Michael Hill: Assistant Manager Engineering

Michael Hill has been with Duncan Aviation for four years, but it may seem like longer to many because he has moved up rather quickly in those years. However, if you know Michael at all, I’m sure that you aren’t surprised. Taking on challenges and gaining responsibility quickly have been hallmarks throughout his twenty years in aviation.

Michael was born in the Republic of Panama. His father was in the Air Force and while he was stationed in Panama, he met and married Michael’s mother and together, they moved to the United States when Michael was two years old. They moved around a lot with the Air Force with stints in Missouri and Florida. The years on Air Force bases had an impact on Michael. He vividly remembers his early dreams of being a pilot inspired by the F15s flying over his home at Tyndall Air Force Base in Florida.

At 18, Michael followed in his father’s footsteps and joined the Air Force, where he became an Avionics Communications/Navigation Specialist. He was stationed at McChord Air Force Base near Tacoma, Washington, and worked on C-141s, C-130s and C-5s. After four years, he left the Air Force to take a job at Boeing, performing avionics troubleshooting on 747s. It wasn’t long before a layoff at Boeing gave Michael an opportunity to work for Northrop Grumman on the B2 Stealth Bomber. He worked as an Avionics Crew Chief at the Northrop Grumman facility in Palmdale, California, for 10 years.

After many years out west, Michael and his family moved to Michigan in 2000. They settled in Saginaw and for a brief time, Michael worked at Duncan Aviation. The two-hour commute quickly became a burden to family life, however, and Michael took a job with Aero Genesis in Lansing. While there, he worked on avionics in many aircraft, from Cessna 172s to SAAB 340s. He quickly moved up to become the Avionics Manager. Michael credits his hands-on work with Aero Genesis as one of the greatest learning experiences of his career.

In January of 2005, Michael returned to Duncan Aviation, starting in the Avionics Line Department, moving up to a Tech III in Avionics Installations to Assistant Manager of the Avionics Department to his current position as Assistant Manager of Engineering. He loves to learn new things and he says he learns something new almost every day in his current role with Engineering. He doesn’t set out to do anything special to inspire others, he is who he is and hopes that his positive attitude is contagious. As his history shows, he isn’t afraid of stepping up to accept new challenges. When that confidence is combined with a positive attitude, the result is something exceptional. Michael has worked on aircraft ranging from the 172 to the B2 and yet says that his work here at Duncan Aviation has been the most rewarding. He plans to carry out the rest of his aviation career here and is looking forward to growing in his leadership role. As Michael says, “Don’t waste time thinking about what you can’t do, you are in control of your destiny – you get out of life what you put into it.”

Hill, Michael - Manager, Engineering Services - Battle Creek, MI (BTL). Aviation professional since 1988. Direct: 269.969.8439

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