[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 70 (Wednesday, April 30, 2008)]
[House]
[Pages H2886-H2888]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
SUPPORTING THE GOALS AND IDEALS OF NATIONAL AVIATION MAINTENANCE
TECHNICIAN DAY
Mr. FILNER. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the
resolution (H. Res. 444) supporting the goals and ideals of National
Aviation Maintenance Technician Day, honoring the invaluable
contributions of Charles Edward Taylor, regarded as the father of
aviation maintenance, and recognizing the essential role of aviation
maintenance technicians in ensuring the safety and security of civil
and military aircraft.
The Clerk read the title of the resolution.
The text of the resolution is as follows:
H. Res. 444
Whereas the safety of the flying public is ensured and the
integrity of the aircraft airworthiness is personally
guaranteed by individuals who comprise the professional
aviation maintenance technician workforce;
Whereas the professional aviation maintenance technician is
a key member of the United States military in protecting
America through a strong armed forces aviation
infrastructure;
Whereas the duties of aviation maintenance technicians are
critical to United States homeland security and an integral
component of the Nation's aerospace industry;
[[Page H2887]]
Whereas the professional aviation maintenance technician
provides the strong infrastructure on which public confidence
in our airborne transportation safety and military aviation
strength is ensured;
Whereas the professional philosophy of the certificated
aviation maintenance technician is embodied in the Aviation
Mechanic's Creed:
UPON MY HONOR I swear that I shall hold in sacred trust the
rights and privileges conferred upon me as a certified
mechanic. Knowing full well that the safety and lives of
others are dependent upon my skill and judgment, I shall
never knowingly subject others to risks which I would not be
willing to assume for myself, or for those dear to me.
IN DISCHARGING this trust, I pledge myself never to
undertake work or approve work which I feel to be beyond the
limits of my knowledge nor shall I allow any non-certified
superior to persuade me to approve aircraft or equipment as
airworthy against my better judgment, nor shall I permit my
judgment to be influenced by money or other personal gain,
nor shall I pass as airworthy aircraft or equipment about
which I am in doubt either as a result of direct inspection
or uncertainty regarding the ability of others who have
worked on it to accomplish their work satisfactorily.
I REALIZE the grave responsibility which is mine as a
certified airman, to exercise my judgment on the
airworthiness of aircraft or equipment. I, therefore, pledge
my unyielding adherence to these precepts for the advancement
of aviation and for the dignity of my vocation.
Whereas in 1902 Charles Edward Taylor began working as a
machinist for Orville and Wilbur Wright at the Wright Cycle
Company in Dayton, Ohio;
Whereas using only a metal lathe, drill press, and hand
tools, Charles Edward Taylor built, in 6 weeks, the 12-
horsepower engine that was used to power the Wright brothers'
first flying machine;
Whereas Charles Edward Taylor's ingenuity earned him a
place in aviation history when the Wright brothers
successfully flew their airplane in controlled flight on
December 17, 1903;
Whereas Charles Edward Taylor had a successful career in
aviation maintenance for more than 60 years;
Whereas Charles Edward Taylor was honored by the Federal
Aviation Administration with the establishment of the Charles
Edward Taylor Master Mechanic Award, which recognizes
individuals with 50 years or more of aviation maintenance
experience;
Whereas Charles Edward Taylor has become a hero to aircraft
maintenance technicians worldwide; and
Whereas 45 of the States together with the Commonwealths,
Territories, Republics, and Federations of the United States
have already declared May 24 to be Aviation Maintenance
Technician Day within their jurisdictions: Now, therefore, be
it
Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
(1) supports National Aviation Maintenance Technician Day
to honor the professional men and women who ensure the safety
and security of our airborne aviation infrastructure; and
(2) recognizes the life and memory of Charles Edward
Taylor, the aviation maintenance technician who built and
maintained the engine that was used to power the Wright
brothers' first controlled flying machine on December 17,
1903.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from
California (Mr. Filner) and the gentleman from Missouri (Mr. Graves)
each will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from California.
Mr. FILNER. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
I thank the Speaker and I thank our House Speaker for bringing this
to the floor today, H. Res. 444, a resolution which supports the goals
and ideals of National Aviation Maintenance Technician Day, honoring
the invaluable contributions of Charles Edward Taylor, regarded as the
father of aviation maintenance, and recognizing the essential role of
aviation maintenance technicians in ensuring the safety and security of
civil and military aircraft.
