It’s no surprise that the same-old recurring issues are shaping the business aviation maintenance segment: the technician shortage, brutal competition and the reliability of the aircraft that make this industry possible.
The technician shortage is not a new subject and has been discussed ad nauseam for decades. Every year it seems another industry pundit or major company warns about the shortage, yet whether or not there is a genuine shortage remains questionable.
The Special Report PDF found at the bottom of this page will address these and other diverse issues shaping the bizav maintenance industry today. Directly below see the various questions our staff posed to leading maintenance organizations around the globe and how each responded.
- Is the shortage of qualified technicians affecting your service business?
- What is your company doing about this issue?
- Has your company changed salaries and benefits to help attract technicians?
- What is the plan to replace retiring employees?
Is the shortage of qualified technicians affecting your service business?
Bombardier: We're actually growing, but it makes it hard when you have attrition of a certain rate and want to grow at another rate. It creates a tough job for our HR people to find talent.
Duncan Aviation: There is a shortage of skilled technicians coming out of the core schools. They have book knowledge, but they need practical experience and on-the-job experience before they are able to perform technical work at the level we require and our customers expect.
Elliott Aviation: The biggest issue facing Elliott Aviation is the shortage of qualified technicians. It is the biggest challenge facing the industry today.
Greenwich AeroGroup: It's an issue. It's fair to say that it paces our growth.
Jet Aviation: Jet Aviation is not encountering a specific shortage of technicians, but we are dealing with a shortage of key personnel related to production, customer service and business management.
KaiserAir: Yes. There is a lot of competition out there for techs with great troubleshooting and problem-solving skills, from all industries.
StandardAero: We don't feel today an immediate impact of that shortage; depending on a couple of different factors, we may have some challenges filling certain types of positions. Longer term I think it's clear we all have a challenge.
TAG Aviation: Yes, particularly since the European licenses B1 and B2 have been implemented.
West Coast Aircraft Maintenance: The problem is finding the talent pool. We're limited in the Los Angeles basin; there are not enough mechanics.
What is your company doing about this issue?
Bombardier: At every one of our sites, we [keep] a foot in the advisory board of one or two technical schools to ensure we have access to talent. We're always looking at our package of fringe benefits and salary and measuring it up against the industry's.
Textron Aviation: We proactively recruit applicants throughout the year. We have also developed relationships with many of the technical schools across the country.
Gulfstream: To make sure we keep pace into the future, we participate in many local, national and international efforts to increase the awareness and benefits of an aviation career.
Constant Aviation: We hire slowly, making sure we get the fit of the right people.
Duncan Aviation: So far, Duncan Aviation has been able to meet its staffing needs primarily through employee referrals and hiring entry-level technicians from A&P schools. We have also developed internship programs for some of our technical areas, giving high-potential students the opportunity to see what it is like to work at Duncan Aviation and work in the technical field before they graduate.
Elliott Aviation: Elliott Aviation regularly conducts research on industry salaries and benefits to be as competitive as possible. In addition, we regularly conduct research with employees for suggestions to better enhance their working environment and their overall Elliott Aviation experience.
Greenwich AeroGroup: We've dramatically expanded our recruiting base. It used to be only two A&P schools, [but] now we recruit from 10 schools, all over.
Jet Aviation: In some parts of Jet Aviation, we've put apprenticeship programs into place to help us develop upcoming employees for the future.
KaiserAir: We have started to work with A&P schools to make sure the students are aware of the business aircraft portion of the industry.
Landmark Aviation: We make sure we're staying at or above the market with pay and benefits [and we] support technicians with training and send employees [to training events]. And we support local schools.
Spectra Jet: Nearby company closures along with a local A&P school [help] keep our options open. We keep a pool of potential candidates on file, and we seem to get more every month.
StandardAero: We have a couple of co-op programs with South Georgia Technical College, which feeds [our] Augusta [location]. We have a program in Los Angeles with Crimson Technical College. We have an active apprenticeship program with Red River College. Winnipeg has had a successful apprenticeship program for many years.
TAG Aviation: TAG Aviation has developed an internship program and works closely with two schools to train technicians.
West Coast Aircraft Maintenance: We have relatively high-paying wages. The more we grow, the more positions are going to need to be filled. We recognize employees with something as simple as sandwiches on Friday, a barbecue on Monday.
West Star Aviation: We are active in providing funds for scholarships at A&P schools.
Western Jet Aviation: Our HR team goes to every job fair, we reach out to all military branches, have relationships with several good employment staffing services, advertise in industry publications and seek talent through our local aviation schools and [the local] PAMA chapter.
Has your company changed salaries and benefits to help attract technicians?
Bombardier: We have to be competitive in quality and price. I don't believe that we can entice youth into the industry at a great pace. We're not out there in the high schools working as hard as we can. Industry should be out there more. We've kind of done a little of this to ourselves over the years. We talk about the romance of the industry; the picture should be someone in a smart suit, with a computer strapped across his back going to solve the problem. We've got the myth that a mechanic is a dirty grease monkey. If we could change that we could drive more diversity into aviation and tap that resource so we could get more women.
