A group of maintenance professionals from companies including Bell Helicopter, Vector Aerospace and Trace Worldwide held a symposium here at Heli-Expo yesterday to address the current and anticipated shortage of helicopter maintenance technicians. Hosted by Turbomeca USA and moderated by Fred Polak, president of Global Avionics Training Specialists, the more than one dozen attendees offered ideas on issues at the core of the problem: how to encourage young people to consider becoming helicopter maintenance technicians; how to promote helicopter maintenance as a professional career; and what the industry can do to be more competitive against other industries seeking to hire available qualified employees.

Jean-Louis Mostajo of Turbomeca Training said perception of the job needs updating. “‘Mechanic’ is the past,” he said, suggesting the digital aspects of today’s maintenance could interest prospects. Ray Lomas of Bell Helicopter recommended promoting the adventure and global opportunities available, “an almost ‘Indiana Jones’ approach,” he said, adding, “At Bell, we talk about being on a mission.”

Polak believes the public’s concept of the career also needs changing. “I refer to them as helicopter maintenance professionals,” he said, but added that the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics ranks helicopter maintenance as a blue-collar job, “the same as a car mechanic. That’s insane, and you can quote me,” he said.