Story ID: 
Mechanics Are Winners at Mx Skills Contest
By: Matt Thurber
Caption: At the Aviation Industry Expo held from March 10 to 12 in Las Vegas, 15 teams of maintenance technicians vied for top honors in the second annual maintenan
Word Count: 169
At the Aviation Industry Expo held from March 10 to 12 in Las Vegas, 15 teams of maintenance technicians vied for top honors in the second annual maintenance skills competition hosted by the AMTSociety. Last year, nine teams competed, according to Ken MacTiernan, an American Airlines mechanic and a director of the AMTSociety. The 15 teams were split into four categories: commercial aviation, general aviation, schools and military. Air Force and Navy mechanics competed in the military category, but next year MacTiernan expects members of all five military branches to compete. There were 12 events, and each five-member team had 20 minutes to complete each event. Scores are based on the time taken, and penalties are added, so the team with the lowest combined score wins. Category winners this year were Continental Airlines, commercial; Aviation Institute of Maintenance Atlanta, school; Air Force (McGuire AFB), military; and Team Colorado from the Colorado Aeronautics Division, general aviation. “The goal is to promote today’s technicians,” said MacTiernan. “Our responsibilities are all the same: providing safe, airworthy aircraft.”