Profile -- by Stacey Quinn

Ever wondered what exactly it is that makes an airplane stay up in the sky? Avionics technologists not only know what it is that makes an aircraft stay aloft, they are the ones that make sure the plane is in working order so it can make the many kilometer journey.

Elia Damis has worked as an avionics technologist for 5 years. It was a life-long love for aircraft and a well-honed technical ability that he was able to combine into a satisfying career. After attending the Avionics Technology Diploma Program at the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology (SAIT), Elia was ready to take on the two years of on the job training, and three years ago, was able to begin working on his own.

Elia says that the most important part of his job is having patience. There is some down time at the job, and, when the shop is full of planes, you still need to harness that patience to be able to do a thorough, accurate job. Although the airplanes are massive, it is still small wires and bolts that keep them running.

Elia's favorite aspect of being an avionics technologist is the troubleshooting. It is not always obvious as to what is making an airplane act in a certain way, much as a car can't tell you what's wrong, neither can an aircraft. The troubleshooting and problem solving can be the most time consuming part of working on a specific problem, but it is also the time where you learn the most about the aircraft you are maintaining.

The worst part of the job for Elia is the office politics. Such as you find in most jobs, avionic technologists are not immune from this either. There is still a hierarchy in the shop, one person has to answer to another. There are many safety concerns with all aircraft, and, because of this, all maintenance done on an aircraft must be written down and recorded, and kept in records. Much as doctors need to keep a patient file, all people who do any work on any aircraft must keep aircraft files where everyone who is involved with an aircraft, from the maintenance workers to the pilot, can see what work has been done on an airplane.

Most of Elia's day is spent in the cockpit of the airplane. He can work on an airplane that is just being built, or he can work on one that's just flown across the country. He is in charge of installing, inspecting, and calibrating cockpit instrumentation and gauges. When an airplane is just being built, he must complete all three of these steps, and when he is just working on a plane that has flown thousands of kilometers, he must check that all of the instrumentation and gauges are still finely calibrated, and tuned into each other. If the gauges malfunction, or are even off by a few fractions of a centimeter, the results can be disastrous.

Although technologists can sometimes be expected to work shift work, Elia's job requires that he work Monday to Friday, 40 hours a week. However, overtime is sometimes available, and sometimes required. Also, there is opportunity to travel with this work, but it is not required. The amount of airplanes being flown, and therefore being maintained, and being built can rely on the economy of the area you are working in, the better the economy, the more airplanes there are to work on. The wage an avionics technologist can expect would be about $16 an hour to start, and up to $40 an hour

Although Elia says it can be somewhat difficult to get into this line of work, he says that once you get your foot in the door, and you have secured a position, there are many more opportunities waiting. Elia can work on many different parts of an aircraft, having stayed updated on the new technology emerging in avionics, and having taken more education to receive his ticket in more than one aspect of avionics. He also says that Canada is one of the best places to be an avionics technologist, because Canada is a world leader in this field. There is also a lot of room for advancement; there are many jobs available in planning and management. Elia also feels that there will be many positions available in the future in this area, due to so many workers retiring. Also, this gives more of a foothold to those looking for advancement, as these positions will open up as well.

Although this job is not dangerous, the story that I got out of Elia about the weirdest thing that has ever happened to him while at work could have lead to a life-threatening situation. A plane had come in for some calibrations after flying to Calgary from Malaysia. While doing the calibrations, and detailing first the mechanical parts of the plane, one of Elias co-workers removed the vertical stab of the aircraft, one of the moving parts of the tail assembly, and literally hundreds of black-widow spiders fell out of the tail. The shop had to be evacuated for two days, and fumigated to get rid of the deadly spiders. So, from talking with Elia, I got the feeling that if you like working with 'bugs' in calibration systems, being an Avionics Technologist might be right up your runway!

Alberta Occupational Profiles - Avionics Technician

National Occupation Classification - Aircraft Instrument and Avionics Technicians

Trade Secrets - Apprenticeship and Industry Training.

Aerospace Industries Association of Canada

Training Programs:

SAIT - Avionics Technology

NAIT - Avionics Engineering Technology

Avionics Technician - Video Profile.

Running Time Approx. 1:13 min/sec