D.O.M. Blogs

2026 will soon be upon us. For many, a new year offers positivity and hopes of prosperity.

It also gives us a chance to focus on making changes to our personal and professional lives. But why would we wait until the new year to make changes? Here are a few tips we can use to make the most of our opportunities starting now.

I recently came across a quote on leadership that has been on mind for a few days:

A good leader takes a little more than his share of the blame, a little less than his share of the credit. 

Arnold H. Glasow

Being a leader isn't about how great we can become. It's about how great we can make those around us!

I've interviewed a lot of maintenance managers since launching D.O.M. magazine in 2008. There were some good leaders and some great ones. Those I would consider great had some traits in common:

The 2025 NBAA Business Aviation Convention & Exhibition (NBAA-BACE) is fast approaching. It will be taking place October 14-16 at the Las Vegas Convention Center.

In my opinion, NBAA-BACE is the second-best opportunity for maintenance managers and aviation maintenance professionals to gain the knowledge necessary for career advancement. (The best conference is NBAA’s Maintenance Conference, which offers three days of maintenance- and management-focused sessions!)

From July 21-27, hundreds of thousands of aviation enthusiasts will gather in Oshkosh, WI for EAA AirVenture 2025. Dubbed “The World’s Greatest Aviation Celebration,” AirVenture has it all when it comes to aircraft.  Warbirds. Vintage. Homebuilts. Ultralights. Some you would normally find in a hangar at your local airport, others so unique they are the only one of their kind.

The D.O.M. magazine team is in Columbus, OH this week for the NBAA Maintenance Conference. This morning, I was able to sit in on a session led by Service Elements' Lisa Archambeau and Tim Colins on Elevating Maintenance: Delivering Exceptional Customer Service.

Tim and Lisa discussed the importance of customer service in the aviation industry — emphasizing the need for continuous communication. The highlighted the significance of meeting both external and internal customers' needs. 

Can you imagine if one day AI was deployed in general aviation aircraft to automatically land an aircraft at an airport should the pilot become incapacitated? With the push of a button, a passenger could activate the system. AI would then take over. It would determine the status of the aircraft, find the nearest airport, communicate with air traffic control and other aircraft, and perform a safe landing without any input from the pilot.

Dear New Year’s Resolutions,

Well, what can I say?  It was fun while it lasted.

Sincerely,

January 14th

Here we are — one week in to 2025. Did you set a New Year’s Resolution? Are you still sticking to it? If so, good for you!

You may have the old saying, "How do you make $1M in aviation? Start with $20M!"

In the case of electric vehicle manufacturer Lilium, it has hit a barrier in its path towards generating revenue.

The 2024 NBAA Business Aviation Convention & Exhibition (NBAA-BACE) is just around the corner. It will be taking place October 22-24 at the Las Vegas Convention Center.

In my opinion, NBAA-BACE is the second-best opportunity for maintenance managers and aviation maintenance professionals to gain the knowledge necessary for career advancement. (The best conference is NBAA’s Maintenance Conference, which offers three days of maintenance- and management-focused sessions!)