Read our exclusive interview with CAMO engineer Sara Maranzana as she gives us an insight to the GlobeAir technical department. Sara is 25 and originally comes from Italy; she joined GlobeAir in 2019, and we are happy that she did. We value the contribution that young talents make to our company, as they share meaningful life experiences which help them grow in their aviation career.
My parents are pilots, both working for Alitalia in the north of Italy. When your family breathes aviation, it is usually easier to experience the joy of flying earlier than any other kid. And so I started flying from a very young age. The first time I jumped on a plane, I remember going from Milan to California on my first long-haul flight. I was three years old, and according to my parents' stories, I fell in love with flying the moment my parents stepped inside of the aircraft with me in their arms.
The aircraft personnel took good care of me; I could watch loads of cartoons, sleep and eat – it was a lot of fun! From departing to landing, my journey was incredible, and I never complained once. The crying started only at the end when it was time to leave the aircraft.
Since a very young age, I knew I would end up working in aviation. The original idea was to follow my parents' career path and become a pilot. I started studying to achieve my PPL licence at the age of 16 and then graduated successfully two years later. But I soon realised that life as a pilot would not suit me. I wanted to combine the passion for aviation with my interest in maths and figures.
I started an Aviation Management Engineer degree and began envisioning a career in a continuing airworthiness management organisation or CAMO department.
I have been part of the GlobeAir CAMO department working as a CAMO engineer since 2019. Primarily, the CAMO department’s responsibilities include the organisation and the management of documents and publications for aircraft maintenance to maintain the airworthiness of the GlobeAir fleet. As part of my job, I also keep records of the whole maintenance activity performed.
For those who are not familiar with what a CAMO engineer does, you have to imagine that every aeroplane is equipped with a manual. Aircraft-dedicated manuals give a detailed overview of the specific maintenance which is needed throughout the plane’s life cycle. Following the manufacturer's manuals, we know which part of the aircraft must undergo which kind of maintenance taking into account hours, days and cycles (a period comprising one takeoff and one landing). This is how we manage scheduled maintenance – which is crucial to prevent any technical issues as well as the need for extraordinary maintenance.
Examples of my daily job as CAMO engineer:
Throughout the year, I am in charge of organising the short, medium and long-term maintenance schedule, choosing the location where it is to be done. During this time of the year, in September, we start gearing up for the winter operations, mainly conducting the following checks:
My first job was in the safety Department of Etihad regional, back when I used to live in Lugano. Today, I work for Europe's leading very light jet operator, and there are many things which made me fall for business aviation.
I can have a 360-degree view of all aspects which are related to the fleet maintenance, and I can make faster improvements compared to bigger airliners whose structure and processes are less flexible. I get along well with the whole team, and I can learn from their expertise. I am the new one, and so it feels good to know that they listen to my opinions and help me understand and improve.
Working in private aviation means a new challenge every day. Unlike the airliners, BizAv operations are highly flexible, and that's where you can learn the most. I have the chance to speak to pilots directly and then report to GlobeAir's Maintenance Control Centre (MCC).
I talk a lot with dispatch and the customer care team. They are the ones in charge of organising flight plans and know where the aircraft is when they are not bringing our passengers safely to their favourite destinations. Dispatchers have great connections to all handling companies in Europe, and that's why I have constant contact with them. The floating base concept which runs across GlobeAir operations makes it possible for us to have different maintenance stations in our favourite hubs, including countries like Austria, France, the UK and Germany.
I like working at GlobeAir because, even though I left my family and friends in Italy, here I found a new family. We are very international, and all the different cultures are melting well together thanks to our shared love for aviation and performance.
When I think about "Women in aviation", I think about excellence. Everybody knows that women can be very detailed so, of course, the female point of view is precious and a good chance for aviation to grow. We need more and more women with the dream and passion for this profession.
I work in a team of men. I collaborate with three office colleagues and five technicians, and I am the only woman, let alone being in constant contact with pilots – who are mostly male. The fact that I am a woman has never affected the way people look at me or judge the job that I do.
If there is one thing that COVID-19 has taught me, it is greater flexibility. I used to use zero social media in my daily life, and then, all of a sudden, I was isolated! I felt forced to change to be in contact with the people I love and to be able to work well.
Being at home during spring made me realise that working from home made no difference to my productivity because I had learnt how to work remotely.
I want to grow in my position and when I have enough experience I would like to become a CAMO manager; I trust my team to help me grow in the role and finally make it possible for me to make headway. I am really lucky because in my department I have found an excellent manager, who passes on his knowledge to me every day. We work with an excellent MCC who teaches me his technical and practical experience.
Safety and quality are also two exciting departments. For now I can’t say whether I will switch to one of those – never say never! Surely it is important to know about these two departments to have a better managerial view.
Paperless and focussed on digitalisation. I believe in adapting the way we work to the new technologies.There is so much to do when it comes to being greener, and this includes the use of technology to waste less paper. All maintenance documents should be digitised soon. We believe that digital twin maintenance will be the future for aviation too.
The future of aviation is paperless and focussed on digitalisation. I believe in adapting the way we work to the new technologies.
I am glad to be working for GlobeAir, a company which offers carbon offsetting programs and is conscious about the importance of the environment.
Sara is Italian and has joined Globeair in 2019. She studied for her degree in Switzerland and graduated just a few days before starting at GlobeAir. During her free time, she loves travelling, going to the gym, spending time with friends and family. Sara has lived in Switzerland for five years before moving to Austria in 2019.
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