Join Us in Congratulating Two Industry Leaders

At D.O.M. magazine, we have the honor of meeting some of the most dedicated, hard working and professional people in the aircraft maintenance industry. Highly accomplished and motivated people like to contact us and use our publication as an instrument for change, improvement and information dissemination.

It’s rare that DOMs promote, reward or brag about their accomplishments. It’s the nature of a director of maintenance to be focused on the minutia of the business — to worry day and night about every aircraft part being properly installed, every inspection being done in a timely fashion and every regulatory requirement met and documented accurately and completely. DOMs also have to deal with facility maintenance, personnel issues, irregular and unexpected maintenance events, growth of their business, parts department management, warranty claims and more.

Many individuals that don’t accept that the industry can’t be improved upon. These individuals seem to go above and beyond their day job to see that regulatory rewrites are done to benefit their community or the individual mechanic. They go out of the way to educate the general public about contributions that aircraft mechanics have made to the growth and success of the aviation business. They work tirelessly to promote safety and often lead by example by joining and leading product improvement panels, professional associations and leadership groups.

These individuals are aviation maintenance superheroes and it’s way past due that someone recognize these individuals for their contributions and accomplishments to the aviation maintenance profession.

We welcome you to join D.O.M. magazine in congratulating the inaugural winners of our two new awards: Cliff Johnson, recipient of our Maintenance Manager of the Year award (see page six), and Ken MacTiernan, recipient of our Above and Beyond award (see page 10).

Cliff Johnson – Maintenance Manager of the Year

When editorial director Joe Escobar and I first met Johnson, it was immediately apparent that Johnson was a humble individual — yet there was a demeanor about him that told you that he knew what he was doing. While Johnson seemed uncomfortable having all the attention directed at him while we were snapping the shots for the cover and article, his leadership skills were apparent as people gathered around to offer their congratulations for the recognition he earned.

The four-page nomination his staff wrote was strong indication of how proud his company is to have him as a regional maintenance manager Here’s an excerpt: “A man like Cliff is hard to come by, and working for him is a joy. He gets his people to do their jobs with help and admiration rather than by hollering and screaming.” 

Johnson maintains 28 different maintenance bases and has to manage and juggle all of the inspections, parts, staffing and more. From what I gather about Johnson, he is one of those managers that views aircraft maintenance not as a job but as a vocation.

Ken MacTiernan – Above and Beyond

For the entire six years that I’ve known MacTiernan, it’s been clear that he doesn’t leave his job behind when he punches out.

In addition to gaining recognition for aircraft maintenance professionals and securing a proper place in history for the profession, MacTiernan started his own trade association to facilitate educating the public about the history of aircraft maintenance. To date, he has raised funds and installed the image of Charles Taylor (the Wright brothers’ mechanic) in the form of a bronze bust in museums, airports and universities around the country.

MacTiernan has also been largely responsible for individual states, as well as the U.S. Congress recognizing the aircraft mechanic on May 24 each year (Taylor’s birthday).

MacTiernan embodies our Above and Beyond award and we are proud to be able to recognize him for his accomplishments.

There are other individuals who deserve to be recognized and rewarded. We plan to continue our awards on an annual basis. Please let us know if you know someone that you feel is deserving of either of these awards, and we will include them in our selection process for 2013.

Greg Napert, Proud to be an A&P