With clients such as United, Delta, Air Canada, American Airlines, Southwest, and RyanAir just to name a few, Aero Marine Interior, Inc. (AMI) has earned a solid reputation for being amongst the best in the aircraft refurbishment business. Founded in 2000 by Jamaican-born Jannette Pommells-Tucker and her husband Chris Tucker, AMI provides a range of services for commercial and private aircrafts including interior and custom refurbishment, seat repair, new windows, and non-destructive testing (NDT), a critical evaluation for testing flaws in materials. Not the typical business venture, so just how did Pommells-Tucker get into this side of aviation?
“I came to this country 36 years ago with my family from Kingston, Jamaica. My parents were both entrepreneurs and it seems natural that I would follow in their footsteps. So, throughout my college years I took courses that dealt with some aspect of business: Travel and Tourism Management, Human Resources Management, and Business Management. They all came in handy when Aero Marine Interior, Inc was birthed October 4, 2000”, said a proud Pommells-Tucker.
Marrying the Two Fields
It all started taking shape while the couple was dating. Pommells-Tucker said that they always talked about having their own business in the future. And, the fact that Chris had aviation experience coupled with her business background sparked the idea to create a company marrying the two fields. But, any business involving aircrafts would need massive startup capital. That’s when the couple strategised and came up with the idea to open a retail business that would generate the liquidity they needed. Their idea, said Pommells-Tucker was to sell the successful retail business after two years and use the funds to start their dream company. Well, their strategic plan came to fruition within 18 months. Aero Marine Inc. began in a one-bay warehouse in Miami.
Sole owners of AMI, Chris Tucker serves as President/CEO while Jannette Pommells-Tucker’s role is Vice President and Chief Financial Officer. She manages the day-to-day operations, human resources, and accounting while her husband handles technical aspects including communications with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA).
In fact, AMI is an FAA/EASA certified aircraft repair station, said Pommells-Tucker. This means that the company is considered specialists in servicing aircrafts registered in North America and Europe.
FAA approval can be quite lengthy, sometimes taking 12 months or longer. But, for AMI the process took only eight months. The company was already fully operational before seeking FAA approval, with the required manuals, equipment, and safety features in place. Importantly, keeping that certification means maintaining the highest standards, which is evaluated by the FAA on an annual basis.
Everything AMI renovates or installs on an aircraft must meet FAA and EASA standards. Pommells-Tucker explained that the materials used inside an aircraft should be lightweight, and have built in fire retardant elements. And, these materials are put through comprehensive flammability tests. As such, if there is a fire onboard, the burning process would be slower allowing passengers more time to exit the plane, she explained.
“We repair everything that is on the interior of the aircraft. AMI can strip an aircraft to its basic metals and build it up to the finished product that you normally see inside an aircraft. To work within this industry requires going to aviation school. Once that is completed then there is a matter of taking an exam with the FAA to acquire a license. Continuing education is a must within this industry”.
Cracks
Not just focused on the interior environment of the aircraft, AMI services also includes critical testing to detect cracks and other compromised materials that could be detrimental. Pommells-Tucker explained that Non-Destructive Testing through the use of radiography, infrared thermography, or ultrasonic sound waves for example, can uncover the tiniest defects.
“In its simplest form, non-destructive testing is the x-raying of the aircraft to look for any cracks and leaks. Think of a person going to the hospital to do an x-ray, ultrasound, pet scan, etc. This is what we do for the aircraft to make sure it is safe for people to travel”.
Indeed, safety is first priority for AMI. That is why all projects are memorable the entrepreneur pointed out. However, one of the most notable was the job to reconfigure aircrafts that were leased for former President Barack Obama and his Secretary of State John Kerry during the Democratic National Convention.
“Those are rare experiences and we were glad for the opportunities afforded us. Guess we did such a good job, because we received an official letter inviting us to attend President Barack Obama’s inauguration in Washington, DC”.
With 24 full-time employees and up 50 workers based on the projects being worked on, AMI is ready for expansion as it is happily “bursting at the seams”. And with ever-advancing technology Pommells-Tucker is poised to take on any challenges the airline industry may face.
