Setting the Profession Back a Few Years?

I was a bit hesitant to start off the new year with a message that would get the aircraft maintenance profession riled up. But the more I thought about it, the more I thought that this could be a good launching pad for a call to be aware of our image in 2011. 

I recently received a promotional e-mail from an FBO that was promoting an upcoming weekend event at their facility. Casually glancing down the promotion, I was taken back a bit to see a photo within the promotion that invited attendees to “Ask the Mechinik” for 5 cents! 

“Well this is all in the name of fun — just ignore it,” I told myself.

But the more I glanced at the photo — and the contrast of the remainder of the promotion, the more steam I felt escaping my ears! 

If this is all in fun, where are the fun photos of the pilots? 

Nope! There were no “Pilats” positioned behind a misspelled sign — with the implication that their services are worth only 5 Cents! 

Now I’m not one to take offense easily. In fact, I’ve never been one to harp on the more commonly pointed out Lyle from the 1990s TV sitcom Wings. I felt that even though Lyle was portrayed as a goofy and socially clueless individual, he was portrayed as having a focus on pristine maintenance of the company aircraft. Bottom line is that the company valued his contributions to maintaining the aircraft.

And I certainly don’t want to suggest that the mechanics who work at this particular FBO are any less than consummate professionals. They were likely just having fun with their open house. 

But the point is that I believe we all need to be aware of our image and how it reflects on our profession. And when it’s suggested we stand behind a sign that demeans our profession, we need to quickly put the shoe on the other foot and resist supporting anything that takes away from our professional image.

What do you think?

As we move forward in 2011, I’d like to remind all readers of D.O.M. magazine that it’s important to stay current with D.O.M. in order to keep receiving your copy. Don’t forget to go online at www.dommagazine.com and click on the Subscribe tab and fill out the information as applicable. D.O.M. continues to be free to our readers because of the support of our sponsors/advertisers. And speaking of advertisers, don’t forget to let them know that you saw their ad in DOM magazine. Finally, for those of you that work on Helicopters — please be aware that we have launched a publication specifically for helicopter maintenance professionals — HeliMx. You’re invited to go to www.HeliMx.com and sign up for your free subscription to HeliMx magazine.

Happy New Year to all.

Greg Napert, Proud to be an A&P