A Day in the Life of an Aircraft Maintenance Engineer – Andries Nieuwoudt
In this second post of the series, ‘A Day in the Life of’, Andries Nieuwoudt explains the role of a base maintenance engineer and what led to his calling in the aviation industry.
Aircraft maintenance engineer, Andries Nieuwoudt, works at ExecuJet MRO Services’ purpose-built MRO facility at Dubai’s Al Maktoum International Airport.
Andries is from South Africa where he worked as an automotive engineer. But he moved to Dubai and enrolled himself into a course to study to be an aviation maintenance technician.
He had some exposure to the aviation industry through his father-in-law who was a commercial pilot. His father-in-law also roped Andries into helping to build a model kit plane for recreational flying.
Since joining ExecuJet MRO Services in Dubai, Andries has completed three training modules and subsequent practical trainings. He is now working on his fourth training module which includes being type rated to work on Bombardier Global business jets.
Speaking on the continuous learning curve, he explains: “It is a matter of choice. Some engineers have a basic license for a single type of aircraft. I, on the other hand, aspire to complete more modules to specialise in various types of aircraft – it broadens your knowledge base, your self-value, helping you progress further. That’s the thing about the aviation industry, it allows you to be at various levels and still be able to enjoy it.”
Here, we see Andries going about his day, as part of the maintenance team.
Andries starts early with a thorough review of the day’s work schedule. Maintenance supervisors assign engineers and technicians to work on each aircraft. Andries and his colleagues need to follow the maintenance manuals and know how to use the different tools and equipment to perform the maintenance tasks. Andries’ day varies as per the job.
“Some jobs entail routine work, such as topping the oxygen cylinder, checking tyre pressure, etc. Then there are jobs that are more complex and involve troubleshooting such as investigating defects. Ou main aim is to return the aircraft back into service safely .”
He says troubleshooting work gives him immense pleasure because it involves overcoming a challenge and seeing that the aircraft is airworthy and ensuring passenger safety. “It is gratifying to see that an aircraft is flying because of the work that we do,” he adds.
Andries recommends a career in the aviation industry to young engineers who are technically sound, have a passion for learning and are a team player. This career path has a lot of steps one can climb, especially with ExecuJet MRO Services, he says.
“Unlike other MRO companies, ExecuJet MRO Services has a personal touch, providing the drive and freedom to enjoy work”.
