wants to be a resource for others who might
not know about career in aviation. "Until I
started working in aviation, I wasn't aware
that there were schools for aviation maintenance and want to encourage others to consider a career in aviation."
For the future, Batsa says her goal is to learn and do something
new each day. "Eventually I would like to work in inspections and
be a person that my coworkers can rely on if they need help," she
explained.
"Kerrigan is a new and eager technician," noted Jim Mathers,
maintenance manager, PSA Airlines. "She seeks more in-depth tasks
to increase her knowledge, where her peers shy away from. She
comes in early and stays later to complete tasks or to do something
new that she hasn't done before. She has been a positive asset to
the team and company," he continued.

Dayron Trillo, 36, VP of Supply Chain, AAR Landing Gear Services, Miami, FL

ayron Trillo has always been interested in fields where limits
were pushed and the impossible was something to be conquered.
In his perspective, aviation represented exactly that. However, the
aviation industry in Cuba is an almost unattainable field. His first
flight came at the age of 20. "This was the bittersweet moment I
migrated from my home country to this beautiful land of opportunity," he explained. "They say aviation is addictive and that is exactly
what happened to me. The challenges and daily demands become
a way of life in this globalized world; any day and at any time you
may be called into action. There is definitely never a dull moment."
Trillo says he was lucky to start his aviation career with a company
that nurtures independence and innovation. AAR is not afraid to
try new things and bestows responsibility to those who want it, he
notes. "I've never been one to shy away from a challenge and this has
pushed me into new territories," he said. "The best part is progress
and opportunity is constant in this industry, and right now, there is
nothing but blue skies and boundless opportunities ahead."
He started his career as a continuous improvement intern at
AAR and says he was lucky to have a man who really loves the
lean methodology as a mentor. "Dave Daily was not only good and
rigorous in his pursuit of improvements, he was also very critical
through the use of simple analogies" From him Trillo learned that:
"All I was taught in school is just a framework, you need to make it
your own style; no matter how bright your ideas are, if the frontline

team doesn't make it their own, you might
as well stop and you are never the smartest
person in the room."
Trillo is now vice president of supply chain,
adding to this energetic team the responsibility to plan, procure and manage assets
in excess of $100 million, a large portion of
which is made up of exchange assets that
are planned and scheduled. "We are also
responsible of forming small business partnerships that allows
our company to flex rapidly in cases of unanticipated demands. The
ability to be flexible is inscribed in everything our company does
and as such there is always a new challenge ahead," he explained.
Trillo plays a strong role in the company's partnership with local
universities to provide engineering projects and internship opportunities to bring people to the industry. Additionally, Trillo participates in multiple community engagement activities designed to bring
awareness to the industry for local youth.
"In the immediate future, I aim to continue cultivating relationships within the industry," he noted. "This, along with innovative
technology applications, are the path to a flexible business. I'd love
to continue developing myself, building a strong team and taking on
additional responsibilities so I can become an even better conduit
for the industry expansion."

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Aircraft Maintenance Technology

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