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Aviation Maintenance Technicians Were There to Make U.S. History
May 22, 2026
On December 17, 1903, the world was changed when two brothers — Orville and Wilbur Wright — made the first powered flight in history.
That 12 second flight revolutionized American transportation, but it would not have been possible without support of an accomplished aviation maintenance technician (AMT) — the first ever in fact.
Because of the enduring contributions of Charles Edward Taylor, the first aircraft mechanic who built the engine used to power the Wright Brothers’ history-making flight at Kitty Hawk, N.C., we celebrate all AMTs on his birthday of May 24.
The U.S. airline industry is grateful to AMTs who prioritize safety and are dedicated to ensuring thousands of aircraft are maintained and ready for flight every day. Because of their work, U.S. airlines operate 28,000 flights, transporting 2.7 million passengers and 61,000 tons of cargo to their destinations daily. A4A appreciates Rep. Scholten for recognizing the hard work and professional contributions of AMTs.
AMTs maintain and repair aircraft, performing everything from routine inspections to troubleshooting and servicing increasingly advanced systems. Because they are in high demand, AMTs must complete specialized training and earn FAA certification to gain the knowledge and skills needed to keep aircraft flying safely.
For information about how to become an FAA-certificated AMT, click here for testing and other requirements necessary to pursue this in-demand career path.
Celebrating Our 2026 Nuts and Bolts Awards Winners
Earlier this year, Airlines for America (A4A) joined Aviation Week’s MRO Americas conference, the largest gathering of airlines and maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) organizations employing AMTs across the industry, to recognize outstanding service and achievements in the technical operations field.
This year’s recipient from an airline was Stacy Morrissey, American Airlines Vice President of Engineering and Quality, the first woman to receive the airline award and third woman overall.
Morrissey began her career at American as a fleet operations engineer and now helps oversee engineering, quality control, quality assurance, reliability, aircraft configuration management, maintenance programs and technical publications for the carrier.
“I love the way that people come together to run the operation and drive innovative solutions to run the safest and most reliable airline possible,” Morrissey said after accepting the award.
This year’s airline partner recipient was Bob Ireland, formerly A4A’s vice president of safety, maintenance and engineering and recently SAE International Chair of the Board.
Ireland started his career as an engineer at Boeing and later spent 30 years of his career with United Airlines, where he played a pivotal role in developing industry standard windshear training. His leadership at A4A on 5G frequency spectrum issues helped prevent widespread disruption across the U.S. commercial fleet.
“Bob Ireland’s decades of technical leadership, industry collaboration and unwavering commitment to aviation safety have profoundly strengthened the U.S. commercial aviation system and set a standard of excellence across the industry,” said A4A Vice President, Operations and Safety, Justin Madden when Ireland was announced as one of this year’s recipients.
Now Accepting Abstracts for the 2026 Nondestructive Testing (NDT) Forum
As part of A4A’s efforts to support innovation and AMT careers, this year’s Nondestructive Testing (NDT) Forum, Sept. 21-23, 2026, at the Hyatt Regency Tulsa Downtown Hotel, is targeted to technicians interested in learning more about the current trends, issues and successes in aviation maintenance inspection.
We are currently accepting abstracts from AMTs and other fields on the latest successes and learnings regarding nondestructive inspection. Confirmed presenters at this year’s event can receive complimentary registration, so submit your abstract today.