Archives :: Aviation Maintenance Magazine :: Issue :: Columns :: Editor's Notebook
Displaying 1 - 20 of 83 stories.
August 1, 2009
It is my understanding that this magazine began, in its current form, in the early ‘80s. It had existed as another entity, Aircraft Equipment Maintenance, for some time before that. Over the years, there have been some talented individuals at the helm of this magazine, including Paul Berner, Clif Stroud, Matt Thurber and David Evans. Each individual brought something different to the table and each...July 1, 2009
Mutual Goals As we went to press for this issue, the Professional Aviation Maintenance Association (PAMA) announced it is ending its affiliation with the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE). PAMA affiliated with SAE almost four years ago in what was supposed to be a mutually beneficial relationship. Until PAMA can corral the disparate factions and personalities in the business, it and other organizations...June 1, 2009
"Make everything as simple as possible, but not simpler," Albert Einstein said. Einstein was quoted many times professing his appreciation of simplicity. On the cover of the magazine this month you will see an image of the demonstration of the EcoPower wash system by Pratt & Whitney. This system has the beauty of simplicity on its side. The system uses water and nothing else to clean engines...May 1, 2009
I’ve been avidly reading and watching all the economic news I can get my hands on. I’m sure you have been, too. I’m no economist but I have watched the unemployment figures with a wary eye this last year. The unemployment rate has climbed and climbed. I kept hearing that unemployment is a lagging indicator. A lagging indicator is an economic indicator that changes after the overall...April 1, 2009
Back in our October issue last year I wrote about our new networking site called the Aviation Professionals Network (see "The New Networking" More) We’ve already nicknamed it AvProNet like its web address, www.avpronet.com. When I wrote about it in October, we had only recently launched the site. I wanted to give an update and let you know how amazed we are with the response the site has...March 1, 2009
Recently I saw an interesting clip on YouTube. It is a short video produced by NASA astronaut Andrew Thomas. The video shows a young engineer attempting to bring her ideas about a redesign of part of a spacecraft to her superiors. The engineer is met with much resistance from every level. Her ideas are basically dismissed out of hand without the slightest consideration about their validity, applicability...February 1, 2009
The FAA Safety Team or FAASTeam is a group devoted to reducing aircraft accidents by promoting a cultural change in the aviation community toward a higher level of safety. This group is doing great things to improve the safety consciousness of the aviation maintenance industry. This month FAASTeam is unveiling the new FAA Aviation Maintenance Technician (AMT) Awards Program which will go online at...January 1, 2009
Empire builder Warren Buffett is as unpretentious as they come. The Omaha, NE native embodies the mid-western mentality of hard work and low-key profile in spite of his billions in wealth. Dare I say it, he reminds me of my humble grandfather from Oklahoma. For years Buffett did not own a corporate aircraft. But he did purchase his first aircraft in 1986 and fell in love with it. He initially called the...December 1, 2008
I live the metro Washington, D.C. area and read the Washington Post as my "hometown" newspaper. I am always on the lookout for information about aviation and obviously, maintenance in particular. I also watch for references to aircraft maintenance and mechanics in every genre of media I look at, including pop culture. It was the first time in a long, long time that I had seen such a positive...November 1, 2008
It’s hard not to get discouraged after reading the newspaper or watching the talking heads on any news program. I won’t be one of those who sugar coats the situation. The economy is bad shape. For five years we have been fooling ourselves into believing we are infallible and getting a false sense of security about the economy. We have weathered many an economic downturn. Smart companies prepare...October 1, 2008
The New Networking I first learned about social networking sites from my daughter, back when she was in high school, about five or six years ago. When she was a sophomore, these sites became "the thing to do" among kids her age. Believe it or not, it was before Facebook was open to high school kids and hardly anyone had heard of it yet. It is an efficient way to keep the connections between...September 1, 2008
In this issue you will find our roundtable discussion on what constitutes excellent customer service (see Aviation Maintenance Roundtable). During the discussion we talked about other industries and how aviation maintenance service providers compare. I told a story about a customer service experience that I had that could have ended in disappointment but didn’t. Here is what happened. Community...August 1, 2008
My husband and I have survived parenting one teenager and have one to go. Any of you who have traversed this territory know how treacherous it can be. So much learning occurs during those years and it isn’t easy learning. It’s hard, sometimes painful and wrought with emotion. It isn’t just the kids who are learning either. Growth comes for the parents as well. One of many policies we...July 1, 2008
Since 1976 the Aviation Safety Reporting System (ASRS), a voluntary program that encourages reports from aviation personnel including mechanics, has received hundreds of thousands of submissions. The ASRS receives the reports, processes and analyzes them, and in particular addresses human factors aspects of performance in the aviation system. Neither a civil penalty nor certificate suspension will be...June 1, 2008
How Long for the Boom? As you no doubt quickly learned after entering the aviation arena, our industry is cyclical. There are boom times and slow times. I have seen this cycle play out numerous times in the past 30 years. Catastrophic events like Sept. 11 also play a big factor and obviously cannot be predicted. But for now we are in the boom part of the cycle, even with a slumping economy and housing...May 1, 2008
I attended the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Transportation Infrastructure hearing last month regarding Southwest Airlines and the FAA. The hearing was riveting. Something is amiss at the FAA in terms of dealing with serious safety issues, not to mention personnel problems. A summary of the facts states, "On March 15, 2007, Southwest Airlines (SWA) notified the FAA of a voluntary...April 1, 2008
Blame Game In early March the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced it was initiating an action to collect a $10.2 million civil penalty from Southwest Airlines for operating 46 planes without performing mandatory inspections for fuselage fatigue cracking. It seems to me that all of the focus has been on the airline. But what about the responsibility of the FAA? Where is the follow up from the...March 6, 2008
Was anyone else forced to read the Greek myths or Homer’s "Odyssey" in high school? I was. At the time, I thought of them as pure drudgery. Even the dreaded Shakespeare was better than these ancient and obscure stories. But, as I have grown older, I have come to appreciate the allegorical nature of the stories and their meanings. Mentors contribute to the growth of employees by coaching...February 1, 2008
We asked Jim McKenna, editor of our sister publication Rotor & Wing, to give us his perspectives on the coming changes in helicopter maintenance. Here are his thoughts. — Ed. A revolution is brewing. Driven by a confluence of factors, it is picking up momentum and will transform why, when and how helicopters are maintained. That’s a huge statement. Anyone even slightly familiar with...January 1, 2008
At the recent Federal Aviation Administration International Safety Forum acting FAA Administrator, Robert Sturgell, addressed the need for the aviation industry to embrace and "become activists for safety management systems (SMS)." Is this just another bureaucratic attempt to produce safety-speak or is there merit to this safety system? Some maintenance companies like AAR are already embracing...
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