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Some of Chip Haning's Monday morning was spent in a big motor home at Salina Municipal Airport, where he pursued some professional change.

Instead of bolting for home after working the midnight to 8 a.m. shift at Tony's Pizza, Haning, 46, stayed close by and completed a resume for AAR Aircraft Services in the KansasWorks Mobile Center.

The motor home was parked outside of a Salina Municipal Airport hangar, where AAR, an aircraft maintenance, repair and overhaul business, is staging a career and networking fair at Salina Municipal Airport.

The fair continues from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. today at Hangar 600, 2720 Arnold Court. KansasWorks, the Salina Area Chamber of Commerce and the Salina Airport Authority spent the day there as well to help the event run smoothly.

"I'm looking for a better-paying job and maybe a day shift," Haning said.

He was among at least 240 men and women who showed to get their names and resumes on file -- 50 of those were submitted online -- in case the company expands to Salina.

"Our stretch goal is to be at the 275 or 300 mark by the end of (Monday), which is very solid and respectable," said Greg Dellinger, director of recruiting for AAR Corp. near Chicago, the parent company of AAR Aircraft Services.

"I'm very pleased," he said, "and excited to see what comes our way."

The "ultimate goal" would be to eclipse 500 over the two-day fair, he said.

Hopeful for Salina, too

"I just dropped off my resume, and they said they'd get in touch with us," Mike Boswell, 67, of Salina, said after leaving the huge hangar Monday morning.

He was laid off last September after 15 years at Hawker Beechcraft. The Wichita airplane maker is shutting down its Salina operation no later than the end of February.

Boswell said he was hopeful for himself and the community that AAR would choose Salina.

"This is really what we need here, with the airport and runway. There's a lot of good workers here," Boswell said.

Prospective applicants to AAR Aircraft Services provided basic information, watched a short promotional video, and dropped off their resumes.

The firm began shopping early Monday for the right people and skills to bring a bunch of jobs to Salina. AAR is in the hangar it intends to lease should company officials decide to expand to Salina.

As the business grows, the company may also lease Hangar 606, an older building next door to the north. A connector building may be added, Dellinger said.

Decision might be soon

A company decision is expected in August or September, said Anita Brown, AAR's senior human resources manager.

Several factors must be met, she said, including securing a maintenance contract with Pinnacle Airlines.

"Once they have work solidified, then we will come back in August or September, conduct interviews, and make offers," Brown said.

Next would be obtaining equipment and setting up shop for a February 2012 start of operations, she said.

Today's goal is to meet workers skilled in areas such as avionics, interiors, inspections, aircraft mechanics and sheet metal workers.

"It's important that our team is switched on and we bring in the right kind of people, specific to skill sets," Dellinger said.

Looking for enthusiasm

The search is more than just for workers with certain skills. AAR "has a certain kind of person" in mind, he said. "We're looking for enthusiasm, looking for energy. If those types of individuals are there and interested in looking at AAR, it's going to be a wonderful day."

He didn't say exactly how many jobs are at stake, but it takes 75 to 100 for a maintenance line.

"Doing maintenance work is not mundane, but it's also not for the timid," Dellinger said.

When a $60 million aircraft comes in for maintenance, it has to be done quickly and efficiently.

Ladders and scaffolding

"There might be 20,000 parts in an engine. You're praying that it works 30 years, and that it works right every single time," Dellinger said.

It takes 30 days to do a "heavy check" of a jet, he said, which is required after so many "cycles," of takeoffs and landings.

"We need someone who can work in a safety-centered environment, on ladders and scaffolding," Dellinger said. "Doors, seating, overhead compartments, flooring, lavatory, galleys, all come off."

Workers scan the aircraft body for stress, cracks and corrosion, he said.

The recession is ending, Dellinger said, and AAR is growing. The nearly $1.8 billion company, which employs approximately 6,500 people in 60 different locations in 13 countries, grew 35 percent in the past year.

"If you're in the right place at the right time, with the right work force, you're going to do business," he said.

Salina's risk pays off

Salina's facilities are a plus, Dellinger said, and he praised the new $7 million hangar that was built by the Salina Airport Authority to attract jobs.

"If they hadn't pulled the trigger and took the collective risk, we wouldn't be here," he said. "That's a testimony of the spirit of Salina to build something for its economic well-being."

His goal is to "find that labor pool, and so far, thumbs up," Dellinger said. "The community did a great job. We're excited to put the welcome mat out.

"It's showtime."

n Reporter Tim Unruh can be reached at 822-1419 or by email at tunruh@salina.com.

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