Following the announcement of his new term as the president of PAMEA, we asked faculty member, Rod Hayward to tell us a bit about the organization and his new role.
What is PAMEA? How long has it been around? What is its role in the aviation industry?
PAMEA is the Pacific Aircraft Maintenance Engineers Association, we are the Pacific region of CFAME or the Canadian Federation of AME’s. These organizations have been in existence for the past 50 years. We are the professional association for AME’s in Canada. An AME or Aircraft Maintenance Engineer is a position designated by the Federal government to certify the ongoing airworthiness of aircraft in Canada. Generally the role of an AME is that of a someone who either performs maintenance or oversees the maintenance of aircraft and certifies ongoing aircraft airworthiness.
AME’s are the individuals who ensure that aircraft who fly in Canada are safe for your family to fly on.
How long have you been involved with PAMEA? Why did you get involved with this organization? How has it impacted your career?
I have been involved with PAMEA for about 25 years as a member. I became a board member in 2014 and was elected as President in February 2018 – through 2021. I became more involved with PAMEA after moving down to the Lower Mainland. I became involved with PAMEA as someone who believes in the importance of ongoing professional development. PAMEA as an organization has promoted professionalism and learning within its membership and as such has helped me to continually strive to improve.
What does your role as new President of PAMEA involve? Do you have any key goals that you will be looking to accomplish or issues you think the organization can help to address?
As the President of PAMEA I am the regional representative of AME’s in BC on the Canadian Federation of AME’s. The primary role of CFAME is to act as a voice of the AME’s with the regulator – Transport Canada(TC). We act as an information conduit for the membership to TC on issues of concern. We also work with Transport Canada in the development of regulation with the Aviation sector that affects aircraft airworthiness.
Key Goals for the current executive of PAMEA include;
- Enhancing the awareness of aviation Careers – our corporate membership is finding it increasingly difficult to attract new workers.
- Providing professional development and leadership development programs for our membership (Education opportunities currently focus primarily on technical skills).
- We are focused on increasing the number of opportunities where we can collaborate with like-minded groups to enhance and promote shared goals.
Is PAMEA open to new members? Is this an organization our BBA Aviation students may be interested in joining?
PAMEA is always open to new membership although to be a full member you must be a licensed AME. We have student, corporate and associate memberships. As far as BBA Aviation student membership this would be great but as a pilot centered program most BBA Aviation students would not see the value in membership.
One closing point – as someone who has a very broad aviation background I know that there is a need to offer professional development programs for AME’s and other aviation professionals as they move into increasingly responsible positions within industry. For instance I was recently in a discussion with an AME who manages major inspections on large aircraft. These checks on an aircraft like the Boeing 767 are scheduled to minimize down time for the air carrier. As a result a major inspection needs to be done in under 35 days, during which time over 22,000 man hours and $2 million in parts and materials will be allocated. Yet very few of these AME’s have formal management or project management training. As the new President of PAMEA I look forward to connecting AME’s with UFV’s educational resources.
For more information about PAMEA and their upcoming events and workshops, please visit their website.