Page 29 - Sphere No.31 (Jul 2012)

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Sphere 31
What would you say has been your
biggest achievement while working
for GAMECO?
Yili Yu: When I first joined the company, we
relied heavily on the expertise of our foreign
joint venture partner, Lockheed Martin, to secure
maintenance certifications issued by US and
European civil aviation authorities. My supervisor
at the time said to me, “Our aim should be to
develop our own capabilities, so that one day,
we need not rely on outside help and can cope
with meeting international quality standards
ourselves.” Since Lockheed’s withdrawal in 2002,
we have made great progress in this regard; we
have now secured maintenance certifications for
over 20 different countries.
Mayy Du: Over the past 15 years, I have gained
experience in a number of different roles, from
parts repair shop technician, to reliability
analysis engineer, to electrical engineer, to my
present role as onboard software manager. Each
time, I had to adapt quickly to new requirements
and continue to develop myself and my technical
skills. In 2010, GAMECO acquired the Civil
Aviation Administration of China’s DIMOR
qualifications and since then I have been involved
in a number of successful high-end economy
class modifications, which are among the leading
design projects of their kind in the country. I am
very proud of these achievements.
Do you feel that your male colleagues
are accepting of you as a female?
Yili Yu : There is a saying in Chinese: ‘with men and
women together, the work becomes lighter’. While
aircraft maintenance remains a male-dominated
industry, I have found that at GAMECO, our male
colleagues accept us and treat us well. In addition,
within my own division, which is focused on
adherence to quality principles and standards,
a softer, ‘female’ approach is often appropriate,
and through our combined mixed team approach
GAMECO can deliver better overall team results.
Mayy Du : In this male-dominated industry, women
certainly must work harder to carve out a position
for themselves and gain the acceptance of male
colleagues. I remember in 1998, on an overseas
training trip, our Taiwan counterparts were curious
and surprised to find women among the visiting
engineers. But at GAMECO, I find the atmosphere
friendly and welcoming. Since being here, I have
seen more and more women entering traditionally
male technical roles in production and
maintenance, working alongside men. Through
their own hard work, perseverance and flexibility,
I believe women are able to gain the respect of
their male colleagues. At GAMECO, more and more
female engineers, like myself, have found room for
continued development.
Ms Yili Yu reviewing airworthiness processes with a colleague.
GAMECO is
constantly developing
expertise in innovative
maintenance requirements.
“At gAmeCo, more and
more female engineers, like
myself, have found room
for continued
development.”