SIA has been interviewing aviation industry professionals in an effort to share all of the career paths for high school students to explore. Here is our interview with Brent Zimmerman, A&P and IP aviation mechanic located at the Baraboo-Dells airport’s Spring City Aviation facility.
What is your present career in aviation?
I’m working at Spring City’s new location here in Baraboo, and I’m the Lead Mechanic. Right now I’m the only mechanic. As they hire on more mechanics, I will be supervising what happens on the shop floor and some of the scheduling and training.
What inspired you to get into aviation?
So I would say it kinda started as a kid. We lived on the West Coast near an airport in Pasco, Washington. And there was some military activity there and different training things. Not a real busy airport but we were close enough that traffic was pretty close. So I could see 130s and Fedex caravans coming and going 700 feet above our house. You could see the wheels come out and get ready to land. I asked my dad to build one, a model airplane, and I’m asking my dad at six years old, “how much wingspan do I need per pound for an airplane?” My dad’s a mechanical engineer, not in aviation, and he tried to answer and it fascinated me. So then as life went on, I always thought about it, but none of my family is in aviation. I got a Young Eagles flight when I was twelve years old and that was cool. And so that was a big factor. It went from me thinking it was cool to I think I’m going to do this someday.
What’s your greatest achievement in aviation?
Probably the inspector authorization from the FAA, so I can do annual inspections and major repairs as a mechanic.
Do you have other goals you wish to achieve in aviation?
So, I’ve reached the position I want to be as a mechanic. I have gotten my Private Pilot License, and I would like to get more ratings, but I’m not sure which ratings yet. The big thing for me is home building. I’m building an airplane at home, and I’ll be flying that in the future sometime. So I might get an instrument rating or something to be able to fly more.
What can you tell young aviators that may help them with a career in aviation?
I would say that to people who are fascinated with it but it’s unknown and haven’t been exposed to it, that they will find some of the most reliable, responsible, just overall good people in the aviation community. I’ve been in other industries and aviation is by far the best people to deal with, so there’s no fear there. They don’t have to worry about getting into aviation and there being an issue with people being irresponsible or egotistical. If people are interested, they should definitely contact a local airport.
What is your favorite part of your day?
It’s pretty satisfying just working on the airplanes. I kind of enjoy as a mechanic being that person that when someone is getting into it and they’ve got their license and they want to buy an airplane, they come in and they gather information from me. Then I get to visit with them about the different models of airplanes and the different options out there and what they want to do with an airplane and then try to make recommendations. And then helping them achieve that, inspect it, repair it, that part’s pretty cool.
What is one thing that you would want to say to people looking into aviation as a possible career?
Probably the biggest thing, and this goes into all aspects of aviation, is that it’s a direction in life. It’s a lifestyle. It’s enough of an investment, enough of a commitment, you can’t just go get your pilot’s license because of all the commitment that it takes to get there. Patience is key. It takes a lot of time to build relationships and find where you fit. The way one guy puts it – he’s a mechanic too – is that if you do it as a hobby, you’ll spend enormous amounts of money for minimal reward. But if you do it as a career, then you’re in the process. You’re enjoying it and making money while doing it.
