Very likely you've seen at least a few of captivating videos from the daily life we share on your social media – but you might be surprised that most of them are made not by somebody from the outside, but our very own base maintenance mechanic and camera-guru Dmitrijs! And aircraft and filming are a few of his favourite things!
Akvile Vzesniauskaite: Dmitrijs, let's start with you telling us all how did you end up working in the aviation industry and how you started working at Magnetic MRO? Dmitrijs Matvejevs: My aviation story, actually, begins at sea – I always loved the sea, so kicked off my career by finishing marine school as engine cadet and have spent 8 months at sea, repairing vessel and performing overhaul. This was the time it became really clear to me I like all maintenance related work but didn't want to continue working at sea as a seafarer, so I enrolled into Aviation Transport Faculty at Rigas Technical University. After 2nd course, I had a chance to study at Astronautics Faculty in Warsaw with ERASMUS+ program, and after 3rd course, I went to Tallinn as Erasmus exchange student to get work experience as a trainee. That's how my path in aviation began – and now I am working at Magnetic MRO for 3 years already!
AV: Sounds like an interesting road to where you are now! And since you have experience of being part of team Magnetic for over 3 years, how do you evaluate it? DM: I am sure now aviation is my passion and takes a big part of my life – and Magnetic MRO has already contributed a lot to my career within the industry as a mechanical engineer. It is a global company, and I take pride being part of it, it gives me great opportunities and knowledge, amazing experience and lots of chances to work on different aircraft types, which is very important since I am still learning.
AV: Which part of your work you find to be the most challenging? DM: I think any profession has its own challenges – but for me now the hardest (and yet the most interesting!) is becoming a well-skilled engineer. However, no matter how well you are prepared and how experienced you are, human errors could happen; maintenance projects can take lots of time, so it is easy to get tired – but with a great team besides, I think we are doing a great job in avoiding mistakes as much as possible, as a joint effort.
AV: Aircraft maintenance does, indeed, sound challenging – but must be rewarding, too. What are your best memories from your time here at Magnetic? DM: Every time we see aircraft leaving the hangars after maintenance check is memorable to me – that moment, you are overwhelmed with a feeling of pride and joy – kind of super-hero moment for me!
AV: You're often not only beside the aircraft but also behind the camera, preparing a lot of eye-catching video materials for us. How did you end up not only working as a mechanic engineer but also as a filmmaker? DM: I've started filming videos at school (I was also a director at the school theatre, too!). So already at school, I've learnt about video production techniques that come in handy now; I also have experience as a video producer and worked on projects with director Andzej Gavriss and producer Julia Gavriss – we worked on pretty big projects, like Eurovision and Black Star! Quite an experience for me! Also, I have worked as DOP on-set filming advertising videos for brands like Toyota and Borjomi. And then I've decided to stay in Tallinn working at Magnetic MRO, I have got in touch with production team Vita Pictura here and have been involved in various projects since, like filming music videos, documentaries and ads to name a few – it is a great pleasure to me!
AV: It does sound like a very exciting work too! What similarities do you see between filmmaking and working as a mechanical engineer? DM: Discipline, flexibility and importance of teamwork – these are common for both working in the hangars and behind the same. In both lines of work, everything has to be well prepared before the work begins, and sometimes both take a very long time to for small-looking end result.
AV: Although your plate seems full, do you have any other hobbies and passions? DM: I have a lot – to be honest, I am the type who is always looking for new challenges. Sometimes even extreme ones – but I also know for sure, that aviation is the biggest passion and the most important work – and hobby – in my life.
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