{"id":8314,"date":"2018-03-15T12:25:39","date_gmt":"2018-03-15T17:25:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.envoyair.com\/?p=8314"},"modified":"2018-03-15T12:25:39","modified_gmt":"2018-03-15T17:25:39","slug":"top-seniority-mechanic-celebrates-35-years-envoy-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.envoyair.com\/2018\/03\/15\/top-seniority-mechanic-celebrates-35-years-envoy-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Top-seniority mechanic celebrates 35 years with Envoy"},"content":{"rendered":"

Parked outside the Sawyer International Airport (MQT) in the blistering cold, an old van idled with a puff of white steam flowing from its rusty exhaust pipes. Out pops Envoy Maintenance Inspector Matt Gallo with a huge coat and an even bigger smile, like an eager chauffeur.<\/p>\n

Matt, and his friendly smile, is Marquette through and through \u2013 for 35 years, he has worked on every aircraft type flown by Envoy. From the Embraer 110 to the Short 360 on to the modern day jets like the Embraer 175, Matt has been in MQT since he started with Simmons Airlines in 1980.<\/p>\n

But, it\u2019s not his work experience that makes him quintessential MQT, it\u2019s his passion for the area and his affection for the people who work for the company. Sure, he\u2019s got his love for brewing beer and four-wheeling through Michigan, but MQT is home because of the family he\u2019s made at Envoy.<\/p>\n

\u201cNever work a day in your life, if you love what you do.\u201d<\/h3>\n

\"IMG-MQT-MX-Matt-Gallo-35-years-3\"<\/a><\/p>\n

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Matt\u2019s fascination with aircraft maintenance began when watching helicopter rides at local fairs. So, when he enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1975, he signed up to become a helicopter mechanic, as well as joining the 82nd Airborne Division where he completed at least 20 parachute jumps.<\/p>\n

Using money earned from the Veterans Affairs, Matt enrolled at the Detroit Institute of Aeronautics to gain his Airframe and Powerplane license, and by 1980 he was turning wrenches for Larry Simmons in MQT. By 1983, Simmons Airlines began seeing growth and was bought by AMR Corporation\/American Eagle (now Envoy) in 1988.<\/p>\n

\"IMG-MQT-MX-Matt_gallo-vintage-pics\"<\/a><\/p>\n

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\u201cIt\u2019s been a steady progression since that day,\u201d said Matt. \u201cBut the people that were forming the foundation of the company at that time are what make Envoy the great company it is today. Whether it\u2019s the commitment to safety or the welcoming company culture we have, it started with the great people who dedicated themselves way back then.\u201d<\/p>\n

Matt was choked up a little while expressing his gratitude for the \u201cold timers,\u201d and it was apparent that reliving his long career means a lot to him. He explains how he grew up with the people in MQT \u2013 they are all about the same age, started families at the same time and \u201cknow each other like brothers and sisters.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cGrowing older, not growing old.\u201d<\/h3>\n

\"IMG-MQT-MX-Matt-Gallo-35-years-1\"<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Over the years, Matt has \u201cseen a lot come and go\u201d but all of the technological advances in aeronautics were a welcomed relief. With the troubleshooting abilities of the computer systems checking the aircraft, projects can go a little bit quicker for him and the other mechanics.<\/p>\n

However, the attention to detail never changes. As a Quality Control Inspector, Matt\u2019s job is to be the second (and third) pair of eyes on critical projects to ensure that everything is compliant.<\/p>\n

Working in a heavy maintenance base like MQT, where aircraft are completely dismantled and put back together, mechanics quickly learn everything on the aircraft inside and out. For a young mechanic, or for \u201cold timers\u201d like Matt, working in a maintenance hangar like MQT is \u201cas good as it gets,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cLook, I\u2019ve had a great time and sure I\u2019m old enough to be some of these mechanics\u2019 grandfather, but there isn\u2019t a day that I\u2019m not having fun,\u201d said Matt. \u201cFor a guy like me that just wants to fix things, working on airplanes is best you can do \u2013 short of working for NASA. But I still get to fly for free, get to go on awesome work trips to places like Miami and the Bahamas, and like I keep saying, they pay me for this! It\u2019s unbelievable.\u201d<\/p>\n

Matt said he had his chance to work for a major airline like American Airlines, but he loves his quality of life in MQT so much that he wouldn\u2019t trade it for a bigger paycheck. The comradery he\u2019s built there, the city, and his work make it all worth it \u2013 plus, why give up his No.1 seniority?<\/p>\n

\u201cHere for a good time, not a long time.\u201d<\/h3>\n

\"IMG-MQT-MX-Matt-Gallo-35-years-4\"<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Matt is nearing retirement in 2019, but has already made plans for life after Envoy. First, he would like to instruct locally at Northern Michigan University in their Aviation Maintenance Technology department, and pass on the wealth of knowledge he\u2019s gained.<\/p>\n

Peculiarly, Matt said that he might go another direction while he\u2019s \u201cstill the young, ripe age of 60,\u201d and find a job working in the service industry or sales. His jovial personality, positive outlook and ability to talk up a storm might bode well in customer service.<\/p>\n

One thing is for sure, he won\u2019t stay in MQT much longer once his wife retires. After remodeling his 1891 home, his plan is to become \u201csnow birds\u201d with a home in northern Michigan and somewhere in the warm southern U.S.<\/p>\n

Until then, Matt plans to cherish every day in the MQT hangar.<\/p>\n

\u201cI want to thank everyone I\u2019ve ever met, whether it\u2019s in the hangar or out on\u00a0work trips,\u201d said Matt. \u201cI\u2019ve made a lot of great friends, met wonderful agents and mechanics who were always so helpful and fun, and created a little family here. We all love aviation. We all want to see those planes fly. What can I say? I\u2019m the luckiest guy in the world.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Parked outside the Sawyer International Airport (MQT) in the blistering cold, an old van idled with a puff of white steam flowing from its rusty exhaust pipes. Out pops Envoy Maintenance Inspector Matt Gallo with a huge coat and an even bigger smile, like an eager chauffeur. Matt, and his friendly smile, is Marquette through […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":25,"featured_media":42197,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[48],"tags":[152,366,105,64,322,57,65,66,77,144,86,51,68,118,59,61,80,367,90],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.envoyair.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8314"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.envoyair.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.envoyair.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.envoyair.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/25"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.envoyair.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8314"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.envoyair.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8314\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.envoyair.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/42197"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.envoyair.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8314"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.envoyair.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8314"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.envoyair.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8314"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}