A love for Aviation in Zambia to an Aircraft Maintenance Engineer in Australia

I grew up in Zambia and when I was in Year 5, I visited an airport for the first time, I saw my first plane and I didn't want to go home! The little town I grew up in had a small airport, which had one plane that would come in every Wednesday.

Every Wednesday after that I would skip school and walk for around 4 hours to be there for that plane coming in. Then I'd stay there watching the plane until it took off and walk home again. I would watch the passengers coming and going and just the aircraft itself, trying to figure out how it all worked.

My dad was in Australia and knew how passionate I was about aviation, so he helped me to migrate after I finished school. We flew from Harare to Canberra, including on a Qantas plane, and I told my dad, "One day I'll work for this company".

Then in 2010, I started an apprenticeship with Qantas and have been an aircraft maintenance engineer since 2013. It's an amazing career. I work in the Qantas Hangar in Brisbane, and we receive aircraft for different checks: It could be an A check, which is just overnight, or a C check, which is bigger and takes longer. When the aircraft comes in, we get access, inspect everything, rectify any issues, put it all back together and it's on its way.

It's not just a job. I love the responsibility; I love knowing that you're looking after the passengers, and I love my workmates. They're like my family in Australia. Honestly, I wake up in the morning and can't wait for my alarm to go off so I can go to work.

Killion Banda
Qantas Aircraft Maintenance Engineer, Brisbane