Like Father, Like Son: Two Generations Pursue MRO Careers At Same School

When Cole McDaniel told his parents he was planning to study aviation maintenance, he certainly did not expect his father, Micheal, to follow in his footsteps.

Coincidentally, both men were at a crossroads and reevaluating their career paths. Cole, who was two years into his studies to become a teacher, was unsure whether it was the right option for him. He had been hearing passionate stories from friends in the aviation industry about how much they loved their chosen career. The potential pay and travel opportunities also sounded exciting.

Micheal was working as a commercial truck driver—his third career pivot after working in the environmental sciences field for 13 years and then operating over a dozen successful family-owned H&R Block franchises, which he sold in 2019. His father had spent a few years working as an airframe and powerplant (A&P) mechanic in the Air Force before starting his own logging business, and Micheal had always been interested in aviation. While commercial truck driving paid the bills, he did not have a passion for it—nor much room for career advancement.

Both Cole and Micheal just graduated from Alabama Aviation College-Ozark with their FAA A&P licenses.

Both men started classes at the same time, with Cole attending the day shift and Micheal attending night classes to accommodate his full-time job. Cole jokes that he was initially shocked when his father abruptly told him he would start classes on Monday at the same school, but the experience turned out to be helpful for them both.

“As far as studying and preparation for classes and exams and everything, it was definitely beneficial to have each other throughout it all,” says Cole. Micheal—who was recently named student of the year by both the Aviation Technician Education Council and Alabama Aviation College—quickly went from being nervous about how younger students would perceive him to being a mentor and valued peer to his classmates.

“The very first day of school was the hardest day for me. Walking into that class, I made sure I had books where I semi looked like a student, not a stalker,” he jokes, noting that he was older than his instructor. “But it took off after that. I forget now that I am the 55-year-old in the crowd, and that they're 20—they're just all my buddies now. We’ve all got one goal, and that's to get through there and pass these [FAA oral and practical examinations] and go to work somewhere.”

Since Micheal had to make every minute count while working full-time and going to school at night, he would pack food and study during meal breaks. He created his own study guides, which he printed out and shared with his classmates. Soon, his younger classmates created a Snapchat account for him to keep up with group messages.

“You spend three to eight hours with the same group of people every day, and we’ve all got each other’s backs,” says Cole. “We all came together and helped each other get through it, because it really is almost like another job.”

When Cole spoke with Aviation Week, he was interviewing with several companies in Louisiana and Tennessee. Micheal, whose wife had a kidney transplant in February, plans to stay local for now and intends to look into career opportunities at Fort Rucker and Dothan Regional Airport. However, he is seriously considering returning to Alabama Aviation College to teach aviation maintenance after he gains a few years of MRO industry experience.

“Our instructors are great, and most of them have 15-25 years in the field and they still work a full-time job and teach, but they also have been out of school long enough that they're not 100% in touch with the students,” he says. “I feel like I am just coming through it and learning like I have, and I hope it works out for me to go back and teach one day.”

Micheal says he wishes he had pursued aviation sooner, and he encourages other adults to consider transitioning to aviation maintenance. “Don’t hesitate, don't hold back, because it is a challenge,” he says. “It’s unlike anything I've done in the past. The further I've gotten into it, the better, more interesting and fun [it is], and the more I'm learning. I feel really good about it now.”

Cole notes that young people should go into pursuing MRO careers with an open mind. “Don’t judge yourself against other people in the field, because in these aviation schools, everybody has different experiences, whether it's the kind of job they work in or the previous experience that they've been exposed to mechanically or the experience they have prior to going to school,” he says.

More important than speed, Cole says, is “how hard you want to work and set yourself apart from everybody else once you get out.” Even if someone does not learn at the same pace as their classmates, “you all end with the same certificate, and you can set yourself apart with your work ethic and willingness to learn,” he adds.