Textron Aviation: Compensation is based on annual market analysis and is adjusted accordingly.
Gulfstream: We constantly review competitive salary data to attract the most talented technicians possible. We also have some of the most competitive employee benefits in the industry.
Constant Aviation: We take a hard look at industry-leading benefit programs. We have to be in the top tier of total compensation and benefit programs. Our medical benefits [cost to employees] haven't gone up a dollar in seven years. We have a 401(k) match program.
Duncan Aviation: We have a company culture of continued improvement. We invest in our people, in training, in facilities and in strategic planning. We compare pay and benefits to [those at] other companies within the industry and large employers within our geographic regions. It is our goal to ensure that our team members have an attractive employment package that allows them to continue employment with us for their entire career, and not treat working here as just a job they perform. For example, last year we had a variety of benefit and compensation changes. First, we increased our medical plan options to three. We opened on-site medical clinics at our major locations with free services to team members and their families. Last, we increased our 401(k) match. We invest not only in pay and benefits but also in the company culture and in the training we provide.
Elliott Aviation: We are continually evaluating salaries and benefits of other top-tier aviation companies to stay competitive.
Greenwich AeroGroup: We have ratcheted up pay scales, both starting and high end [positions]. We made modest increases to starting pay. We offer full benefits, with medical, dental and contributory 401(k).
KaiserAir: KaiserAir offers extremely competitive salaries. The leadership of KaiserAir certainly understands the value of its people and responds accordingly.
Landmark Aviation: We have to be market competitive in our industry, but we just don't have the margins to compete [for people] outside [aviation]. It's interesting that a lot of our customers think they shouldn't have to pay $100 an hour [for their airplane], but they will pay $120 an hour for Mercedes maintenance. Our pay is good and benefits are good. I still think it's the kind of industry where people like to work with their hands.
Spectra Jet: We award starting wages based on experience and evaluate and raise each year as appropriate. We have made a change to our on-the-road work policy, adding per diem along with overtime. Overtime is in abundance and mechanics are given the option to work or go home after a normal shift.
StandardAero: We don't have free gym memberships and ping pong tables and basketball hoops. We keep a close eye on what's happening in the market, and we tend to be specific to our locations. We feel we have a compensation and benefits package that remains competitive, and one of the best 401(k) packages in any industry. We'll match dollar to dollar up to 5 percent and it's vested immediately. We do a bonus program based on certain performance metrics. At the end of the quarter everyone gets notification and status of whether we made it, based on financial metrics, and it's paid each quarter. If they get all the quarters, at the end of the year there's a kicker, which can be up to $1,600 a person. It keeps people tied to the company performance.
West Star Aviation: On a case-by-case basis we evaluate our need versus the skill of the applicant and make exceptions that we feel are appropriate for the situation.
Western Jet Aviation: We are constantly reviewing industry pay scales and benefit packages to remain competitive.
What is the plan to replace retiring employees?
Bombardier: We intend to continue doing a lot of training. We're creating the leaders of tomorrow. The clock is ticking on some of us. We think it's pretty important that we train our replacements.
Textron Aviation: Continue with our current process of maintaining relationships with the tech schools and ongoing recruiting.
Constant Aviation: We're always looking for top talent, and are always a home for great people because if you have great people you're providing great service.
Duncan Aviation: The service our customers receive is directly tied to the engagement and capability of our team members. So we invest in the growth of all of our team members, including helping in the development of “soft skills.” We have two thorough leadership classes that cover executive training, personal development and self-improvement for those positions in leadership roles. For our technicians, we have established cross-training of skills throughout the organization. It is our goal that the increased skills these team members are developing will help to offset potential gaps when those retire-ready team members make the decision to retire.
Elliott Aviation: We are in growth mode and have been able to retain and attract top employees by our attention to training and developing each employee. We regularly visit industry events, career fairs and top aviation schools to raise awareness of Elliott Aviation's career opportunities.
Greenwich AeroGroup: Numbers-wise it's not a big deal, but we have to be preparing. It takes two to three years to get somebody trained to the same level as a guy who is retiring. The biggest issue is in the structures group. We have a few senior structures technicians and have taken steps to over-hire and bring in people early and have them trained by the masters.
KaiserAir: We recruit globally while working closely with schools in the area. The idea is to acquire and retain a good mix of experienced technicians as well as young people we can train and develop.
Landmark Aviation: We try to make sure we've got a good mix–demographically–young guys working with experienced folks who give them the benefit of their experience. It's a lot of fun getting guys fresh out of school.
Spectra Jet: We promote from within the ranks and then backfill the open positions with new mechanics.
West Star Aviation: Our current hiring practices keep pace with the turnover. [We rely on] the occasional experienced technician along with the tech school hiring.
