“WOW, I could do that!”
It’s my job to make sure the people who are flying are safe. It’s people’s lives.
Aimee Berberena
Myrtle Beach Campus, SC
Programs:
Aviation Maintenance Technology (AMT)
Employment:
Panasonic Avionics, Maintenance Service Representative
Aimee Berberena is highly curious and mechanically inclined. One day, she started wondering: “if I can change my brake pads after watching a YouTube video, what else can I learn to do?”
After touring PIA and watching a video, Berberena realized: “‘WOW, I could do that! That seems amazing. Anybody can say they’re a car mechanic, but can they say they’re an aircraft mechanic?’”
Starting with an introduction to carburetors and eventually taking apart and rebuilding a 6-cylinder engine, Aimee earned her Airframe & Powerplant Certification at PIA. Upon graduation, she was offered a position with Kalitta Air at an FAA-approved Part 145 repair station, where she got to assemble and perform maintenance on aircraft from DC10 tankers to Boeing 737s. Eventually, Berberena moved on to Panasonic Avionics, where she performs maintenance on aircraft entertainment systems, including installing televisions, headsets, Wi-Fi and systems.
Whether she’s working on engines or electronics, Berberena remains focused on safety, which she learned was always the top priority at PIA: “It’s my job to make sure the people who are flying are safe. It’s people’s lives.”