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Christopher Naus - 2008 Aviation Scholarship winner
Meet Christopher Naus, a 2008 Aviation Scholarship winner in his second year of a National Certificate in Advanced Aircraft Maintenance
For 19 year old Blenheim local Christopher Naus, aviation is more of a destiny than an interest. A recent winner of a $3,000 ATTTO Scholarship, Christopher has come a long way from building model airplanes as a youngster.
“From quite a young age I knew I wanted to work on aircraft as a career,” says Christopher, now an aviation student at Nelson/Marlborough Institute of Technology (NMIT).
During primary school he joined the Woodbourne Air Scouts, and participated in the Young Eagles program which gives young people the opportunity to try flying.
At high school he then began to tailor his academic program to fit an aviation career. Unable to study aviation directly, Christopher gained related skills through engineering and furniture-making subjects.
During this time he was also diagnosed with Aspergers Syndrome; a mild form of Autism which causes some difficulty with learning in large group situations.
“Aspergers did make things quite difficult, but it also means that I am extremely focused on my goals. In this industry, if you are motivated and willing to work hard, anything is possible. With the help of my family and friends I have been able to get through it and continue working towards my dreams.”
On applying to the NMIT Aviation Program, he was the first student to gain 100% on the mechanical aptitude pre-entry test.
Currently in his second year of a National Certificate in Advanced Aircraft Maintenance, Christopher hopes to secure a position at Safe Air for the 8 week work-based training required at the end of his course. Safe Air is a world-recognised maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) and manufacturing company based at the same location as his studies.
“I haven’t quite decided what path I want to go down yet. If I get a position at Safe Air I will have a range of opportunities to choose from which would be great. I would get to try a bit of everything and see what I like.”
In the meantime, Christopher aims to succeed in his studies and gain some more valuable engineering experience.
“My course allows me to work on a huge aircraft like a 747. The power it takes to get up in the air and the number of people that have to work together to make that happen is just so exciting.”
“That’s the great thing about aviation,” he comments. “There are so many different aspects to it; you can branch off into so many exciting areas depending on where your interests and abilities lie. My particular interest is in Warbirds. I would love to work on the restoration of classic aircraft in the future.”
Scholarship presentation, Thursday 29 May, 2008.
L - R: RNZAF Wing Commander Rob van Lent, Scholarship winner Chris Naus, ATTTO Industry Training Advisor Dave Evans.
