TIFFANY BOLIN: ON THE RISE WITH DETERMINATION AND DRIVE

As the first woman admitted to Aviation High School in New York City, Lori Dimarco knows a thing or two about being the only one in the room. Now Senior Vice President of Technical Operations at Mesa Airlines, Dimarco has carved out a decades-long career in aviation maintenance.

Starting with cleaning aircraft, to working in maintenance at JFK, and rising to a leadership role, Dimarco reflects on her journey, the importance of representation, and her passion for paying it forward.

“I was the first woman admitted to Aviation High School. In my freshman year, I was the only girl in the school with 2,700 guys.”

From mentoring students at her alma mater to cheering them on at the MRO Americas Aerospace Maintenance Competition (AMC), she’s not just supporting the next generation, she’s showing them what’s possible. “They're competing against adults and they're high school students. So, I love to watch that. That they're enjoying themselves and learning as they go,” Lori said.

 

The competition tests the skills and knowledge of aviation maintenance technicians and students. Around 90 teams compete in 27 hands-on maintenance events across six categories: commercial aviation, general aviation. military, repair and manufacturing, schools, and space.

Each team consists of five members tackling challenges that test real-world maintenance skills. Events include tasks like fuel nozzle replacements, avionics troubleshooting, and composite repairs. The competition is designed to simulate the high-pressure environment of aviation maintenance, emphasizing safety, precision, and teamwork.

The dedicated category for schools not only tests students’ skills with challenges similar to those faced by industry professionals, but also inspires them to pursue careers in aviation—just as Lori Dimarco did, paving the way for future generations to break barriers and keep climbing.

When reflecting on her career now, she added: “It's just about loving what you do. And I love what I do,”

In an industry that is constantly evolving, it’s always interesting to see how we are able to pivot and adapt. We recently spoke with Amel Belkhamsa, Vice President of Technical Services at MHIRJ, about how we’re seeing seeing a resurgence in demand for the CRJ platform, and operators flying aircraft longer. Amel shares how her team is responding—from material support to engineering solutions—and why collaboration is more critical than ever.

MHIRJ: Amel, I want to talk a little bit about how we're seeing industry flying aircraft longer. How does that impact technical services and support with your team?

Amel: The CRJ platform really holds a sweet spot in commercial aviation, considering scope clause. So, what we've been seeing over the last year—and for the expectation we are going to see for another few years—is a real rise in terms of utilization and demand for the aircraft.

Flying the CRJ specifically has grown 20% year on year in terms of utilization, and that was really at the back of the resurgence of demand after the pilot shortage market phenomenon. We are also thinking that we are going to see the same type of growth all the way to 2026, which is giving rise really to a lot of demand in services—material demand, MRO, heavy maintenance services, but also technical engineering services as well.

So obviously, we've had to adapt ourselves to this bubble of demand. We knew it was coming, but it did come a lot higher than expectation. And it's really the result of two different elements.

Operators are putting a lot more airplanes in service because of mainline demand. But as well, there was this phenomenon of lazy schedule during the pilot shortage, whereby airlines were utilizing airframes at a lower utilization framework, and now we're operating at a much higher yield, which is creating now the demand for the heavy maintenance that everybody's been pushing to the right.

For tech services, material demand, and MRO services, we've had to increase in staffing internally on the engineering side to be able to deliver on engineering repairs and dispositions. We've done that both through permanent workforce within our headquarters in Canada, but also leveraging our offload capacities with partners in North America, as well as in countries where we're able to scale rapidly, such as India, to be able to support our operator base.

On the material side, right now the demand is at an all-time high. It is also in a context where supply chain has still not, believe it or not, fully recovered from COVID-19. So, there is a gap between demand and supply at the moment, and we are looking at leveraging both increasing material stock holdings, but also offering alternatives to the customers with some new serviceable material, as well as looking at expanding on internal manufacturing and insourcing for some of the commodities where we're seeing some stress and difficulties in supply.

MHIRJ: Going back to technical services, I know that over the past several months your team has been working very closely with PSA and SkyWest on really being involved in day-to-day operations with those teams. Tell us a little bit about what that means and how it's going.

Amel: What we are seeing is that our customers are experiencing difficulties with workforce, with labor, so this comes in the form of a lot of juniorism. I think after COVID-19 and after the phenomenon of pilot shortage, airlines have lost experience within their workforce. And so juniorism, coupled with a lot of turnover in the workforce, has created a bit of stress within an operator base on availability of knowledge.

What we’ve done is adapt ourselves to be integrated a lot more vertically within the airlines, offering to actually fill that gap for some time—or whichever time they need it—for them to be able to ramp back up.

So specifically with PSA, we've partnered with PSA in order to continue to support them under our DAO authority when it comes to repair and dispositioning on the engineering side, but also support on the FAR 121 operations as well—where our workforce is integrated with the PSA airline within their day-to-day technical and engineering dispositioning need.

It's working very well. We're hoping it's going to continue over the next few years, and we're hoping to do a lot more of that with other operators. Our goal is to continue finding solutions to fulfill some of the gaps our customers are experiencing in this context where experience and skilled labor is really scarce.

