Fixing to Fly

For Shelby Quillinan (’24), happiness is having a wrench in her hands.

That’s why she’s spent the past four years preparing for a career as an aviation technician by earning a renowned B.S. in Aviation Maintenance Science from Embry‑Riddle Aeronautical University, a program that’s given Shelby the chance to use her wrenches all around the U.S. as she’s earned awards, scholarships, internships and job offers.

“It’s been really fun, and I’ve had a lot of great opportunities,” said Shelby, who will graduate from the program as a fully certified aviation technician. “I’ve met some really cool people and gotten amazing experience."

Born in Atlanta, Georgia, Shelby and her family moved to Orlando when she was 2 and she grew up in Central Florida surrounded by the car culture that her dad loved so much. In fact, she was named after the iconic company founded by automotive designer Carroll Shelby.

Her dad was also into aviation and her grandad was an aviation technician in the U.S. Air Force, so Shelby’s interest in car repair eventually ratcheted up into a fascination with things that flew.

“Aviation has always been in the family,” she said. “I started getting into airplanes in high school because they were faster than cars.” 

Why Choose Embry‑Riddle for an Aviation Maintenance Science Degree?

Shelby said she was aware of Embry‑Riddle growing up in Central Florida and through regular trips to the adjacent Daytona International Speedway, so she started the Aerospace Engineering program at the Daytona Beach Campus in spring 2020 after graduating from high school a semester early.

However, Aerospace Engineering “wasn’t for me,” Shelby said. “I was hanging out with some friends and one of their roommates happened to be an AMS major. He told me all about the program and I changed my major the next day."

After switching majors, Shelby fell in love with her AMS classes, the people and Embry‑Riddle’s leading-edge maintenance labs and facilities, all of which provided the key training and hands-on experience that today’s employers are demanding.

“We have composite and sheet metal structure labs and so many things that are really unique to our side of the campus,” she said. “And you come out of the program prepared to get your A&P certificate."

Shelby also spent a semester in the Avionics Line Maintenance (ALM) program, an AMS course that covers installation, troubleshooting and test equipment for advanced avionic systems.

“That was a huge highlight,” she said. “I really enjoyed the avionics work.”

What Opportunities Are Available to AMS Students at Embry‑Riddle?

In 2022, Shelby was part of the first all-women team Embry‑Riddle had ever sent to the global Aerospace Maintenance Competition, in which professional, military and student maintenance technicians test their skills against each other in more than two dozen categories.

In 2023, Shelby joined Hannah Daren, Tea Galon, Iram Rai, Cassie Savukinas and faculty advisor Cristin Klaus at the contest, where the team won the first-place award in the School Category. During both competitions, the all-women team was sponsored by Pratt & Whitney.

“My previous experience competing helped, and it was awesome to win—because we didn’t think we would,” Shelby said. “The competition was a great place to make connections and challenge yourself and your maintenance skills."

Also in 2023, Shelby earned a Delta TechOps scholarship through Women in Aviation International, which resulted in a four-day trip to Long Beach, California, and plenty of networking opportunities.

“I toured Delta TechOps’ newest hangar at LAX and met some really important people from the company,” she said. “I also got to spend time with a wonderful group of ladies from Delta and I still keep in touch with them today."

To top it off, Shelby then spent summer 2023 as intern at Proctor & Gamble in Cincinnati, Ohio, working with the maintenance team that cared for the global company’s four-aircraft fleet. Those several months packed plenty of memories.

“On just my second day working, I got the chance to change the ignitor plug on the APU (Auxiliary Power Unit) of one of their Bombardier Challenger 350s,” she said. "It was the first time I got to do maintenance on an aircraft that was in service and airworthy. They even let me keep the ignitor plug I removed."

The internship also enabled Shelby to reach new levels of skill as a maintenance technician.

“One of my favorite things about the internship was towing aircraft,” she said. “I got a ton of experience moving them around the ramp with a tug. I was extremely lucky they trusted me with their aircraft.”

The Tools for Aviation Career Success

As she hits the home stretch to graduation, Shelby is finishing classes for her Maintenance Management Area of Concentration and looking forward to accepting her first job, which will likely be with one of the major airlines.

And although she is fully prepared and can certainly see herself in a leadership role one day, she’s not in any huge hurry to leave the hangar behind.

“I think I'll eventually work up the ladder,” Shelby said. “But I want to enjoy turning wrenches as long as possible and just keep getting my hands dirty.”