Two Queenslanders have been awarded scholarships by the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) as part of its annual aircraft maintenance engineer (AME) scholarship program.
Designed to help boost the aviation maintenance industry in Australia, CASA scholarships worth up to $5,000 help recipients gain the skills and experience they need to become licensed aircraft maintenance engineers.
Sunshine Coast resident Jacob Mani, working for Jetstar, and Brisbane-based Aaron Pollard, working at Alliance Airlines, were named as recipients of the award.
Both are using the scholarship to become licensed aircraft maintenance engineers at very different points in their careers.
Jacob has worked in aircraft maintenance for almost 20 years, with experience ranging from military aircraft like Lockheed C130 Hercules and Chinook helicopters to Airbus and Boeing passenger jets.
Aaron is at the beginning of his career, having finished what is usually a 3-year apprenticeship in less than 2 years.
Both agree that aviation safety starts on the ground, with engineers playing a vital part in ensuring aircraft are fit to take to the sky.
Jacob says the most rewarding part of his job is troubleshooting a problem he's never come across before, having to learn a new system and how it works before being able to safely rectify the fault.
For Aaron, spending each shift working to fix issues or maintain an aircraft correctly and safely is highly satisfying.
'You're dead tired after a night shift, but you check Flight Radar and that aircraft you were working on earlier is back in the air and flying again,' he says.
CASA Chief Executive Officer and Director of Aviation Safety, Pip Spence, commended Aaron and Jacob for their dedication and professionalism.
'Both Jacob and Aaron were chosen for their strong commitment to aviation safety and genuine passion for their chosen career path,' Ms Spence says.
'They've shown initiative and a desire to keep learning so we look forward to seeing their continued contribution to the aviation industry.'
Jacob and Aaron join Perth-based Hudson Dagge as recipients of the 2025 CASA AME Scholarship.
The trio was selected from more than 70 applicants who are all working hard to make a difference to the safety culture of the organisations they work for, and across the wider aviation industry.
