When you think of a career that saves lives, the medical industry or maybe firefighters might come to mind. But there’s another field whose job is crucial to saving lives, and that’s airframe and powerplant. 

Think about it: There’s no opportunity to “pull over to the side of the road” in the air. If an aircraft doesn’t operate correctly, it is a serious concern for safety.

That’s why you might find a different mindset in the aviation community. When we talk to our aviation instructors, they often say the same thing: There’s a higher mentality. As technicians, the instructors know how critical their jobs are.¹ It’s not just a job for them, it’s a passion. At least that’s the case for UTI Lead Instructor David White.

Airframe & Powerplant Industry: A Job or a Passion?

For David, it's never been just a job.

"I love aviation," he says, his eyes lighting up. "One of the things I love about aviation is that the mentality is a little higher."

For a technician in airframe and powerplant, everything they do, every part they touch contributes to saving people's lives. To David, the most important characteristic is trust — trust to touch that airplane and trust to sign off on things confirming flight readiness.

"Everything is about flight safety, so the most important human characteristic or trait is trust," he explains.

Meet the Man Behind the Wings

"I've been a mechanic my whole life," David shares with us, and in fact, he practically has.

Born and raised in Hawaii, by the age of 15 he was already buying broken mopeds, fixing them and selling them. His passion for mechanics led him to an automotive trade school and later to the military, where he served as a diesel mechanic. But his thirst for more led him to aviation school in the early '90s.

Now a lead instructor for the Airframe & Powerplant (A&P) Technician program at the UTI Avondale campus, David helps train the other instructors and develop the curriculum to ensure students are learning what’s relevant to today’s industry.

What Airframe & Powerplant Courses Look Like at UTI

David describes UTI's aviation training as a “complete program” designed to prepare any student from any walk of life not only to be ready for their FAA A&P test but for a career in aviation.³ His advice for new students: It's not just about developing technical skills.

"Hand skills are great," he says. "But other skill sets like showing up to work on time and having a great attitude are equally important."

The Airframe & Powerplant Technician program at UTI starts with a few months of general sciences before students dive into the “fun stuff” of training. Students learn everything from overhauling a turbine engine to repairing skin sheets on damaged aircraft. They even get to operate turbine aircraft and reciprocating engines!

Career Potential in Airframe & Powerplant

After graduation, David hopes his students will stick with aviation because he’s noticed a significant shortfall in aviation employment.

"I believe our industry will be at its greatest deficit as far as manpower in the next few short years to come," he advises.

But he assures that there are many facets of aviation beyond the commercial airlines. If you’re looking for different avenues, David says there’s potential on the powerplant side and more.⁴

“I’ve never worked for an airline. Airlines were my customers,” David shares. “There are many, many facets that are hidden and not well-represented.”

Training You Can Take Pride In

"The thing that I am most proud of in aviation is that handshake from the customer, the owner or the pilot and a thank you," David shares with a smile.

His advice to potential students? Don't be afraid of the unknown. "There's no hard job in the world," he says. "Everything people typically know they can put in two hands ... on one hand: There’s what you know, and the other, what you don’t know. In that sense, there's nothing hard about this."

For more information about training in aviation, head to our Programs page.  To get started training for a career where you can work with your hands in a field you’re passionate about, head to our Get Info page.