The following is an excerpt from the April edition of AMC news; the full issue is available here.

The Aerospace Maintenance Council will host the Aerospace Maintenance Competition (AMC) on April 25-27, 2017 at the Orlando Orange County Convention Center in conjunction with MRO Americas​. The event showcases the talent required of aviation maintenance technicians to maintain aircraft and spacecraft in safe, airworthy condition.

Sixty, five-person teams of professionals and students from eight countries will compete in 26 events that test the knowledge and skill required to maintain aircraft. Competitors have 15 minutes to complete events such as electrical troubleshooting, composite repair, turbine engine troubleshooting, structure repair, nondestructive testing, and written exams testing knowledge on history, human factors and weight & balance. Prizes will be given to the top teams from each event and category (commercial aviation, general aviation, educational institutions, military, aerospace companies and the military).

The AMC has overwhelming industry support; company sponsors provide prizes, scholarships, airfare and cash awards. All competitive events are sponsored by industry companies such as The Boeing Company, Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, PPG Aerospace, Pratt & Whitney, Redstone College and AAR Services.

“The premise for the AMC is not to promote one group of professionals or students over another group but rather to raise the level of awareness of the knowledge, skill and integrity required of today’s aviation maintenance professional,” stated the Aerospace Maintenance Council President & former National Transportation Safety Board member John Goglia. “Each competitor is the ‘best of the best’ because they were all hand-picked by their respective company/organization; the competition therefore utilized our best and brightest to promote career opportunities in aerospace.”

We look forward to seeing you next week!

Aircraft maintenance professionals are no strangers to working behind the scenes, but that reality changes on April 25th. As the 2017 MRO Americas Event in Orlando kicks off, all eyes will be on the Aerospace Maintenance Competition, and not just from the exhibit hall floor as in previous years.

Starting on Tuesday the 25th, at 0900, the challenging competition will be broadcast via an Internet live stream for viewing by co-workers, family, friends and students. The event, which is presented by Snap-on, American Airlines and Pratt & Whitney, brings together over 55 teams from 8 countries for a two day competition which tests the skills, knowledge and expertise of aviation and aerospace students and professionals.

“The event organizers have done an amazing job over the years with this competition and they’re attracting the best of the best talent from around the world” said AireXpert EVP Andy Hakes. “Up until now however, the only audience has been those visitors who are fortunate enough to attend the MRO Conference. It’d be nice for those competitors to have the support of their co-workers in the stands, but someone has to maintain the airplanes at home. As a company whose focus is on communications and delivering technical knowledge and expertise, we see this as a great opportunity to enable the live stream for all of those people who couldn’t attend MRO”.

Those who would like to view the events can sign up at www.amc2017.live 

Can't attend the 2017 AMC? We'll bring it to you.
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Sincerely,
Ken MacTiernan
Chairman AMC

Thanks to prize sponsor PPG Aerospace, each year the overall winner of the AMC receives free entry to next year’s event. In 2016, that award was bestowed on Alaska Airlines. In keeping with recent tradition, team Alaska Airlines made a trip to Logan, Utah to donate their winnings to team Utah State University. 

​Managing Director Line Maintenance Paul Taylor explained that the contribution is in furtherance of Alaska Airlines’ commitment to giving back: “This competition is about the future of aviation; today’s students are tomorrow’s trained and skilled technicians. We are happy to help make such a great experience available to a group of future professionals, those that will soon be committed to the safety and professionalism of the craft.”

Thanks to Alaska Airlines for paying it forward. Interested in sponsoring a student team in 2018? Let us know!

A revised AMC event manual, including rules, competition information, and event criteria and instructions, is available for download.

Please check the record of revisions on the last page of the manual to see edits and editions.