Gary Schandl - Senior Director of Quality Assurance | Jet Aviation St. Louis

In 1971, Gary Schandl attended a career day at his high school, Belleville Township West. He was trying to decide what he wanted to do after he graduated. As chance would have it, he ended up talking to Belleville Area College representatives and learned about careers in aviation maintenance. Having always been a “gear head,” the opportunity to work on aircraft interested him. He decided then that he wanted to become an aircraft mechanic. That was a long time ago. Today, Schandl is the senior director of quality assurance (QA) for Jet Aviation St. Louis. This month, D.O.M.magazine sat down with Schandl to learn more about his career path and some of the lessons he has learned along the way.

A&P School

Schandl enrolled in Belleville Area College’s A&P program after graduation. He had always enjoyed turning wrenches on cars, and looked forward to learning about aircraft maintenance. We asked him if A&P school was what he had expected. “It was different,” he says. “You might be mechanically inclined, but transitioning from automobiles to aircraft is different. I was learning a new set of skills. I enjoyed it because my goal was to get my A&P and work on airplanes.”

The First Job

After graduating from Belleville Area College with his A&P in hand, Schandl got a job working on the college’s flight school aircraft. He then went to work for Sisk Aviation, a repair station in Cahokia, IL. He worked on the floor as a mechanic. His first big project was a crashed Bonanza that he helped restore, mostly by himself. After three years working as an A&P at Sisk, Schandl obtained his inspection authorization. Around that same time, at the age of 23, he was promoted to shop manager and was running Sisk Aviation.

We asked Schandl if it was difficult transitioning to a management position at such a young age. “It was a little rough to start with,” he shares. “I had an older gentleman working for me. That was a bit of a challenge because I was so young. I also had to learn more about safety, the FAA regulations and everything else it takes to keep a repair station running. And then there were the budgets — learning how budgets worked, understanding the revenue that we were expected to generate and the capital expenditures that had to be dealt with. I also had to develop relationships with our customers. Needless to say, I had to learn a lot. Like many others that are promoted from mechanic to a manager, it was a trial by fire.”

Schandl had to learn a lot to be a successful manager. We asked him if he has a particular management style that has helped him be successful over the years. “You need to understand people and they need to respect you,” he says. “And that respect has to be earned. The people made me — I didn’t make them. That philosophy helped start my management career. I’ve had a good relationship with the workers and a very good relationship with the FAA over the years. I have a passion for aviation and for the people I work with. I think that’s my touch in aviation.”

Sisk Aviation was eventually sold to Southern Illinois Aviation, and Schandl stayed on for two more years before landing a job at Midcoast Aviation at the St. Louis International Airport.

Midcoast Aviation

Schandl started out on the shop floor at Midcoast Aviation. A short time later, he became a lead. Midcoast Aviation eventually obtained a facility in Cahokia and he took a lead position there. It was a military contract. “I took the lead position over here taking care of all the government aircraft, from Hueys and Cobras to fixed-wing aircraft including King Airs,” he tells D.O.M.magazine.

We asked if there were any challenges moving from civil aviation to working on a military contract. “It was a learning experience,” shares Schandl. “It was different. Tool control was big. Everything you did required sign-off approval.”

Some of the lessons learned from the military contract side of the business transferred over to the civilian side. “We have implemented tool-control programs here,” he says. “We didn’t pick up the entire system of signing off discrepancies that the military uses, but we have implemented a few of the sign-off practices on our civilian side.”

In the 1970s, Midcoast Aviation built Hangar 7. Schandl transferred over to a job in the new hangar, where he was a lead working on civilian aircraft. “At that time we were doing green Falcon 10s and 20s,” he says.

Quality

Schandl later took a job as an inspector in the QA department and eventually became chief inspector. We asked Schandl what led him to pursue a job in the QA department. “I have a passion for safety,” he says. “I have always thought that safety is the most important part of our business. If I could do something to help improve safety, that is something I wanted to do.”

What does Schandl think are important traits to be effective working in QA? “You have to take a step back from what you have done as a mechanic,” he says. “There is a culture change. You have to learn to take your hands off, which can be hard to do when you have been turning wrenches your whole career. You need to make sure people are following procedures.”

Jet Aviation

Jet Aviation purchased Midcoast Aviation on Jan. 1, 2011. The facility at Cahokia is now known as Jet Aviation St. Louis. Schandl is the senior director of QA there and 57 individuals work in his department. What does Schandl look for in a new inspector? “I look at their work experience first,” he says. “I look for integrity in the person. I look at their ethics. If they worked their way up within the company, I do some background research. “

The Global Aviation Industry

Jet Aviation St. Louis works on many international aircraft, not just N-registered aircraft. It is an FAA- and EASA-certified repair station. “This business is constantly changing,” he says. “From the 1970s through today, there have been numerous changes in aircraft and its systems, especially with the complexity of procedures and equipment. Even the customers have changed, with it now being a global industry. Aircraft are flying all over the world under different flags. You have to understand the different international regulations in order to work on those airplanes. We do a lot of work for Bombardier, and also do a lot of imports and exports. I am a designated airworthiness representative (DAR), and do a lot of the imports and exports myself.”

Success in Aviation

What tips for success would Schandl give to someone who is just starting in aviation maintenance? “You need to have the right mindset,” he says. “Get the book knowledge behind you. Make sure you excel and push yourself, and work safely every day. Never compromise your integrity. In the end, aviation will give you what you give it.”

Schandl, nearly 60 years old, says he has had a fulfilling career in aviation. He spends some of his free time giving back to the industry. “I involve myself with every A&P school around here,” he tells D.O.M. magazine. “I am on all of their advisory boards. I am also involved with the St. Louis Maintenance Association and am also a FAAST team member. In 1998, I received the Aviation Maintenance Technician of the Year Award — Local, Central, Regional and National, of which I am very proud.”

In closing, Schandl shares a final piece of advice his father gave him many years ago, which he believes is an important part of a successful career and life. “Make goals. Achieve those goals. Keep moving forward and never look back!”