Avionics News September 2012 - 42

MEET TIM SHAW

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the normal anti-terrorist procedures. When I got to Canada, what had become sort of routine to me I didn’t have to do. It was an eye-opener for me... it was a much better way to live. That was in 1989. I mustered out of the British Army in 1991 and settled in Calgary. I’ve been there ever since. After 10-plus years in the Army, what happened next? I started working for Canadian Avionics in Calgary. At the time, Bob Cameron owned it, and he gave me my start. I then had to get my AME license. Fortunately for me, a couple of years earlier, another member of the British Army with the same training got out. So, when I went to Transport Canada, they knew all about it. All I needed was six months of experience before I could become a licensed technician. I was working on Cessna and Piper general aviation aircraft, plus some 727s, the Dash 8 and the Fokker F-28. I stayed with that company two years, until 1993, when I was laid off. I dropped back to my other skill set: I joined the Canadian forces and went back to working as a field engineer for two years until the economy improved. Then, I went back to Canadian Avionics for another two years before taking my current position with Rocky Mountain Aircraft. It was a tough transition from military to civilian in several respects. I was getting paid a lot less than I had been earning in the military. I had to accept that for a couple of years until I got some experience, got licensed and proved my worth. Of course, working under a completely different regulatory framework took some getting used to, also. I did have my doubts on whether I had made the right decision, but I persevered and things worked out for me. I’ve been at Rocky Mountain Aircraft 15 years. What is your role there? When I started at Rocky Mountain Aircraft, they just had a single technician. He quit within three months of me joining the company. So, I took over supporting Rocky Mountain’s own fleet. I then got the mandate to expand the business externally, so we went from just me to anywhere between the seven and 10 technicians we currently have.
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How has the equipment you’re working on changed during the years? It’s gone from completely analog to almost completely digital. Now it’s more integrated and more compact. Flat-panel displays have resulted in a huge increase in safety through improved situational awareness. It’s been a very interesting time. What about the aircraft? The company I work for is primarily a leasing company. We specialize in Twin Otters; we have a fleet of about 30. So, the airplane hasn’t changed, just the avionics. With the transition from analog to digital avionics, has your job gotten easier, harder or just different? Just different, I think. Things are more computerbased, so the technicians need to be more computersavvy. A lot of the squawks we get can be solved by just reconfiguring the equipment and loading new software. Of course, in the old days, something was actually broken. With newer avionics, when something goes in, all the wiring gets replaced, which has eliminated 20-year-old wiring in some aircraft. When I started, something like 30 percent of the squawks were caused by poor workmanship – people using the wrong crimping tools. As the avionics got more complex, the technicians got better training. While the technology has improved, so has the workmanship on installations. What was your first exposure to the AEA? I suppose it was Avionics News magazine, when I was at Canadian Avionics. When I moved to Rocky Mountain Aircraft in 1997, AEA’s equipment exchange program was very useful. I started going to all the AEA Regional Meetings and the AEA International Convention & Trade Show, which was absolutely critical to growing the business. Networking, new products and learning about all the services offered by the AEA was just invaluable. There’s no particular person or event that stands out – it’s just the whole community. You get to know you’re not alone with the problems you face within the industry – other people have had similar problems and attendance of Transport Canada personnel is good for sorting out certification issues. Unless you’re involved with the AEA, you’re missing out. It’s hugely beneficial.

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september

2012

Avionics News September 2012

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Avionics News September 2012