The 700,000 Mechanic Shortage No One's Talking About
With Joshua Borel · Aircraft Maintenance Director, Chennault Aviation
Hosted by Andrew Brown · August 26, 2026
Aircraft mechanic Joshua Borel of Chennault Aviation breaks down why the industry faces a 700,000-person shortage over the next 15 years — and how A&P techs build six-figure careers.
Aircraft mechanic Joshua Borel of Chennault Aviation breaks down why the industry faces a 700,000-person shortage over the next 15 years — and how A&P techs build six-figure careers. Joshua Borel didn't set out to work on airplanes for a living, but as Director of Maintenance at Chennault Aviation, he's now responsible for a fleet that ranges from a 1962 Piper to customer aircraft flown by first-time solo students.
His rule is simple: you can't pull over at the next cloud. Once you're airborne, there are no second chances, so the work has to be right the first time — every time.
Joshua's path started in the Air Force as a C-5 crew chief before he went through A&P school and worked his way up to leading maintenance for a flight school, a Part 135 charter operation, and a Part 147 A&P academy. Along the way, he's coached students to first-place finishes in national maintenance competitions and helped train the next generation of aircraft mechanics from the ground up.
In this episode, Joshua walks through what it actually takes to become an aircraft maintenance technician: the schooling, the FAA testing, the starting wages, and the surprising ceiling on how far the career can go. He also unpacks a shortage most people outside the industry have never heard about — and why fixing it matters for anyone who's ever stepped on a plane.
Key Takeaways.
01
Integrity is the defining trait of an aircraft mechanic — the job has zero tolerance for "I'll fix it later" because there's no pulling over once you're in the air.
02
Getting started in aircraft maintenance typically means an 18-month A&P program followed by FAA oral and practical testing, with entry-level pay around $20–25 an hour and no real ceiling on where the career can lead.
03
The aviation industry needs over 700,000 new mechanics in the next 15–20 years, and the shortage is made worse because A&P isn't federally recognized as a skilled trade — cutting students off from funding help for their $40,000–$70,000 schooling.
04
You don't need to be a rocket scientist to work on a rocket — an A&P license is the same certification that qualifies mechanics to legally maintain Falcon 9, Artemis, and Blue Origin spacecraft.
Meet Joshua Borel.
Joshua Borel is the Director of Maintenance at Chennault Aviation in Conroe, Texas, where he oversees maintenance across a Part 61 flight school, a Part 135 charter operation, and a Part 147 A&P training academy. He got his start in the Air Force as a C-5 crew chief before earning his A&P license and working his way up through the ranks at Chennault, where he's spent the last eight years.
Joshua now coaches Chennault's aviation maintenance competition team — the same competition he competed in as a student — and is helping lead efforts to close the industry's growing workforce shortage through expanded scholarship access and new flight and maintenance school locations.
