Development of an Aircraft Maintenance Mechanic Potential Model to Prepare for Becoming a Supervisor in the Digital Age

Abstract

The purposes of this article were 1) to study the components of the potential model development; 2) to develop a model; and 3) to prepare a guideline for developing aircraft maintenance mechanics. This mixed-methods study employed in-depth interviews with seven aircraft maintenance experts and 15 expert focus group discussions. Qualitative data analysis was one of the content analysis methods. Quantitative research used a questionnaire with 529 aircraft maintenance mechanics in organizations certified by the Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand. Quantitative data were frequency, percentage, mean, standard deviation, and exploratory factor analysis. The results revealed that the model consisted of 2 dimensions and 8 elements. Dimension 1: competency of aircraft mechanics, with three components: aviation information knowledge, mechanics skills, and characteristics of aircraft maintenance operations. Dimension 2: management potential to prepare for being a supervisor with 5 components: process management, organizational leadership, work management, customer management, and risk management. The Development of an Aircraft Maintenance Mechanic's Potential Model to Prepare for Becoming a Supervisor in the Digital Age manual was divided into 2 parts: Part 1 introduces the manual; Part 2 provides guidelines for developing the potential of aircraft mechanics in order to prepare for a supervisor position in the digital age. The manual was unanimously approved in group discussions and assessed for suitability by experts.