AMTSociety - Aviation Maintenance Professionals - Sharing Resoures and Benefits

AMTSociety Directors

Tom Hendershot, Executive Director - Tom Hendershot holds A&P Certification with Inspection Authorization and has worked as an aviation professional for 53 years. Tom has held numerous positions in Airworthiness Operations: Vice President of AirMotive Specialties, Inc., Director of Maintenance for four FAR 135 Operations, Chief Inspector and Director of Compliance. In the area of Flight Operations his work has included Captain, Line Pilot, Check Airman, IOE Pilot, Flight and Ground Instructor, and currently is a Master CFI.

Tom served PAMA at the local level as the NOAMA Chapter President for 10 consecutive years, and also founded the RMAMA Chapter which he served for 12 years as President. At the same time he served as the Northwest Mountain Region Director, the Chairman of the Regional Directors, and was elected Vice Chairman. Tom received the following PAMA awards: 1998 AMT of the Year, 2000 Award of Excellence, 2001 Joe Chase Award, 2002 Award of Merit, 2003 Award of Merit.

In 2000 the McGraw Hill Companies awarded Tom the Lifetime Achievement Award; from 1999 thru 2003 Tom received the FAA Denver FSDO and the Northwest Mountain Region AMT of the Year Award, and also in 2003 Tom was the National AMT of the Year. On May 15th, 2005 Tom received the prestigious Charles E. Taylor Master Mechanic Award. On October 22nd, 2005 Tom received the Wright Brothers Master Pilot Award. Tom was first appointed a Safety Counselor by the Cleveland GADO in 1972; he has continued to serve consecutively, moving to the Denver, Colorado area where Tom added Airworthiness to the Operations in 1995, and served concurrently with the Western Pacific Region. March 27, 2010 Tom received the FAA Meritorious Achievement Award. Tom has also received the following awards for the FAA Aviation Awards program: 1993 Ruby, 1994 Gold, 1996 Silver, 1997 Bronze, 1995; 1998 � 2007 Diamond.

Currently Tom is serving as a Lead Representative for the Denver FAASTeam. On the national level he was one of the original founders and has served as the Chairman of the FAA / Industry AMT Program since the inception in 2001. He is on the Advisory Board for the Aviation Technician Education Council; National Center for Aerospace & Transportation Technologies; Joint Service Aviation Maintenance Technician Certification Council; and the NBAA Maintenance Committee; Tom is also a member of the FAA Part 147 ARAC. Locally Tom is serving on the Metropolitan State College Denver Campus Aviation Advisory Committee; the Redstone College Denver Campus Advisory Committee; and serves the Denver Public School System as the Chairman of the Emily Griffith Opportunity School Aviation Division; and the Northrop Rice Foundation Board. Tom is a lifelong member of the CAP. On October 23rd, 2010 Tom was inducted into the Colorado Historical Society Aviation Hall of Fame as a Laureate. Tom also writes articles for�AMT�Magazine as well as the�AMTSociety�and is currently teaching SMS; FAR 135 and 145 Regulations to AMTs along with maintenance human factors.

Mark D. Collins, Director - Mark D. Collins is the Manager of the LAX Aircraft Structures Department for FedEx Express. He holds an A&P certification and FCC license.

His aviation career stems over 21 years. In 1987 he joined the U.S. Navy where he served as an AMS. During his 4 years he advanced to Petty Officer. Mark was assigned to the Persian Gulf for Operation Desert Shield/Desert Storm. He managed the Composite shop onboard the USS John F. Kennedy. His duties included performing aircraft composite repairs on fighter aircraft, such as the A-6 intruder and the F-14 tomcat. In 1991, Mark received an Honorable Discharge from the U.S. Navy along with many commendations, including the liberation of Kuwait medal.

Mark's commercial aviation career started with Continental Airlines in 1992. He worked as an AMT in the composite shop. He left Continental Airlines in 1994 to work for FedEx Express. While at FedEx, he worked in the composite shop as a Senior AMT for 4 years. He pursued a management position and was awarded the position in 1998. He managed the Composite, Paint, and Interior Departments for 8 years. Mark is currently the manager of Aircraft Structures and has been with FedEx Express for 16 years.

