'Holy Smokes!' One AMT’s Gift of 60 Years of Curiosity at Delta

There are few people at Delta who have watched the evolution of aviation quite the same way as Jimmy Ferrando. But working for 60 years in the airline industry will give you a front-row seat to history that few others can claim.

Jimmy is an aviation maintenance technician with Delta TechOps – one of more than 6,600 Delta AMTs around the world who are core to Delta’s safe, clean and on-time operation. These days Jimmy is responsible for maintaining spare engines at LAX, keeping them ready to deploy at a moment’s notice in case of a mechanical issue.

Jimmy began his career with Western Airlines, working there for over 20 years before it merged with Delta in 1987. He recalls his first day on the job with the same curiosity and wonder he continues to bring to Delta every day. Jimmy walked into the hangar at LAX that day in 1965 to see a Boeing 720 and thought: “Holy smokes! This thing’s massive!” 

Jimmy on the job in 1970

Jimmy on the job today

I remember the awe I felt on my first day as a Delta flight attendant, and hearing people’s stories about day one is always something special to me. Hearing Jimmy talk about those early days is remarkable – his recollection of aircraft is encyclopedic. The 720 was still a relatively new aircraft back then; he and other mechanics were also still servicing propeller engines like those found on the Lockheed Constellation (aka the “Super Connie”). 

Lockheed Constellation, aka “the Super Connie”

When asked his favorite aircraft to work on, Jimmy responds without hesitation: the Boeing 727, which replaced the 720 and is one of the first aircraft I flew on as a flight attendant. 

“It was easy to work on. You only needed a 6- or 8-foot ladder,” Jimmy said. “Not like today. I was all over that airplane.” 

Boeing 727

When Jimmy talks about his favorite memory over the past 60 years, that curiosity and wonder surfaces again. He loved working in the factory, preparing aircraft for service.

“Watching how this little piece of metal turns into an MD-11,” Jimmy said. “It’s lovely to watch, how they put all the little pieces together. People on the outside don’t realize how they’re moving half of a fuselage, connecting it, the tail, how all that’s pulled together.”

MD-11

That same morning I spoke with him, Jimmy met with some of our newest hires in TechOps. And once again, curiosity formed the backbone of his advice to them.

“You’ve always got to be curious because this airplane is going to change constantly,” Jimmy said. “Look and research so you know what this plane does. It makes everybody safer.” 

Allison Ausband is Executive Vice President and Chief People Officer for Delta Air Lines