Alex Quinones

In layperson terms, what do you actually do at work?

A brief description of my job is hard to explain, but here is goes. I am currently an Aircraft Line Maintenance Technician for a company called F & E Aircraft Maintenance ( FEAM). We cater to various airlines in many of the Airports in the United States, but we specially cater to Atlas Air, which is mainly a Cargo Airline with a fleet of Boeing 747-400, Boeing 767-200/300, Boeing 777-300, Boeing 737- Next Gen airplanes. I am based in BWI ( Baltimore-Washington Airport in Maryland) were I repair the passenger airplanes from Atlas Air that are assigned to fly the US Military around the world. Another of my job descriptions is to fly around the world with these airplanes and fix them wherever it is needed at any hour. As you may guess, I have basically traveled to all the countries that the US Military currently serves. The last Aspect of my job is to support the Airline at various military bases in my vicinity when required. I have to travel to NJ, DE, MD, VA, and DC.

When you were a student, did you do anything outside of school to build skills or get knowledge that has helped your career?

AS a student, I was always getting involved in activities to supplement my knowledge in the field of Aircraft anything. I would take extra classes at other colleges to help me achieve a better understanding of the industry and to gain inside knowledge on various topics I liked. I also liked to go to various airports and hang out with mechanics while they worked and they were kind enough to let me hang around and watch what they did. So basically, I just reinforced what I learned in the classroom with actual hands on work.

What is it like when your job gets tough?

These are the days when work doubles quickly. For me, my worst day starts when an airplane does a block-turn-back. This means that the airplane departed the gate, but experienced a mechanical malfunction, and is returning back to the gate broken. With 400 + passengers on-board and the clock ticking on the crew, you have to use all your training to quickly identify the problem; Check to see if the parts you require are in your stockroom; And repair the problem properly in order to get the a/c back in the air. Now, if you do not have the part, now is when the troubleshooting starts. This is when you start swapping systems and trying to isolate the problem to one component before you order it, because, if you order something for the a/c, the company is going to buy it and ship it to you the same day at a very expensive cost, and you do not want to be wrong in your diagnostics.