Aircraft Maintenance Technology - 33

Gavin Hanzawa, 27, Lead Maintenance Operations Mechanic, George's Aviation Services Inc., Honolulu, HI

avin Hanzawa grew up in the aviation industry. From just eight
years old, Hanzawa would come to the airport and watch his
father work on airplanes. After graduating from high school, Gavin
decided to be come an A&P mechanic like his father and mentor.
"Being surrounded by aviation, it ended up being only natural to
take it up as a career path, putting everything I've learned over the
years into good use," he explained.
After six years of on the job training, Hanzawa received approval
from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to take his written test to become a mechanic. Passing his general, airframe and
powerplant exams, he traveled to the mainland from Hawaii to
take his oral and practical mechanics exams.
Hanzawa, who is excited to receive his first industry award from
AMT's 40 Under 40 Awards, has been a mechanic for almost three
years and will be taking his Inspector Authorization exam soon. He
is one of three lead mechanics at George's Aviation Services' FBO,
working on Robinson Helicopters, Cessna, Diamond, Piper and
Beech aircraft. He also works as a line A&P mechanic for Swiss Port,
working on wide-body aircraft for more than a year now. Hanzawa
is also a student pilot and has flown solo as he works on his private
pilot certificate, which he planned to complete summer 2020.
"Gavin is deserving of the prestigious award as he continues to
promote safety through his inspections by following manufacturer

and FAA requirements for continued airworthiness and teaching young aviators and
junior/apprentice mechanics the importance of proper operation and maintenance
of aircraft everyday, inspiring hundreds
of students who fly at George's Aviation in
Honolulu, HI," mentioned George Hanzawa,
director of maintenance at George's Aviation
and Gavin's proud father.
"My father was my first mentor from the beginning and when
I started really trying to learn about aviation for a career, I found
myself learning from everyone around me," Gavin Hanzawa noted.
For the past couple of years Hanzawa has made the trek from
Honolulu up to Oshkosh, WI for AirVenture and said it's "pretty
awesome."
As for the future, it's sure to be bright. He would like to learn
more about the aviation industry and, one day, take over his father's
flight school operation. "I'd like to keep working in the industry,"
he explained. "Inheriting the flight school operation from my dad
would be a goal in the future and to keep learning more about these
fascinating machines as I live day by day."

David Murphy, 35, A&P Technician, Performance Flight, Harrison, NY

avid Murphy has always had a love of airplanes for as long as he
can remember. Maybe that is why after working line service for
about eight years and leaving the industry to work with Porsche
race cars, he returned to aviation full time about five years ago
when he earned his A&P through on the job training.
Murphy has attended all of the Cirrus Aircraft factory training on
both the SR and SF50 models, advanced composite repair, Garmin
avionics training, and most recently, completed flight safety training for the Gulfstream G280 & advanced troubleshooting.
"I wish I had an entire department of Dave's," exclaimed Derek
Green, VP of Performance Flight's Jet Division. "His enthusiasm,
drive, skill and thirst for customer service is unparalleled in my
35-plus years in aviation."
Every certification class Murphy has attended, he has brought
back superlatives, Green notes. After attending his FJ33/44 class the
instructor said Murphy was a "stellar student." The Cirrus Vision
Jet class earned him, "One of the best students I've ever seen." The
G280 school earned him the highest accolade yet; he was the only
student in his Gulfstream 280 class to score perfect scores on all
his tests, earning him the highest average.
On the job, the excellence continues, explains Green. "As our
Cirrus Jet lead technician, Dave earned immediate credibility
with the manufacturer," Green said. "He has been given access
and clearance to do service on jets only granted to full jet service

center facilities. His troubleshooting ability has amazed even the manufacturer. He
has solved problems alluding even the most
senior technicians. I personally watched him
fix a grounded aircraft that would not start.
Nobody could figure out the cause. Based
on the symptoms, he gathered the parts and
equipment he thought was needed and we
flew him to the location. Dave's hunch was
right. He fixed a problem that usually took two hours by most
experienced mechanics, in a mere hour and a half. In doing so, he
saved that particular mission and allowed a larger event to occur
worth millions to the owner."
He is often the first into the hangar and the last to leave, notes
Green. "Because of his proven performance and reputation, our
clients often go directly to him because of his extremely impressive
responsiveness," Green stated. "As his ultimate supervisor, I am
often amazed with his recall when we discuss even the smallest
details. If he doesn't know the answer ... He simply says, 'I'll get
that answer for you.' And in short order, I have the detailed and
accurate answer that is explained so that even the most unaware
lay person can understand. Dave has become my go-to resource,
even on topics [to which] he has never been introduced, because
of his level of research and ability to communicate."

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Aircraft Maintenance Technology

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