Matthew Lewis pinpoints his eventual career in aviation beginning when he was a kid helping his dad repair their car.
“He had an older car that was constantly breaking down. One time when I was 9 or 10 years old, the timing belt broke on it and he asked for my help handing him tools and stuff, and he said it was like watching a light bulb go on when I figured out how everything worked and we were able to get the car running again. He said that was the point he knew that I was probably going to do something related to machines as a career,” Lewis said.
Today Lewis is an engine technical advisor for Jet Support Services, Inc. (JSSI), where he’s worked in various roles for the past 16 years.
“My day-to-day job consists of managing repair events for our fleet of aircraft from start to finish, both on the scheduled and unscheduled AOG side,” he described.
Lewis added that the most satisfying part of his job is the event management side of his role.
“I enjoy using my technical knowledge and my ability to research complex problems to save my clients' money and get their aircraft flying in a timely manner,” he continued.
His previous roles at JSSI have included the onboarding of new clients, Honeywell engine product line specialist and airframe technical advisor.
“Aviation is a great place to make a career. There’s good pay and a driven person can definitely build a rewarding, stable career in this industry. It’s complex, interesting and challenging. It’s an industry that offers many opportunities that are attractive to a self-motivated person looking to choose a career,” he added.
Lewis continued that the community around aviation and being a part of it is ultimately his favorite part of his work.
“I love being able to meet people from diverse backgrounds and locations and to be able to work with them to solve complex problems. If I wasn’t in aviation, I probably would have much less exposure to other cultures and would not have met people from all over the world,” he said.
