If the definition of luck is “preparation meeting opportunity”, then Metro Technology Center graduate Michael Ray could be called lucky. In 1998 when Spokane, WA resident Michael Ray came to Oklahoma to visit his mother, he saw a Metro Tech ad that brought him back to work toward his dream career of being a helicopter pilot. Steps of preparation brought him to an opportunity. Now Ray’s working for Inter-Island Helicopter Tours in Kauai, Hawaii and that dream is just a step away. That's why Ray has been named a CareerTech Champion, said Dr. Phil Berkenbile, CareerTech state director. “CareerTech Champions are alumni of Oklahoma's Career and Technology Education system programs or student organizations who have found success in a career and attribute much of that success to their CareerTech experience.” Ray had long aspired to become a helicopter pilot. Most recently, however, he had been working with his father in the family sod farm business in Spokane. " I have wanted to become a helicopter pilot since I was 16 years old, but hadn’t taken the necessary steps to help me get there," said Ray. While visiting in Oklahoma, he saw a Metro Tech advertisement for Aviation Maintenance Technology (AMT) and decided to check it out. " Up to that point, I only knew of some of the larger schools in the country offering aviation programs," said Ray. “After checking out Metro Tech, I decided to enroll in the AMT program.” Later that year Ray moved to Oklahoma and took a job at one of the local television stations. By 2000 he was enrolled in Metro Tech's AMT program. “ I was willing to make the needed changes in my life to get what I wanted,” Ray said. “Although the maintenance part wasn't my original dream, I knew that it would be a good opportunity for me to learn in-depth knowledge about the helicopters that I wanted to fly.” A year later this new training allowed him to quit his job at the television station and begin to work at Tinker Air Force Base at the WG3 job level grade. In that capacity he was making much more than the average wage. " I interviewed at Tinker and was chosen under an agreement Metro Tech has with the Oklahoma City Air Logistic Center to employ AMT students and was hired part time. Not bad for a student," Ray said. In 2002 Ray had completed the AMT program earning the Airframe and Power plant (A&P) certification. He credits his instructors with helping build his confidence as a mechanic. " Herman Bounds really knows his engines and a tremendous amount about helicopters,” he said. “Robert Hensley's course helped to build the confidence that I have today." In Feb. 2003, Tinker hired Ray full-time at a rate of more than $16 per hour working on KC135s - the air force planes known as the mid-air refueling planes. Michael Ray, Metro Tech Aviation Maintenance Technology graduate, now working for Inter-Island Helicopter Tours, shakes hands with James D. Branscum, Ed.D., superintendent, MetroTechnology Centers. Recently, on another vacation – this time to the Hawaiian island of Kauai – Ray walked into a helicopter company called Inter-Island Helicopter Tours. He asked one of the mechanics there about the company's need for another mechanic that was A & P certified and who was familiar with 337Alterations - a detailed documentation process, which he also learned at Metro Tech. The mechanic assured Ray that he’d relay his questions and information to the president of the company who was, ironically, scheduled to be in Oklahoma City on business two weeks later. The irony was not lost on Ray, who wondered about the business that would bring the company president to Oklahoma. Two weeks later, he found out that the president of Inter-Island Helicopter Tours owns two helicopters leased to a federal agency in Oklahoma. "The company president called and arranged to visit with me," Ray said. "I met with the gentleman, interviewed and before he left, I had a job offer.” And what an offer. By mid-August, Ray was working as a helicopter mechanic on the island of Kauai with a salary in the mid 60-thousand dollar range. As for flying helicopters? According to Ray, “Ground school is next."
	posted: 1/8/2004	Story:By: Teresa Francisco Community Relations Specialist Metro Technology Centers Phone (405) 605-4408

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