Greg Side Email & Phone Number

After being a longtime member and volunteer, I received the opportunity of a lifetime, to work for the greatest flying museum in Canada. For seven years I had the chance to develop skills that many in the industry never will. At one time, I had a Wright R-2600 and two Wright R-1820 engines surrounding me, as I prepared them for installation on different aircraft. I took them from the naked condition they are in after arriving from the overhaul facility and added all of the accessories and aircraft specific pieces that need to be installed prior to the engine being hung on the aircraft. Over the years I have had the chance to build up several engines in this manner, as well as replacing engine components while they are still hanging on the aircraft. Some of the best days at work were the ones where I was covered in thick, black oil up to my elbows, with the job successfully accomplished, and the aircraft ready to fly! I would routinely remind myself that I was one of the lucky few who got to work on these rare, sometimes unique, aircraft. What a thrill!

Burlington, Ontario

Marsh Brothers Aviation is a fantastic company, applying the parent company's technology of grease/lubricant free bearings and bushings to aircraft. In my role, I split my time between maintaining the company Piper Aerostar, assisting in product development/market research, and assisting with writing a Maintenance Policy Manual as part of the company's application to become a Transport Canada Approved Maintenance Organization.

Mississauga, Ontario

Working a combination of Day and Night shifts, I performed line maintenance on the Embraer 175, an aircraft that can (almost) tell you what is wrong with it. This gave me a chance to learn a whole new method of troubleshooting - trying to figure out what the airplane thinks is wrong, and figuring out what is actually wrong. In the daytime, duties included meeting aircraft at the gate, interacting with flight crew and rectifying or deferring defects as needed. At night it was a matter of performing regular scheduled maintenance, fixing deferred defects, and sometimes fun things like compressor washes in the winter time, or figuring out why the APU has turned into a flame thrower. I gained experience as a temporary crew chief and maintenance controler, eventually being promoted to a full time crew chief for the last 3 months prior to moving on.

North Bay, Ontario, Canada

Working at remote bases in Africa, namely Bukavu, DRC; Wau, South Sudan; Kinshasa, DRC and Entebbe, Uganda, I had the experience of a lifetime. In addition the DeHavilland Dash 8 and Canadair CRJ, I worked on the incomparable DeHavilland Dash 7, which I will fondly remember forever. In addition to regular daily line maintenance, we got as involved as doing leading edge replacements, fuel tank entry, hot section inspections and propeller blade removal and replacement. Most of the bases were on site or very nearby the airport in United Nations camps. We lived together as a crew, which adds a whole new dimension to working together! This job gave me stories that I'll be telling for the rest of my life, and really taught me how to keep airplanes flying. It was well worth the few illnesses and stressful situations that came up during my time working overseas!

Vancouver, Canada Area

For a new challenge, following a year of heavy maintenance experience in London, I transferred to the Vancouver base. There I had the opportunity to work with some of the most experienced Dash 8 AMEs in Canada. It was a great learning opportunity, and a chance to go out on my own and live in a different part of Canada.

London, Ontario, Canada

As a fresh graduate from Canadore College, I began working for Jazz at the Heavy Maintenance base in London, ON. This provided a great introduction to real world aircraft maintenance, and a chance to gain experience on a variety of heavy maintenance tasks. I was able to learn company procedures and work alongside some highly experienced personnel with a great depth of experience.

London, Canada Area

Assist in maintenance inspections on a casual employment basis. Gained experience maintaining Cessna 152 and Cessna 172 types.

Carried out duties as an apprentice during the summer break between first and second year of college.

Fuel and groom company as well as a variety of itinerant aircraft.

Hamilton, Ontario

Fuel and service wide variety of aircraft for the former Avitat Hamilton.