Meet Margus Graf, Components Workshop manager at Magnetic MRO. His out-of-the-ordinary career in Magnetic MRO has included an internship, working as an engineer and the workshop manager, then leaving the company and finding his way back to Magnetic Group.
How did your passion for aviation start?
It seems to me that there are two types of people – on one side, those who develop a passion for aviation early in their youth. And then there are people like me – who find themselves in the world of aviation by pure coincidence. In my case, after the 12th grade, I did not know what I wanted to do. I randomly got a recommendation from a relative to join the Estonian Aviation Academy. They told me I seemed like a person who could enjoy hands-on work, so it seemed like a good fit.
You've had quite an eventful journey at Magnetic — could you tell us about it from the very beginning?
My journey in Magnetic MRO started way back, with an internship position in 2008. Already then, I saw that the components maintenance area was something for me. After the internship ended, at some point, my schoolmate Risto Mäeots (now the CEO of Magnetic Group) invited me to work in the Magnetic components workshop, and that's when the official part of working in Magnetic began.
There, I started as a mechanic and worked my way up to an engineer role and then workshop manager. In 2017, I decided it was time for a slight change – I was commuting between two cities, and it felt like too much at that time. I decided to move back to my hometown, Tartu, and stepped away from aviation for a few years.
As life would have it, my Magnetic journey did not end with that. I was invited back after a few years, and I’ve been back since 2018. Recently, I celebrated my second 5-year anniversary at Magnetic.
For someone who’s not familiar with your line of work, how would you describe your everyday routine and main tasks?
Simply put, components maintenance means that parts are taken off an aircraft and delivered to my workshop for maintenance and quality assurance. Be it slides, tires, wheel brakes, or something else. Altogether, a team of ten people work and support this department.
As for my responsibilities, they mainly revolve around ensuring that all operations and workflows run smoothly. From tools to labor, I guarantee that the technical aspects of the job are fulfilled. My daily work is not repetitive at all and constantly involves different projects that require various approaches and skill sets.
What are the main challenges in your line of work?
Challenges are an integral part of my work and aviation in general. Solving the unexpected is what keeps the job exciting. Finding skilled labor, managing fluctuating workloads, and striving to fill engineering positions have been some of the primary challenges. This goes together with the aviation’s industry complexity, especially regarding the scarcity of trained employees, which often poses difficulties in hiring.
It's an ongoing effort to balance the organization's needs with the team's aspirations. A more trending challenge in recent years has been dealing with the problems in the materials supply chain. However, this is not an aviation-only occurrence and is currently impacting all sectors.
What impact has working in Magnetic Group had on you?
All combined, I have spent more than ten years with Magnetic Group. The years have made me resilient and developed my problem-solving skills. What I enjoy about aviation is the all-around structure and discipline. They are like the foundational pillars of this industry.
Besides work, what are your hobbies?
I enjoy cooking, especially preparing and cooking different meats. In recent years, I have also discovered photography. Hiking goes without saying. There's something grounding and majestic about being in the serene Estonian nature.
And a bonus question – what are your top destinations to travel to?
I definitely prefer to travel to warmer places. However, the Northern Lights have fascinated me for quite some time. While I've seen them faintly in the Estonian sky, I would like to get a better view. So, destination-wise, going far North to see and capture them has been on my bucket list for quite some time.
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