Mark was recently awarded the Title of Honorary Professor for his outstanding commitment and dedication to the educational community. He developed the curriculum for Crimson Technical College's future Post Graduate Courses in Advanced Composites. Mark is also on Crimson's advisory board. He is an adjunct instructor for San Bernardino Valley College, where he teaches Aviation Composites, and serves on their advisory board.

Mark has coordinated and supported many community outreach projects such as, United Way, The American Stroke Association, and restoration of a Douglas DC3 "Spirit of Santa Monica". He was instrumental in the donation of a JT8 engine to Crimson Technical and San Bernardino Colleges. Mark's current project is assisting in restoring and mounting the donated, forward fuselage of a FedEx 727 for the Museum of Flying in Santa Monica, CA. Mark is also on the board of directors for Tomorrow�s Aeronautical Museum in Compton, CA and a member of the Organization of Black Aerospace Professionals (OBAP).

Mark has worked with Sandia National Labs at the FAA's Airworthiness Assurance Center (AANC), Boeing, and Federal Express to complete a pilot program to validate and introduce boron composite doubler repair technology to the U.S. commercial aircraft industry.

Robert Drake, Director - Robert Drake is the Director of Education for Crimson Technical College - Los Angeles, an industry-leading school for FAA certified Airframe & Powerplant mechanics.

Robert joined Crimson Technical College (formerly Redstone College) in January 2006 and has been actively involved in the Aviation Technician Education Council and AMTSociety. During the past year, Robert served on the Industry Relations Committee for ATEC and brought a school sponsored team to the AMT Skills Competition in Las Vegas.

Prior to joining Crimson, Robert spent 18 years with Alaska Airlines. Starting as a Base Maintenance Technician, Robert was Full RII Rated for the MD-80, 737-200, 737-400 and 737-NG. As a Lead Aircraft Mechanic, Robert had Run & Taxi Ratings on all aircraft as well as Airworthiness Release privileges. His last 5 years were spent as a Line Maintenance Supervisor at the Los Angeles station.

Before joining Alaska Airlines, Robert spent two years as a Bench Technician for Garrett AiResearch.

Gary Goodpaster, Secretary of the Board of Directors - Gary Goodpaster is the Chief of Maintenance for The Kroger Co. and is an adjunct instructor for an A&P school in Cincinnati, Ohio. He earned his A&P ratings in 1975, holds an Inspectors Authorization, is a Designated Mechanic Examiner, a FAASTeam member and has an FCC GROL and NCATT AET rating. Gary has received the following awards: 1998 FAA Great Lakes Region AMT of the Year, 1999 Distinguished Alumni Award from Cincinnati State Technical and Community College, 2002 Flight Safety Foundation/PAMA Joe Chase Award, and 2004 FAA National AMT of the Year. Gary has also participated in the FAA AMT Award Program since 1998. Gary was the President of the Cincinnati Chapter of PAMA for 10 years and currently serves on the NBAA Maintenance Committee Board and on the FAA / Industry AMT Awards Committee.

Joe Hawkins, Director - Joe Hawkins is a certificated Airframe and Powerplant Technician since 1979 with an Inspection Authorization since 1991. He is an Assistant Professor in the Aerospace Department at Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU) in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. At MTSU, Joe teaches across the 14 CFR Part 141 Professional Pilot and Part 147 Aviation Maintenance Technician curriculums. Joe earned both his Bachelor of Science in Aviation Maintenance Management and Master of Aerospace Education degrees from MTSU. Joe is an active researcher and has published articles concerning human factors in maintenance operations, advanced systems training for technicians, contemporizing training curriculums and the introduction of Very Light Jets.

Joe is a U.S. Army veteran and served as a CH-47 Chinook Helicopter Flight Engineer with the 101st Airborne Division. Along with an Honorable Discharge, his military awards include Army Air Crewman Wings along with Good Conduct and Commendation Medals. He began his civilian aviation career in 1979 with Stevens Aviation in South Carolina, transferring to Nashville, Tennessee in 1981. In 1991, Joe became the Chief Aviation Maintenance Technician for the State of Tennessee, Department of Transportation. His professional training and aircraft repair experiences include the powerplants, airframes and systems on Sikorsky and Bell helicopters, Beechjet, Citation and Lear business jets, King Air, MU 2 and Twin Commander series turboprops and Beech 1900 series commuter.