With all the concerns, Mr. Speaker, today about safety and airlines,
it is the men and women who actually do the maintenance that we depend
on so greatly.
It was Charles Edward Taylor who built and maintained the engine that
was used to power the Wright brothers' first controlled aircraft, the
Flyer, and he was born in 1868. He is widely regarded as the father of
aviation maintenance, and was a vital contributor of mechanical skills
in the building and maintaining of early Wright brothers engines and
airplanes. Taylor also built the wind tunnel used by the Wrights to
test their early designs. He became a leading mechanic in the Wright
Aircraft Company when it was formed in 1909. In fact, when Calbraith
Perry Rodgers made his famous cross-country trip in a Wright brothers
aircraft, he paid Charles Edward Taylor $70 a week, a pretty large sum
at the time, to be his mechanic. Taylor followed the flight by train,
making required repairs and preparing the aircraft for the next day's
flight throughout the cross-country trip from Long Island to
California.
Although Taylor was largely ignored by history, it is important to
note that the Wright brothers were very close friends with him, and
remained in close contact with him throughout their lives.
Charles Edward Taylor saved enough money from his ventures to buy
several hundred acres of farmland near the Salton Sea, which is located
in my district. However, the economic climate of the time eventually
brought him to poverty, and he died penniless in 1956 at the age of 87.
He was buried at the Portal of Folded Wings Shrine to Aviation in
Burbank, California.
Mr. Speaker, the humble beginnings of the aviation maintenance
profession belies the fact that all of us in the Congress and our
constituents rely on the work that these technicians do every day. They
play an invaluable role not only in ensuring the safety of commercial
aircraft, but also ensuring that our men and women in uniform have
safe, reliable planes and helicopters while in their combat and
training. Thanks to these dedicated, well-trained professionals, the
United States has by far the safest air transportation system in the
world. We owe aircraft mechanics a debt of gratitude for their service
to the flying public.
We are hearing a lot today about consolidations in the airline
industry, and some airlines have already been outsourcing aviation
maintenance abroad to cut their costs. I urge everyone in this Chamber
to remember how critical it is for our own safety to have a well-
trained U.S.-based workforce to fix and maintain our aircraft. As the
airline industry seeks to cut costs and merge, it is very important for
all of us to keep a watchful eye on the impact of these consolidations
on aviation maintenance technicians. We cannot afford to cut corners
when it comes to safety.
Mr. Speaker, 45 U.S. States have already declared May 24 to be
Aviation Maintenance Technician Day within their jurisdictions. My
resolution is intended to support these efforts and honor aviation
maintenance technicians, including the first, Charles Edward Taylor. I
urge all my colleagues to vote for H. Res. 444.
I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. GRAVES. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I might consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of Resolution 444, Supporting National
Aviation Technician Day, and honoring Charles Edward Taylor. This
resolution was introduced by the gentleman from California (Mr. Filner)
in honor of aviation maintenance mechanics and their profession.
Day in and day out, aviation mechanics ensure the safety of the
flying public. They are also critical for the safety of our Armed
Forces aviation infrastructure. They keep our military aircraft flying
and are key elements in ensuring their security.
The aviation mechanics creed embodies their professional philosophy.
Words such as ``sacred,'' ``trust,'' ``judgment,'' and ``dignity'' are
used to describe their duties and professionalism.
Our public confidence in aviation transportation is a direct result
of their commitment to these ideals and the unwavering integrity of
their work.
H. Res. 444 also rightly honors Charles Edward Taylor, who played a
fundamental role in aviation history. In 1902, Mr. Taylor began work as
a machinist in Dayton, Ohio for the Wright Cycle Company. In just 6
weeks, he built a 12 horsepower engine with only a metal lathe, a drill
press, and hand tools. On December 17, 1903, his engine was used on the
Wright brothers' first flying machine and propelled the world into
controlled flight. Mr. Taylor's career lasted 60 years and earned him a
place in aviation history. To this day, he is known as the father of
aviation maintenance.
The Federal Aviation Administration's Charles Edward Taylor Master
Mechanic Award is bestowed upon individuals who have over 50 years of
experience in aviation maintenance and is truly an honor to receive.
Mr. Speaker, 45 States currently designate May 24 as Aviation
Maintenance Technician Day. I encourage my Members to support this
resolution to honor
[[Page H2888]]
the men and women of aviation maintenance and the life and memory of
Charles Edward Taylor.
