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All are hallmarks of working at Summit Aviation, where about 175 employees keep military, general aviation and law enforcement aircraft in the sky.
Summit, with eight hangars and its own 550-acre airport, is a “family-oriented culture,” says Lynn Trent, human resources manager. “You’re here more than you’re at home. I think everybody is pretty close to their coworkers.”
Growth opportunities are everywhere.
“We have on-the-job training that you need to have documented — hours that you’ve trained with someone," says Trent. "We really do cross-train from the different groups too — general aviation to military and vice versa. You get assigned where the need is.”
Mechanics are a particularly close-knit group and rely on each other, sharing knowledge and expertise to make sure Summit delivers aircraft on-time.
For the fifth year in a row, Summit received the Hire Vets Medallion, which honors companies that make a concerted effort to hire U.S. military veterans.
Attracting veterans makes sense as Summit works on a lot of Army and other military branch aircraft. It makes business sense, too. Learn more about the award here!
Summit makes a point to post jobs through veterans associations to attract top talent.
“Veterans come in with quite a bit of experience working on the aircraft. They were either in flight testing or a mechanic even in logistics too. A lot of them worked in logistics in the military,” Trent says.
Our veterans have stood where a lot of our customers stand, which helps us do our jobs better. Read more about that here.
To help keep valuable employees, it offers a tuition employment program in which Summit pays 90% and the employee kicks in 10% up to a certain dollar amount.
Dave Johnson Jr. — whose father is a 41-year employee at Summit — benefited from Summit's tuition reimbursement program. He started at Summit in 2008 as a maintenance apprentice, a mechanic’s helper. He worked as a helper for 36 months, as required by the FAA.
In addition to tuition assistance, Summit also offers prep courses to take for A&P licenses. Johnson got his license in 2013 and became a designated inspector later that year. He’s now a lead helicopter technician.
He used Summit’s tuition reimbursement program to earn a bachelor’s degree in aviation science from Eastern New Mexico University. He finished it in December 2019.
“The tuition reimbursement program is absolutely a godsend,” Johnson said.
Johnson sees Summit as a long-term employer. He re-evaluates his goals every five years and says there are opportunities to move up at Summit and further his education.
Summit started its tuition program in 2015.
“Five out of 10 people will ask me if we have a program when I interview them,” Trent says.
Acquiring a degree while at Summit does help open the door for supervisor and managerial positions, she says.
Dave Novak is our Director of Information Technology and has worked at Summit for more than 10 years.
He used the tuition reimbursement program to help offset his master’s degree in cybersecurity from Western Governors University.
An aircraft loadmaster in the Air Force, he used the GI bill to pay for his part of tuition, and Summit paid the rest.
“The work I do at Summit led me to want me to get my master’s,” Novak says. “The tuition reimbursement was a bonus. Having to pay zero out of pocket was really a no-brainer at that point.”
Novak is a system administrator for multiple sites.
“My job is to keep our data protected at all costs,” he says.
The tuition program, Novak says, helped him acquire new skills in rapidly growing field.
“I think everyone should take advantage of it. It increases their skills but also benefits the business.”
Meet Bruce Palmer, a seasoned Program Manager at Summit Aviation, who has spent nearly 25 years contributing to the success of the company. We’re proud to showcase his wisdom in our employee spotlight.
Summit Aviation is an equal opportunity employer and a drug/tobacco-free workplace. We offer competitive wages along with a full benefits package including 401(k).
We only accept applications for positions that are currently available. Apply online using the link above, or you may apply in person Mon -Fri from 8 am - 5 pm, at Summit Aviation 4200 Summit Bridge Road Middletown, DE 19709.
In compliance with ADA Amendments Act (ADA), if you have a disability and would like to request an accommodation in order to apply for a position with Summit Aviation, please call 302-834-5400 or email hr@summit-aviation.com.
