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.
The FAA will be holding a Safety Stand Down December 3-4. On these dates, the FAA will host a series of online safety seminars targeted at aircraft maintenance technicians and other repair station personnel. Up to four hours of AMT & IA credit is available each day on maintenance subjects. The following subjects will be covered:
12/3/2025- Schedule (subject to change. All times are Eastern)
1200-1250- Single Engine Cessna Flight Control Rigging, Adam Halop, A&P Aviation Services
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:
As I'm writing this, it's the end of day two at NBAA-BACE 2025 in Las Vegas. The D.O.M. magazine team has had a busy two days with lots of conversations at our booth, plenty of press conferences and seminars, and walking the show floor looking for new products and services for aircraft maintenance professionals.
A popular topic this year has been artificial intelligence (AI) in aviation — including AI in aircraft maintenance.
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!)
On July 29, the US Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, & Transportation issued a press release announcing that Committee Chairman Senator Ted Cruz has introduced the Rotorcraft Operations Transparency and Oversight Reform (ROTOR) Act to improve aviation safety. The bill comes six months to the day after the tragic January 29th midair collision near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA).
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.
In an upcoming article in our June/July issue of Helicopter Maintenance magazine, Mike Broderick discusses communication in the workplace. It reminded me of a past article on Lack of Communication that D.O.M. magazine contributor Gordon Dupont wrote. Here are some communication tips he shares (you can read his full article at dommagazine.com/article/lack-communication):
Some Don’ts
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.
The D.O.M. magazine team will be at the NBAA Maintenance Conference in Columbus, OH April 29 – May 1. If you will be at the conference, please stop by our booth and say Hi. We welcome the opportunity to talk with you!
If you have never attended an NBAA Maintenance Conference before, I would encourage you to do so. The conference has plenty of educational sessions for aircraft maintenance professionals — from DOMs to mechanics. If you work in the business aviation field, this conference is for you!
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.
This is the busiest time of year for our sales team. They are working with our advertisers and potential advertisers lining up their advertising schedules for the year. Being in sales is tough, and I admire those who are successful doing it. Just like in business publishing, aviation maintenance operations couldn't be successful if it weren't for successful sales professionals.
I met with the Honorable John Goglia, former NTSB Board member, at NBAA last week. He shared some good news with Greg Napert and me — he recently was informed he will be inducted in the 2025 class of the National Aviation Hall of Fame next September
The D.O.M. magazine team has been in Vegas this week attending NBAA-BACE 2024.
One of the big topics being discussed is the taxing situation some corporate flight departments are finding themselves in.
Just prior to NBAA-BACE, NBAA hosted its annual Tax, Regulatory and Risk Management Conference. A major topic discussed at the conference (has continued through NBAA-BACE) was the targeted IRS audits of some companies and individuals operating corporate flight departments.
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!)
Greg Napert and I recently flew down to West Star Aviation in East Alton, IL to celebrate the grand opening of Hangar 67 — West Star’s newest hangar. The hangar has been specifically designed to accommodate Gulfstream aircraft, and the company kept mechanics in mind throughout the design/build process.
Greg Napert and I will be traveling to East Alton, IL on August 27th to help celebrate the grand opening of West Star Aviation’s Hangar 67. Weather permitting, we’ll be taking an air trip in Greg’s Sundowner from Fort Atkinson International Airport to East Alton. If Mother Nature doesn’t cooperate, we’ll be taking a road trip to East Alton.
West Star has been a long-time partner with D.O.M. magazine since our launch in 2008, and Greg and I are looking forward to the event.
D.O.M. magazine is the premier magazine for aviation maintenance management professionals. Its management-focused editorial provides information maintenance managers need and want including business best practices, professional development, regulatory, quality management, legal issues and more. The digital version of D.O.M. magazine is available for free on all devices (iOS, Android, and Amazon Kindle).
Joe Escobar (jescobar@dommagazine.com)
Editorial Director
920-747-0195
Greg Napert (gnapert@dommagazine.com)
Publisher, Sales & Marketing
608-436-3376
Bob Graf (bgraf@dommagazine.com)
Director of Business, Sales & Marketing
608-774-4901