MHIRJ: We have skilled labor within our team, so are we offering those services to our customers who need it most?

Amel: Yes. We have a stable and growing technical workforce, and experience in commercial aviation. All of this is not agnostic to the CRJ platform, but our focus today is on the CRJ considering the fact that there is a high demand that our customers need us.

MHIRJ: Amel, you come from a family of aviation. I believe your father built a tremendous career in the airline business, and now, here you are building this tremendous career as an executive in our wonderful industry. Tell us a little bit about what you enjoy the most. What keeps you inspired day to day and working in this fast-paced industry that we love?

Amel: It's just an industry of excitement. We move people. Supporting a platform that allows individuals to connect, that allows individuals to engage into leisure activities, is just extremely motivating and very exciting. For me, it's all about the people. We have a group that is a bunch of individuals who are extremely passionate about the industry and work, day in, day out for their customers. That coupled together couldn't be a better combination for a career. I feel really grateful to be part of this.

 

As a former South African Air Force pilot, Captain Roelf O. Laurence has spent over three decades as both a military and commercial pilot. His career reflects a steady commitment to discipline, adaptability, and the aircraft that have carried him through it all. During our conversation, Roelf shared what first drew him to aviation, how the CRJ became his constant, and the perspective earned through many years in the sky.

MHIRJ: Roelf, what or who inspired you to become a pilot?

Roelf: I was always drawn to aviation, even from a young age. The mechanics of flight and the engineering involved intrigued me. Having read many biographies of WWII pilots, I was also inspired to join the military and eventually qualified as a pilot in the South African Air Force.

MHIRJ: Can you share a memorable moment from your early days of flying?

Roelf: My initial flying training took place at the Central Flying School Dunnottar in 1991, where I was trained to fly the North American Harvard. I have many good, and a few bad, memories of the time I spent getting to grips with the Harvard under the guidance of military flight instructors. My fondest memory is probably the day I graduated as a pilot and an officer in the South African Air Force.

MHIRJ: How has your career evolved since those early days?

Roelf: It began with South African Air Force, where I completed a total of 18 years. During this time, I flew several aircraft types, before transitioning to the commercial air transportation environment, where I joined South African Express Airways as a First Officer on the then Canadair CRJ200 Regional Jet in Jan 2007. I would spend the next 14 years at SA Express, flying the CRJ200 and CRJ700 as a Captain as well as an Instructor Pilot. I also became a Simulator Instructor on the CRJ. Following the closure of SA Express during the COVID pandemic, I was fortunate to gain employment at CemAir (Pty) Ltd as a CRJ pilot and instructor—CemAir (Pty) Ltd being the largest CRJ operator in Africa. Here I flew four of the CRJ models, namely the CRJ100, 200, 700, and 900. During my time at CemAir, I was approached by RwandAir to join their CRJ900NG fleet in 2023, where I am still currently flying the CRJ.

MHIRJ: What do you enjoy most about flying the CRJ aircraft?

Roelf: Having flown the CRJ since 2007, and being involved in instruction on the aircraft type, it’s helped me increase my understanding of the aircraft and how to teach new pilots how to operate it safely.

MHIRJ: What are some unique features of the CRJ that you appreciate?

Roelf: One of the features of the CRJ that I value most is the EICAS with its system synoptic page displays. Being able to see the affected system during an abnormality is such a huge advantage. The first time I used the system, I exclaimed, "Why aren't all aircraft equipped with this?"

MHIRJ: What challenges have you faced over the years in the industry?

Roelf: The biggest challenge I have faced in my career as a pilot has been the COVID pandemic's effect on aviation. It decimated so many careers and affected me directly by going from a prominent position—namely the Chief Training Captain of a regional airline—to unemployed in a matter of a few days. Climbing back in the seat has had its challenges as well. It has not been a smooth ride, and I know many fellow pilots that lost a great deal due to the pandemic.

MHIRJ: What safety measures do you prioritize while flying?

Roelf: My motto is that "we, as pilots, are the last line of safety." I take my responsibility as Commander very seriously and strive to be as professional and competent as my passengers deserve. Their safety and well-being is my primary responsibility. This is a message I have always passed on to the numerous young airline pilots I have trained during my career.

MHIRJ: Has your perspective on flying changed over the years?

Roelf: Absolutely, I've realized that my perspective has changed over the years. I believe as one gets older a certain amount of wisdom is acquired. Not only does technology evolve, but new methods of training have been developed, and we need to adapt and grow with the industry. I am a big proponent of training for competence and understanding.

MHIRJ: What made you remain loyal to CRJs throughout your career?

Roelf: I think the CRJ was loyal to me, more than I was loyal to it, in that it provided me with an opportunity to survive and rebuild a career after the pandemic. I will always appreciate the CRJ for what it has done for my aviation career, and probably still will in the future.

MHIRJ: What advice would you give to new pilots just starting their careers?

Roelf: My advice to young pilots starting their careers is to be the best version of a pilot that you can be. Do not accept mediocrity and remember your moral and professional duty to your passengers.