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Growing up, Nathan Downham an apprentice with Chartair (pictured above right), found his interest in working on different types of aeroplanes from a young age. 

His father, Mark Downham (middle), was recently appointed to the Head of Chartair Engineering team.  Mark started his career with the Royal Australian Navy as an Aircraft Technician Airframes on the Sea King Helicopter in 1997. He then spent many years with the Navy, finishing his career in the Navy Contract Liaison Office and Nathan remembers going to help his father around the aeroplanes when he was younger. 

Mark continued his work in the Aviation industry, working with BAE Systems and onto Airlines of Tasmania. He became a Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) Licensed Aircraft Maintenance Engineer (LAME) in 2015 on both fixed-wing and rotary-wing aircraft. 

Nathan’s grandfather, John Downham (top; left), is the newest LAME joining Chartair recently. John began work as an apprentice aircraft engineer in January 1970 at the Aero Club of Southern Tasmania for 8 years. In which he gained his Aircraft Engineer licence. During 1980-1992 he furthered his career, gaining experience on turbine aircraft, turbine engine overhauls and propellers with various companies in Papua New Guinea. 

Aviation runs deep in the family.  John recalls Mark was only 2 years old when they lived in Papua New Guinea. 

In 2016 Mark took an opportunity in Fiji, where he obtained his Civil Aviation Authority of Fiji (CAAF) LAME licence and became the Chief Engineer of Advance Aviation Training - a leading provider of Professional Pilot Training. Under his remit was aircraft ranging from Cessna 150 to Twin Otter 400 Series aircraft. He then worked for Kokomo Private Island (Fiji) and eventually moved to Darwin, Northern Territory, in 2019 to work for Paspaley Aviation as the Chief Engineer. 

“When I was younger, I went to work with my dad. I even got to go to Fiji and help him around the hanger and on the aircraft,” Nathan said. 

The learning experience and skills learnt while working with his father have instilled the curiosity for aviation engineering in Nathan, just as how it came naturally to his own dad.