Wills brothers handle plane from engine to cockpit
From the engine to the cockpit, the Wills brothers have their hands on the entire 10-passenger de Havilland Otter.
Originally from the Pacific Northwest, Sam and Jason Wills grew up just a hop, skip, and jump from Kenmore Air. When it came time to get a job, both men earned their chops working the line. Today, they remain hands-on with the planes – Sam from inside the cockpit and Jason from inside the machine shop.
What’s it like for two siblings to work on the same plane? “It’s pretty awesome. I love visiting Jason in the machine shop and listening to him explain the guts of the plane. As a pilot, you don’t get to see under the hood very often,” Sam explained, as the two men stood on the dock.
Primarily focused on annual inspections, Jason specializes in the evaluation and maintenance of de Havilland Otter engines and frames. During these inspections, planes are compression tested to ensure they are safe and airworthy.
“We make sure each plane is working right. If it’s not, we fix it,
Jason said.
And sometimes, Jason has special maintenance requests from his older brother. “If I notice something when I’m flying, it’s really nice to be able to just let Jason know,” Sam said.
