Finding technicians, and then holding onto them, is a challenge all MROs face these days. Medford, Oregon-based Jet Center MFR has developed a solution to cope with both. “We are involved with our community, we strive to be an integral part of it and we give to numerous charities,” Gary Hudnall, the MRO’s Part 145 general manager, told AIN. “We also work with other aviation industry businesses here in the Rogue Valley to our mutual benefit.”
Jet Center MFR, in collaboration with Erickson (formerly Erickson Air-Crane), has partnered with the local community college to train technicians. “Working with Erickson, we have entered into a partnership with Rogue Community College to develop an A&P apprenticeship program. We evaluated our needs, then modified the FAR Part 147 curriculum accordingly,” Hudnall said.
The underlying principles of the partnership are to recruit students with roots in the area to maximize worker longevity and to train them specifically to meet the needs of Jet Center MFR’s MRO operation. Under the terms of the program Jet Center hires the student as a mechanic apprentice who will also attend class two nights a week at Rogue Community College for two years. At the end of the program students take the FAA A&P exams and practical, obtain their A&P certificate and are promoted to the position of full-time mechanic.
“There are two significant advantages to this type of program. First, we are able to train our apprentices on up-to-date technology [rather than] outdated technology [commonly] offered by Part 147 schools,” Hudnall said. “Second, it immerses the student in our corporate culture so we are developing the kind of employee who fits our operation. We place significant emphasis on an employee’s customer-service skills and we can evaluate those skills during the two-year apprenticeship program.”
Hudnall also stressed the importance of hiring from the community. “We’re hiring employees with local roots, which translates into long-term commitment. So when we say we are an integral part of our community we take that seriously. We place emphasis on being the type of employer that attracts potential employees.”
Under Hudnall’s guidance, community involvement is more than just supporting local charities such as the donations they make to high-school programs. “We provide contract maintenance to local airlines even though it isn’t a money maker for us. We do it because it keeps our community connected to the world. Having scheduled airline service is a significant factor in the economic wellbeing of the community and we work to keep that viable.”
Growth from Part 135 In-house Maintenance
Hudnall has worked for the company for about 34 years. “I started working here in 1981, right after graduating from Spartan with an A&P certificate. I heard about a job in a little town called Ashland, Oregon, applied and got accepted as a line mechanic. It was a Part 135 operation and we had two mechanics working on turboprops and light jets. The maintenance operation was open to the public but our primary work was supporting our own fleet,” he said.
In 1982 the company bought an FBO in Medford and asked Hudnall if he’d take the director of maintenance position. “I was 19 years old and had only about six months’ experience at that point so we had to get a waiver from the FAA for me to be designated the DOM but I said, ‘Sure’; it was pretty scary. When we moved to Medford I applied for a repair station certificate and we began taking on more outside work.”
By the end of that year Jet Center closed the Ashland Airport operation and moved everything to Medford, where they operated an FBO, charter operation and the new Part 145 repair station. In 1991 the company purchased its competitor on the field and ran two facilities until 1998, when it was decided to consolidate everything into the new location.
“The new facility almost doubled the physical space of the old facility and it allowed us to accommodate larger aircraft. We began a steady growth period and the staff grew from the two mechanics we had in Ashland to just over 50 employees, most of whom were in maintenance and support. In 2008, when the economy tanked, our staff decreased but for the last three years we’ve again experienced a steady growth and we’re up to 26 employees with 22 directly involved with the MRO operation,” Hudnall said.
Jet Center MFR’s maintenance operation holds FAA CRS Airframe Class 1 and 3, Radio Class 1 and 2, Accessory Class 2 and Limited Airframe. The maintenance complex operates from a 20,000-sq-ft climate-controlled facility. There is also a 7,200-sq-ft area dedicated to avionics; a 6,000-sq-ft area to paint and repair; and an on-site parts department.
The company has experience on all King Airs; Learjet 25, 28, 35, 45 and 60; Citation 500, 525, 550, 560, 650; Falcon 50, 900; Challenger 600, 601; and the Legacy. The MRO also works on the P&WC PT6, PW305, GE CJ610 and CF34, Honeywell TPE and TFE and the Williams FJ44.
“We offer fuel, transient and based hangar facilities, all line services, interior work, aircraft management, aircraft crewing, aircraft dispatch, ground support maintenance, ground handling and aircraft sales,” Hudnall said. “We also work closely with our aircraft maintenance experts to perform pre-purchase inspections, maintenance and appraisals. In today’s ever-changing aircraft market it can be difficult to discern a good value. The initial cost is just the beginning. We will evaluate down-the-road maintenance costs, service items and resale.”
Hudnall said the MRO is considering adding a second location and is exploring the possibilities in Portland and Salt Lake City. “Our business is in the Pacific Northwest; we have clients from Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Nevada and California. We are definitely in growth mode.”
