A C L O S E R L O O K
Meet Your Chief Inspector
Eric Ellison
Fourteen Years With Kenmore Air
ERIC ELLISON IS THE
GUY at Kenmore Air passengers will likely never meet , but the guy that every passenger is happy to have working behind the scenes . As chief inspector for this airline , Ellison ’ s job is to ensure that every plane in Kenmore Air ’ s fleet meets and exceeds the Federal Aviation Administration ’ s safety standards .
“ We go beyond the minimum requirement in maintaining our aircraft , and we take pride in that ,” he says . “ We go several levels above air worthiness .”
To assume that Ellison has inspected every plane in Kenmore Air ’ s fleet would be inaccurate . At least from the literal standpoint .
“ There are too many planes for one person to do all the required inspections ,” he says , adding that the mechanics do most of the individual plane inspections . “ We have 25 planes , and another 30 or so customer planes that we work on . My job is to sched- ule , manage , and support the inspections .”
Ellison , who ’ s been the chief inspector for six years , began working at Kenmore Air in 2003 . His path to his current role was expected given his history . He grew up in the Alaska bush where his father was a fish hatchery manager in Prince William Sound ’ s Unawick Inlet .
“ One of the crew that helped maintain the hatchery was the maintenance manager ( Ron Sherman ). Ron was an A & P ( Airframe & Powerplant Mechanic ) and pilot ,” recalls Ellison . “ As a kid I would follow him around , and I learned a lot about working on machines by watching him . I was mechanically inclined and Ron was an early inspiration .”
Ellison eventually moved to Minneapolis where he worked with a luthier building guitars and banjos . Realizing that wasn ’ t going to be his long-term career , he pursued his passion for aviation . “ I took my first flying lesson and got the bug ,” he says . That led him to enroll at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Prescott , Arizona .
“ I was actually going there on the airline pilot track . I enjoyed flying , but the airline industry had a hard time around then ( 2001 ). A lot of people I knew who were working for the airlines were being furloughed . I was always interested in maintenance so I switched to the aircraft maintenance track .”
When Ellison moved to Seattle he immediately applied for a job at Kenmore Air .
“ I knew I wanted to work here , but nothing was available in maintenance at the time , so I worked on the line crew
Q : What is your favorite airplane in Kenmore Air ’ s Fleet : “ The Beaver and Otter are both special planes , but if I had to choose one it would be the Turbo Otter . There ’ s no other plane like it . It ’ s a unique plane with unmatched capabilities .” michael hays photo
NAME : Eric Ellison OCCUPATION : Chief Inspector AGE : 40 BIRTHPLACE : Anchorage , Alaska RESIDENCE : Lynnwood , Wash . YEARS WORKING FOR KENMORE : 14 yrs . YEARS WORKING AS CHIEF INSPECTOR : 6 yrs .
PLANES INSPECTED , MAINTAINED ANNUALLY :
40 plus a year
FIRST JOB AT KENMORE AIR : Line Crew PILOT ’ S LICENSE : 1999 MECHANIC ’ S LICENSE : 2005 MBA : 2012 FAVORITE DESTINATION : Sucia Island
washing and fueling planes for the first summer .”
The following winter he was hired in the float shop where he gained sheet metal skills overhauling the planes ’ floats . He soon moved into the maintenance shop where he learned about the deHavilland Beaver and Kenmore ’ s rebuild process from long time mechanic Gordy Barnes . “ I enjoyed working with Gordy and learned a lot from him about what it takes to be a good aircraft mechanic .” He then became the technical advisor for the maintenance department . He spent two years in that capacity before becoming chief inspector .
“ Experienced mechanics become inspectors when they are sufficiently familiar with Kenmore ’ s aircraft and methods . It ’ s from this pool that the chief inspector is selected . The role is one of support and organization ,” he says . “ I help the mechanics and inspectors make go-no-go decisions and provide them with engineering support for repairs and modifications .”
Today Ellison is intent on making sure that every plane leaving the maintenance shop exceeds the industry standards for safety .
He ’ s also keenly aware of the passenger experience .
“ I really want people to understand that we offer an aviation experience at Kenmore Air , not just transportation . Our vintage aircraft are part of a rich general aviation history ,” he says . “ The planes were designed to fly in undeveloped areas and to be maintained in difficult conditions . The fact that we are so close to Seattle is a bonus . Pilots and mechanics get to operate true bush aircraft and be close to home , too .”
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