Mr. Speaker, I actually got to hear one of the very original Wright
brothers engines, which was built by Mr. Taylor, at Oshkosh just a few
years ago. There are still a couple of them that are existing today.
They were actually built by hand, very crudely built, and I got an
opportunity to hear one of them started up running. It was actually the
third engine that he ever built, and it was absolutely a neat thing to
see.
{time} 1345
In my district I have one of the American Airlines overhaul bases
which houses a lot of mechanics and aviation technicians who work on
those aircraft, and from a base as large as that right down to some of
our very small businesses, like Joe Rankin who runs an aviation shop in
a little airport in Marionville, Missouri, those aviation mechanics are
important to the entire industry.
Being a pilot myself, I know just how important good maintenance and
those mechanics can be to your aircraft. It really is an honor to have
the opportunity to be able to handle this bill for the minority side
today. I thank the gentleman from California for his work on it. I
think it truly says a lot about aviation mechanics and the reason we
are honoring them.
Mr. OBERSTAR. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of House
Resolution 444. H. Res. 444 highlights the House of Representatives'
support for the May 24 National Aviation Maintenance Technician Day to
honor Charles Edward Taylor, the first aviation maintenance technician
who created and maintained the engine used to power the Wright
brothers' aircraft, and the men and women who followed in his footsteps
as aviation maintenance technicians.
This resolution celebrates the life and achievements of one of the
fathers of aviation while also recognizing the indispensable role
aviation maintenance technicians play by ensuring the safety of civil
and military aircraft and infrastructure as well as the American
people. In 1901, Charles Edward Taylor left his job making 25 cents an
hour at the Dayton Electric Company to make 30 cents an hour in the
Wright brothers' bicycle shop. Within a year of starting, Taylor helped
them build a wind tunnel to test the Wrights' theories on winds and
control surfaces.
When, in 1903, the Wright brothers' tasked Taylor with creating an 8-
horsepower engine to power the Flyer, his only prior experience was an
attempt to repair a gasoline automobile engine in 1901. He designed and
built an aluminum, water-cooled, 12-horsepower engine. He built the
engine from scratch in only 6 weeks, and without drawings, using a
drill press, metal lathe, and hand tools.
Taylor said, ``[I] always wanted to learn to fly, but I never did.
The Wrights refused to teach me and tried to discourage the idea. They
said they needed me in the shop and to service their machines, and if I
learned to fly, I'd be gadding about the country and maybe become an
exhibition pilot, and then they'd never see me again.''
After assisting the Wright brothers, Taylor went on to a pioneering
aviation maintenance career spanning more than 60 years including a job
as the chief mechanic for the first transcontinental flight in 1911 by
Calbraith Perry Rodgers.
I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting H. Res. 444, honoring
the first aviation maintenance technician, Charles Edward Taylor, and
every aviation maintenance technician who has or will follow in his
footsteps.
Mr. COSTELLO. Mr. Speaker, today, we are considering H. Res. 444, a
resolution supporting the goals and ideals of national aviation
maintenance technician day, honoring Charles Edward Taylor, and
recognizing the essential role of aviation maintenance technicians in
ensuring the safety and security of both civil and military aircraft.
This important legislation was introduced by our colleague, Mr.
Filner.
Charles Edward Taylor was born in Illinois in 1868 and worked as the
machinist for the Wright brothers in their Dayton, Ohio facility. It
was here that he built the 12-horsepower engine to power the Wright
brothers' first flying machine.
Taylor had an impressive career spanning over sixty years, where he
did all of the preliminary engine design work for the Wright brothers
and later taught them to build aircraft engines.
As a testament to his skill and this important craft, the Federal
Aviation Administration awards the Charles Taylor Master Mechanic Award
recognizing the lifetime accomplishments of certificated mechanics and
repairmen who have worked in aviation for at least 50 years.
Our aviation maintenance professionals ensure the safety of aircraft
each and everyday. By honoring Charles Taylor, we demonstrate our
respect and admiration for this important profession.
Mr. Speaker, aviation maintenance professionals continue to keep our
civil and military aircraft safe and secure. That is why I support H.
Res. 444 and urge my colleagues to do the same.
Mr. GRAVES, I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. FILNER. I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the
gentleman from California (Mr. Filner) that the House suspend the rules
and agree to the resolution, H. Res. 444.
The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the
rules were suspended and the resolution was agreed to.
A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.
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