'Give me a bike, car, or plane: I'll fix it'

Shabier was a car mechanic for years, until he made the switch to KLM. Now he works in the Hydraulic Shop, a place where he feels completely at home. He talks to his team lead and 'old hand' Maarten. Twenty years ago, he came for an internship at KLM, and hasn't left since. The two talk about their jobs, the atmosphere on the shop floor, and the big difference between automotive and aircraft engineering.

Born mechanic

As a boy, team lead Maarten (41) used to ride his moped all day long. Hanging out in the garage and dismantling 50cc's with a group of friends'. After completing his education at the Dutch Aviation College, he started an internship at KLM. 'That was twenty years ago now, and I stuck around,' he laughs. 'I started as a hydraulic mechanic at level 2, progressed to level 1 and then worked as a specialist for a while. Now I'm team lead in the Hydraulic Shop.'

Like father, like son

Together with another team lead, he manages 40 colleagues. One of them is Shabier (32), who inherited his mechanical skills from home. 'My father liked to work on trucks, excavators, cars, anything really. When I was little, I always had to help him. 'Give me that spanner,' he’d say from under the car. Later, when I was older, he handed over more and more work. I learnt a lot from him.'

From car alternator to aircraft generator

It didn't surprise anyone that Shabier eventually went into engineering. At 15, he completed his vmbo and applied for the aviation course at ROC Hoofddorp. 'I was rejected, so I decided to do the automotive engineering mbo course. After that, I started working as a car mechanic and later as a forklift mechanic in the field.' He did this until his little brother, who also works at KLM, forwarded him a vacancy. 'I decided to give it another go and apply. This time with success!'

A different specialism every hall

Shabier fits perfectly within team Hydraulics. I like the real mechanical work, not fiddling around with circuit boards like they do at Avionics. I work on the generator, a component of the engine that provides power to the aircraft.' Maarten adds: 'Power generation is what we call it. Power is generated by the rotating parts. But everyone has their own specialism: in the middle of the hall, we work on the liquid cooling systems, and in the back of the hall they work on flight control. This is where we work on parts of the landing gear and the components that control the flaps. We also make sure that the landing gear doors open automatically before the aircraft lands.'

So, what's the biggest difference between cars and planes? Shabier, laughing: 'A car drives, a plane flies.' Maarten adds: 'A car is one unit, which is the final product. We only work on individual components, which is why this work is a lot more precise. 'But they both think that it doesn't really matter much. Shabier: 'Give me a bicycle, car, or plane: I'll fix it. If you're handy and have technical insight, you can start working here in no time.'

Work hard, play hard

The atmosphere at the Hydraulic shop is great, Shabier and Maarten agree on that as well. 'We work very hard here, but there's also room for fun. During the evening shifts, there are usually about fifteen of us. We often put on some music, and always eat together in the canteen.' Is there anything not to like? Shabier doesn't have to think about that for long: 'At the beginning I had to get used to all the administrative tasks, but fortunately I'm getting more and more comfortable with that!

We're looking hard for a hydraulic mechanics. Will you join our great team?