Southwest Wins Top Honors At 2024 Aerospace Maintenance Competition

Southwest Airlines and Tarrant County College AMC teams

Winning teams from Southwest Airlines and Tarrant County College with Aerospace Maintenance Council President John Goglia.

Credit: Luke Wagler Services LLC

CHICAGO—In its largest year to date, the Aerospace Maintenance Competition (AMC) made its way to the Windy City and blew through several records.

Taking place April 9-11 at MRO Americas in Chicago, the AMC had a record 90 teams from across the industry competing in 27 maintenance skill events. A record number of female competitors participated this year, including six all-female teams and the competition’s first all-female military team.

The AMC also saw growth in participation from international teams. Competitors joined from countries across the world, including Australia, Brazil, Canada, Colombia and Pakistan.

Taking home the top prize for the overall competition was Southwest Airlines’ Team Herb, which won in the commercial category and placed in the top three in eight events.

American Airlines’ Team Tulsa took second place in the competition and won the MRO/OEM category, placing in the top three in five events.

United Airlines’ all-female Chix Fix team took third place in the competition, placing in the top three in five events. The team also won the AMC Peer Award, and competitor Heather Behrent won the Professionalism Award.

All-female teams at 2024 Aerospace Maintenance Competition
All-female teams at the 2024 Aerospace Maintenance Competition. Credit: Luke Wagler Services LLC

Tarrant County College won the AMC’s school category, taking first place in five events—including beating out every other team to win the Southwest Airlines and Boeing thrust reverser control fault troubleshooting and repair event.

Several schools won additional awards. Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University won the Dream Team Award, Liberty University and Tulsa Tech Aerospace Academy won United’s John Goglia Competing with Professionalism Awards, and competitor Mason Migliaro from Pittsburgh Institute of Aeronautics’ Myrtle Beach team won the Professionalism Award.

AzulTec – Team 1 took home the Paul Cousins Award for the top international team and placed in the top three in two events. The Australian Licensed Aircraft Engineers Association won the Peer Team Award.

The United States Army’s 128th Aviation Brigade – Team Blackhawk won the military category. Concord, North Carolina-based Victory Lane Aviation won the general category.

The Aerospace Maintenance Council has published a full list of winners from this year’s AMC. The competition is held in conjunction with Aviation Week Network’s MRO Americas event.

Lindsay Bjerregaard

Lindsay Bjerregaard is managing editor for Aviation Week’s MRO portfolio. Her coverage focuses on MRO technology, workforce, and product and service news for MRO Digest, Inside MRO and Aviation Week Marketplace.

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