For more than 10 years, Joe has been an Aviation Safety Counselor (Airworthiness) for the Federal Aviation Administration's Nashville Flight Standards District Office and is a current FAASTeam Lead Representative in the Tennessee and Kentucky region. Joe is also the Technical Program Director for the Tennessee Mid-South Aviation Maintenance Conference conducted in Nashville. The Tennessee Mid-South Aviation Maintenance Conference in the oldest seminar of its kind in the county, and nearly 1000 aviation professionals attend the Tennessee conference and exhibitor showcase each March

In 2001, he was recognized as the Nashville FSDO Safety Counselor of the Year. He received the National Business Aviation Association's Aviation Maintenance Technician Safety Award for over 25 years of aircraft maintenance operations without an accident or serious injury to aircraft, crewmembers, or passengers in 2003. He was selected as the Tennessee Aviation Maintenance Technician of the Year in 2005, and in 2006, Joe was the first Tennessean ever awarded the prestigious Federal Aviation Administration's National Aviation Maintenance Technician of the Year. In 2008, Joe was enshrined in the Tennessee Aviation Hall of Fame. At the time of his induction, he became the youngest member of the Hall of Fame and the first non-flight rated technician to be so honored.

In addition to being a Director for the AMTSociety, Joe is a board member of Aviation Technical Education Council and serves on several committees with the University Aviation Association and Aviation Accreditation Board International. He is a faculty and curriculum evaluator for the American Council on Education and a member of several professional aerospace organizations including the Association for Women in Aviation Maintenance, Civil Air Patrol and the Experimental Aircraft Association.

Ken MacTiernan, Director - Ken MacTiernan is a 22-year AMT Line Mechanic with AA in Dallas, TX. He was a U.S.A.F. B-52 Aircraft Mechanic and earned his A&P license during his four-year tour; being Honorably Discharged as an E-4. Hirined on with AA in 1986 in LGA, Ken was a Lead Mechanic for 2 years. He is the founder of the non-profit Aircraft Maintenance Technicians Association, WWW.AMTAUSA.COM. Ken is married with two daughters. MacTiernan single-handedly raised money for placement of several Charles Taylor Bust donations in key locations throughout the country - the most notable at the Smithsonian Museum. Ken is also the Chairman for AMTSociety Scholarship Awards and Chairman for AMTSociety's Maintenance Skills Competition.

Patrick McDevitt - Pat McDevitt has worked closely with the Aviation community for nearly 30 years, primarily in support of assembly and maintenance solutions for aviation from general aviation to Space Flight.

Pat is currently the Director of Innovation for Snap-on Tools Industrial division. He has held numerous positions in his ongoing 33 year career with Snap-on Tools. Previously involved with the Professional Aviation Maintenance Association as a long term Board member. Pat is a passionate voice and supporter of the aviation Maintenance community.

Fund raising, event coordination, and enlisting corporate support is some of the talents which Pat brings to AMTSociety and its members.

George Miller, Director- George R. Miller, Jr. is a 21-year AMT Line Mechanic with Continental Airlines, Inc. George was hired on September 13, 1987 in IAD and spent 7 years as a Junior Technician and 10 years as a Hanger/Line Technician in Houston, TX and is currently an A&P Line Lead Technician. George is RII Rated on MD-80, and also has Airworthiness Release Privileges on MD-80, All 737, 757-200, 757-300, 767-200, 767-400 and 777-200 and holds an FCC-GROL. George has been an AWAM (www.awam.org) member since 2004, an AMTA (www.amtausa.com) member since 2006, an FAASTeam Representative (www.FAASavety.gov) (SW09) member since 2006 and has participated in the FAA AMT Award program since 1998. George was previously involved with the Professional Aviation Maintenance Association (PAMA) for 10 years and was elected as SW Regional Director from 2002-2006 and was an AMCC member from 1999-2004.

