Wichita technician receives prestigious FAA maintenance award

With his wife, Peggy Denise Hatmaker, looking on, Bombardier's Mitch Hatmaker (middle) accepts the prestigious Charles Taylor Master Mechanic Award from FAA Safety Team Program Manager Rick Stevens.  

Mitch Hatmaker doesn’t really like the limelight. When a few of his colleagues at Bombardier’s Wichita Service Centre put his name forward for the FAA Charles Taylor Master Mechanic Award, Hatmaker demurred. 

“I told them, I don’t need any award,” said Hatmaker. “I’m just working and doing my job.” 

He’s been doing that job for nearly 51 years, starting as an aviation mechanic with Learjet – subsequently Bombardier – on May 29, 1973. Hatmaker admitted he originally wanted to be an auto mechanic; but his father, a Learjet employee for 13 years, encouraged him to work on business jets instead. 

More than five decades later, a humble Hatmaker accepted the Charles Taylor award from the FAA’s Rick Stevens on Feb. 7, 2024. The award is named for Charles Taylor, who worked with the Wright brothers and was the first aviation mechanic in powered flight. Recipients of the award must have five decades or more of civil and/or military maintenance experience, among other requirements.  

“Aviation has been good to me; I don’t regret any of it,” said Hatmaker of his long career. “We have a good bunch of folks here. We’re the Learjet OEM, and OEM expertise equals reliability. That’s the value of having it fixed where it was built.” 

Hatmaker said the Wichita team is dedicated, working hard to get aircraft out the door on time. 

“You do your best to do a quality job, and I’m pretty sure the customers are happy with that,” he said. 

Hatmaker had this advice for young people considering a career in aviation maintenance: “The main thing is, listen to your trainer and never hesitate to ask questions.”