Aircraft maintenance technicians keep every plane in the sky — and half are about to retire. John Goglia, former NTSB board member, on what's at stake for aviation safety.
United Airlines alone has 14,000 mechanics. Within five years, roughly half will be eligible for retirement.
That's 7,000 highly skilled aircraft maintenance technicians — gone. The pipeline to replace them is dangerously thin, and the average airline mechanic today is approaching 60 years old.
The workforce shortage that began after 9/11 never fully recovered — and what happens next could push maintenance work out of the country entirely. John Goglia spent decades on the hangar floor before being appointed to the National Transportation Safety Board by the President of the United States and confirmed by the U.S.
Senate. He's the founder of the Aerospace Maintenance Competition (AMC) — the largest hands-on competition for aviation maintenance students in the world — and president of PAMA, the Professional Aviation Maintenance Association.
If you work with your hands, are considering aviation maintenance as a career, or lead a workforce in the trades, this conversation reveals what the most underrated skilled trade in America is facing — and why right now is the best time in decades to enter the field.
Key Takeaways.
01
The aviation maintenance workforce crisis is more urgent than most people realize — with the average airline mechanic approaching age 60, a wave of retirements could push maintenance work overseas if the pipeline isn't rebuilt now.
02
Aviation safety culture has fundamentally shifted from blaming the individual to examining the system — the LaGuardia and D.C. crashes both reveal how management decisions, staffing, and institutional failures set workers up to make mistakes.
03
An A&P (aircraft and powerplant) certificate opens doors far beyond airlines — Burlington Northern Railroad, Disney World, Six Flags, and the drone industry all actively recruit A&P-certified mechanics because their foundational skills in hydraulics, electronics, and pneumatics are universally valuable.
04
Mentorship in aviation maintenance is still largely informal and peer-driven — and closing that gap is exactly what John Goglia is working on through the Aerospace Maintenance Competition, PAMA, and a new podcast built specifically for the next generation of mechanics.
Meet John Goglia.
John Goglia is a former member of the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), appointed by the President of the United States and confirmed by the U.S. Senate.
He began his career as a line mechanic in New York City, working at Allegheny Airlines (later US Air), and spent decades on the hangar floor before rising to become one of the nation's most recognized aviation safety authorities. John is the founder of the Aerospace Maintenance Competition (AMC), the world's largest hands-on skills competition for aviation maintenance students, drawing teams from across the country and attracting recruiters from United, American, Southwest, Alaska, and Delta.
He serves as president of PAMA (Professional Aviation Maintenance Association) and hosts the Flight Safety Detectives podcast.