Jim Sparks, Director - Jim Sparks is a licensed A&P who has spent most of his 30+ year aviation maintenance career associated with business aircraft. Experience has included routine maintenance on small general aviation aircraft, flight line repair and field service for airframe manufacturers, service center experience which involved starting as a floor technician and evolved to crew chief and eventually a foreman's position. As far as a special talent, Jim frequently comments that "with a last name like Sparks, I didn't get to spend much time in the hydraulic shop". Candidly Jim says; "Troubleshooting seems to be a dying art that I would like to help preserve and in my opinion, revolves around technicians equipped with the proper knowledge to help promote thought".

Jim has devoted many years of his career to educational roles while working for several aviation maintenance training providers and a business jet manufacturer. In this role, Jim accumulated several million frequent flier miles traveling the world having countless opportunities to meet multi-national aircraft technicians and airworthiness authorities plus interact with heads of government and industry. These opportunities have provided him a very unique perspective on business.

Currently, he directs the maintenance for a private corporation on a fleet of aircraft including several types of business jets, turbine helicopters and light single engine aircraft.

Writing the Avionics column for Aircraft Maintenance Technology is one of the ways Jim keeps his passion for educating technicians alive. A current and active member of the FAA Safety Team (FAAST), he speaks at various aviation events including Inspection Authorization Seminars. Other professional activities include participation on the NBAA Maintenance Committee and the Honeywell Operators Board.

One of his NBAA initiatives is to assist in the production of a new industry recognized standard for the ongoing educational criteria applied to technicians working with business aircraft.

Mr. Sparks has a clear vision for the future of aviation maintenance and will continue to promote professionalism and looks forward to the day when the importance of what we do becomes common knowledge.

Peter Zeeb, Chairman of the Board of Directors - Peter Zeeb holds a Bachelor of Science (BS) degree in Aviation Maintenance Management from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. He also holds A&P and IA licenses. With 32 years of experience, his specific training is with Gulfstream, Dassault and Cessna airframes. He currently is in charge of the maintenance for one Gulfstream V and two 2000EXEasys with Caesars Entertainment Inc. . He has been on the Maintenance and Reliability Board with Dassault and the Citation X Technical Committee with Cessna. He is currently on the Gulfstream Operators Advisory Board and the Global Customer Committee with Honeywell Aerospace. He organizes the AMTSociety Scholarship Golf Outing every year. He was awarded the Aviation Maintenance Technician of the Year from the Eastern Region of the FAA in 2001. Previously involved with the Professional Aviation Maintenance Association (PAMA), Peter established the Wilmington PAMA chapter and was the past President. He served as Western Regional Director for one year.

Andy Wilson, Director - Andy is active in serving his community in multiple projects, his passion is serving as the Director of Santa Flight, a volunteer organization that fly's food, clothing, medical supplies and toys to remote parts of Utah serving all of the Native American Tribes during the Christmas holiday season.

Andy Wilson is currently an Instructor at the Salt Lake Community College's Aerospace, Aviation & Related Technologies Program where he teaches Sheet Metal, Composites, and Aircraft Systems. His industry experience has brought new levels to the Aviation Maintenance training area with the incorporation of curriculum design changes that address issues of FAR Part 145 Class IV Repair Station processes and system management. In addition he serves on the Professional Advisory Committee for the colleges AMT Program and on the Curriculum Committee for the college as a whole.

Andy received his Airframe & Powerplant license in 1979 and received a Bachelor of Science in Aviation Management from Florida Institute of Technology in 1986.

With over 20 years experience, his diversity in the industry includes Pratt & Whitney in the Government and Commercial Products Programs, Comair Airlines as an Administrator of Maintenance, and for almost 10 years prior to joining the college as Vice President of Aircraft Maintenance at Million Air – Salt Lake City where he managed a large FAR Part 145, Class IV Repair Station. In addition to his A&P, Andy is also an IA and Private Pilot and which he utilizes in his Aviation Mobile Maintenance business serving the greater Utah area. Andy employs students in his mobile business allowing students to gain experience in Aviation Maintenance while serving the Greater Salt Lake Aviation Community.