Meet Mel Williams: Aircraft technician, aerobatic pilot, flight instructor, & influencer

Through his determination to experience every aspect of aviation, Melvin Williams has earned the attention (and respect) of established aviators, future pilots, and fellow social media influencers. The self-professed aviation nerd’s passion for living full speed ahead is captivating – and his 25,000 Instagram followers agree.

Williams’ “nobody cares, work harder” mindset ignited his successful career as an aircraft maintenance technician, flight instructor, aerobatic pilot, aircraft ground instructor, Boeing 737NG maintenance instructor, social media influencer, and youth mentor. In other words, look up “aviation enthusiast” in the dictionary, and you should find a picture of him.

Growing up in Brooklyn, New York, he can remember being fascinated with anything and everything that flew out of John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK). Located in the borough of Queens, JFK is one of the principal airports serving New York City, making it one of the busiest airports in North America. 

“I got into aviation when I was around five or six,” said Williams. “My aunt used to take me down to JFK to watch planes — it was before 9/11 when you could actually pull into the terminal, and nobody would bother you.”

The sighting of a Concorde — the first supersonic passenger-carrying commercial airplane — kicked his aviation aspirations into high gear. After that, he said, there was no other alternative.

Williams shared with Skies that his success story actually started in stealth mode: without a real plan of attack. He registered at the Aviation Career & Technical Education High School in Long Island City, New York, and waited for his path to unfold. 

“I originally thought going there was going to make me a pilot, but I came to find out it was actually a school of aviation maintenance — which was cool,” Williams laughed. Unfazed, he continued. To him, it was just a new route with a similar destination.

He was accepted into the program and graduated as a qualified aircraft maintenance technician with an Airframe and Powerplant certificate. One year later, he arrived at JFK — the place where his dream of aviation had begun — as the airport’s newest employee. The 19-year-old was hired by Delta Air Lines as an AME. 

A college degree is not necessarily required to become an AME, and entry-level positions often start with generous salaries — which is enticing when many aviators take on massive amounts of debt for a chance to enter the industry. 

Williams’ career started as a cabin maintenance technician — “fixing seatbacks, overhead bins and changing out coffee makers and carpets,” he said. 

“I eventually moved on to [become] an aircraft maintenance technician, where I was working on engines and landing gear. And then I was privileged enough to briefly work in the Maintenance Control Center at Delta, which is basically like tech support for airplanes . . . helping out pilots and mechanics in the operation over a phone.” 

Today, he’s based out of Atlanta, Georgia, where he celebrated 14 years with the company this past February. 

A current B737NG maintenance instructor, Williams describes his career with Delta as a dream job because of its “family environment,” emphasizing safety and loyalty to its employees.

“Delta is a fantastic company and has been very good to me; safety is always in the forefront, and as a kid, it was my favorite airline — so it’s kind of like a dream come true to be able to work there,” he said.

Williams suggested that the maintenance side of aviation may be overlooked “because it’s not the glamorous side of things.

“But nothing happens without maintenance,” he said. “It is a very important piece to the glamorous side of things. The clean-cut pilot walking into the flight deck and jumping into the seat is everybody’s hero, but he or she can’t do that unless the airplane is solid,” he said. 

With about 770 flying hours under his belt, Williams completed his certified flight instructor (CFI) training in the fall of 2020, and recently purchased a Bellanca Decathlon to accompany his first aircraft: a Beechcraft Musketeer. 

The holding pattern created by the pandemic hasn’t stopped him, either. In fact, he said the diversion was good to him. “I was very fortunate . . . to not lose my job, [but] quarantine also gave me the free time to narrow down exactly what I wanted to do,” he said.

His unquenchable thirst for all things aviation led him to aerobatics. The official introduction came from his CFI, Glen Fink. “He asked me if I wanted to try a roll,” recalled Williams, admitting that he was hooked.

“Using a combination of stick and rudder to get the airplane to do what I want it to do is a challenge. You have to work for everything in the Decathlon, and it’s only making me a better aerobatic pilot.”

Scrolling through Instagram, Williams found the inspiration he needed to propel his aerobatic goal: competitive race and aerobatic pilot Anthony Oshinuga.

“[He’s] an African American aerobatic race and airshow pilot from out west. And that really hit home because I had never seen an African American do aerobatics. So that further drew me in.” 

Despite being “wet behind the ears,” Williams sees the importance of his own role as an African American aviator. 

As it stands, less than three percent of commercial pilots in the U.S. are Black. “And less than one percent are actually women of color,” he added. “There’s some work that needs to be done.” 

Despite this, Williams doesn’t feel like he’s faced many barriers — which he suggested is because he’s the type of person who isn’t easily intimidated. “If I want to go out and do something, I just figure it out by any means necessary.”

The only obstacle he could come up with was failing his first instrument checkride — and there is a part of him that is happy this happened. It served as a reminder that “hard work leads to victory,” and “nothing can be assumed,” he said. 

“I think that was a pivotal moment in my aviation career because it just kind of brought things back to reality for me.”

While he didn’t intend to become a social media influencer, Williams said he’s just out there having fun — avoiding overthinking it, for fear that it will cloud his intent to remain genuine.

He sees himself as a fun resource, too. “I like to do cool stuff, like hanging upside down. I have a pretty cool airplane . . . with pretty cool friends, and I just keep pushing.”

He added: “The industry has been very welcoming with everything that I’m doing. I have mentors like Greg Koontz, Anthony Oshinuga, Mike Gouilan, and Buck Roetman; these guys have really helped me out with guidance in all different aspects — from regular flying, to aerobatic flying, to learning the airshow business.”

To “pay it forward,” Williams does what he can to help others looking to enter the industry, because “one conversation can make all the difference” — as it did for him. “I’ve seen a lot in my time as a mechanic and as a pilot,” he added.

Williams mentors through The Brock Foundation, whose mission is to promote diversity in aviation. The founder, Omar Rahsheed, “is a great friend of mine,” said Williams. “He’s also a Delta employee, and he does a great job with exposing kids to aviation.” 

Recently becoming a first-time father himself, Williams said his “ultimate goal is to expose the next generation” — especially the kids that look like him, “kids of color” — and show them that flying is an option. “This is extremely important,” he emphasized.