October_2021 - 28

David Ramirez, 33, Apprentice - Maintenance II, Duncan Aviation, Provo, UT
F
or David Ramirez , the biggest motivation for getting into aviation
maintenance was looking for a stable career that would help
provide a comfortable living for his children. Prior to this career,
Ramirez bounced around from job to job. He worked at Tesla in
Fremont, California, on the production line building model S and
X vehicles, then moved to Utah and worked at a manufacturing
company making guns, but would ultimately be laid off.
" I never had a mentor, just the desire to better myself and find a
career where I could grow as a person but also a mechanic, something
my kids and family could be proud of, " he noted. " I did extensive
research about what kind of career I was getting into and how
exponentially the need for mechanics was growing. "
After enrolling in Salt Lake Community College to obtain his
A&P certificate, Ramirez attended classes for a little over a year
and a half and applied for a mechanic helper position at Duncan
Aviation, where he has been a mechanic for a little over two years,
and has risen from a helper to a mechanic II in that time. His current
job responsibilities are to maintain, inspect and return to service
airplanes. He received his airframe certificate and started working
and currently is working to receive his powerplant through the
apprenticeship program that Duncan Aviation offers.
Ramirez mentors other new hires and
guides/trains them on how to successfully
and properly do their jobs. " Many people
depend on us to get them to their destination
safely without any hiccups and that is all
dependent on how well we do our job when
the aircraft is in our facility undergoing maintenance, "
he said.
He said his ultimate goal is to find a company
that he can grow with, mature as a mechanic and ultimately
pass down his knowledge to the younger generation coming into
the world of aviation, and quite possibly his children should they
decide to follow in their father's footsteps.
" I've only been a working mechanic for two years and have so
much to learn, so much growing to do and maturing, as well, " he
explained. " I have heard time and time again that the certificates
don't make you a mechanic but rather those are a license to learn. I
still have a solid 20 years ahead of me to work, learn and grow into
the mechanic I want to be with the knowledge, skillset and mindset
to tackle any obstacle that this industry may place in front of me. "
Santo Liuzzo, 38, Cirrus Authorized Service Center Manager, Martin Aviation, Santa Ana, CA
S
anto Liuzzo was born and raised in a small town in Sicily, Italy.
At age 16, he traveled to California to visit his Uncle Sal. The
flight to California was his first time flying and he remembers
thinking airplanes were " so cool. " Once in California, his uncle, a
pilot, took him on a flight in a Cessna 172. " That blew my mind, "
Liuzzo said. " It was my very first time seeing - let alone piloting
- a small airplane. I thought everything about it was captivating.
I knew that day I wanted more of it. "
At 18, he returned to California seeking work. His first job was
washing the flight school airplanes and cleaning the offices. He
took an English class, and in a few months, he learned enough
English and aviation terminology to start taking flight lessons
and help the flight school mechanics maintain their aircraft. He
learned the tricks of the trade as an apprentice working at Lenair
Aviation, and took courses at Av Tech in Riverside, California, for
both his A&P and IA.
Throughout his career, Liuzzo has worked for a flight school, a
charter operator, a repair station and an aircraft manufacturer. He
gained experience on a multitude of aircraft makes and models,
ranging from light single-engine airplanes to large corporate jets.
Today he is the Cirrus-authorized service center manager and
Cirrus maintenance inspector at Martin Aviation. He is also the
founder, co-owner and manager of SR Global Partners LLC, a partnership
founded in 2016 for the purpose of owning (holding) and
28 OCTOBER 2021
managing a Cirrus SR22 aircraft.
Erin Dornan-Liuzzo, PsyD, nominated him
for the 40 Under 40 award: " Santo has been
working in this field for 20 years, over half
of his life. He is an aviation enthusiast who
lives and breathes aviation. He proudly talks
about how he started out mopping floors at
the flight school while learning English then
taking flight lessons while wrenching on airplanes.
He was committed to not just learning but perfecting his
skills on various aircraft. He is precise, dedicated to safety and
accepts nothing less than a job well done. "
Liuzzo worked for Cirrus Aircraft as a regional field service manager
and mobile AOG response pilot for nearly eight years. Then
COVID-19 hit, and he lost his job due to company-wide layoffs.
" Santo didn't buckle under the pressure or give up in these
trying times, " said Dornan-Liuzzo. " He went to work at Martin
Aviation, where he applied his knowledge of Cirrus airplanes. He has
worked tirelessly both wrenching and managing, and thoroughly
enjoys working alongside his guys. As an A&P-IA, Commercial/
Instrument/Multi-engine Pilot and Cirrus owner, he serves as a
model. From his humble beginnings and through tremendous hardships,
Santo has remained steadfast and solid. He will only keep
rising to greater heights. The sky is literally his limit. "
AIRCRAFT MAINTENANCE TECHNOLOGY

October_2021

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