I have interviewed more than 50 DOMs and maintenance managers for our profile stories in D.O.M. magazine over the years. The interviewees span many different segments of the industry and all have different backgrounds and experiences. I have learned a lot from each interview and article I have written.
I’m a fan of Jeopardy, the TV trivia show hosted by Alex Trebek. Contestants in the show compete for monetary prizes based on how they respond to the categories in increasing dollar amounts and how they wager when a Double Jeopardy clue is found. A big part of winning is also how they wager and respond to the Final Jeopardy question. It’s a fun way to learn about subjects I would have never considered exploring.
“Good character is not formed in a week or a month. It is created little by little, day by day. Protracted and patient effort is needed to develop good character.”
Heraclitus
I was reading an article today on SmartBrief.com. In the article, “Don’t assume that somebody else has it all figured out,” Elliot Begoun interviews Mark Jansen, CEO of Blue Diamond Growers. I would encourage you to read the article by clicking HERE.
We just got done wrapping up our October/November issue of D.O.M. magazine. It is our largest issue ever (100 pages) and is full of management-focused articles for aviation maintenance managers. Look for it in your mailbox next month or in electronic version next week.
I interviewed Sam Haycraft for our cover story in the October/November issue. Haycraft is the executive vice president and co-founder of West Star Aviation, I’ve known Sam for years, but learned a lot when I sat down and interviewed him for the article.
One way that non-certificated persons (non-A&Ps) can perform maintenance on U.S.-certificated aircraft is under the supervision of a person with a mechanic or repairman certificate. A recent discussion at an NBAA maintenance committee meeting got me thinking on what “under supervision” exactly means.
EAA Airventure Oshkosh 2016 is just around the corner. Will you be at the world's largest fly in and airshow?
Oshkosh is one week away. This will be my 15th year attending this great event. The D.O.M. magazine staff will be in attendance covering the events and searching for new products and services relevant to our readers.
Have you heard the news? Some big changes are being proposed to our highway system, and they could send shockwaves throughout the country. This proposed legislation would affect each and every one of us who depends on our roads and highways for transportation.
While on a drive to a recent conference, I was listening to podcasts on iTunes. One in particular caught my attention. It was discussing the Dunning-Kruger effect. As I was listening to the podcast, I kept on picturing different examples over my career where I saw this in action.
Pictured at right, Presenting sponsor Snap-on's Tom Murray (left) and John Goglia (right) with Alaska Airlines Team Seattle, winners of the 2016 William F. "Bill" O'Brien Award for Excellence in Aircraft Maintenance. Photo courtesy of Steve Staedler/Snap-on.
I attended a presentation by Dr. Tony Kern a few years ago at the NBAA Maintenance Management Conference (NBAA MMC). Dr. Kern discussed professionalism. He gave us some things to think about concerning what it means to be a true professional. Some would say they are professionals because they follow all the regulations strictly. He disagreed, saying that was akin to saying, “I do what I need to get by — I follow the MINIMUM standards.” The purpose of Dr.
Unless you work in a very small maintenance shop, chances are high your company has regular staff meetings. You might have weekly staff meetings with your shift supervisors and leads. You may need to attend regular staff meetings with upper management at your company. Staff meetings have become a way of life in many companies.
Staff meetings can be productive if done right. They can also be boring time-wasters if not done properly.
Mike Figliuolo at Thought Leaders, LLC offers three tips on making your staff meetings more productive:
Everyone probably knows a few lawyer jokes such as, “What’s the difference between a good lawyer and a bad lawyer? A bad lawyer makes your case drag on for years. A good lawyer makes it last even longer.” “How do you tell if it is really cold outside? A lawyer has his hands in his own pockets.”
We can joke about lawyers, but the sad truth is that our industry is burdened with an extreme amount of litigation. It is a scene that plays out all too often. An aviation accident happens. People are injured or killed. Lawsuits are filed seeking compensation for these injuries or deaths.
Another year has come and gone. We are in production for our Jan/Feb issue of D.O.M. magazine. It’s hard to believe we launched D.O.M. magazine almost eight years ago. Time sure flies when you are having fun!
I have interviewed many aviation maintenance managers over the years. Just about every one of them would tell you that they developed their leadership skills by observing and learning from others as they climbed their career ladders. They adapted the positive skills from great leaders and learned what not to do from bad leaders.
The week after Christmas last year, I went on my first backpacking trip with my brother and friends. We hiked a section of the Appalacian Trail (AT) in The Great Smokey Mountain National Park. This year, we are returning to backpack another segment of the AT in the Smokeys the week after Christmas.
I learned a lot last year before I stepped foot on the mountains. My brother has been backpacking for years, and our hours of conversations provided me with plenty of tips for the hike:
I don’t tend to watch much late night TV. I’m usually in bed after the weather forecast is finished on our local news. But on a recent business trip, I found myself channel surfing after the local news and stopped when I saw Kevin Spacey being interviewed. I don’t remember which talk show it was, as I was paying close attention to what Spacey was saying. His message was inspiring – "Send the Elevator Back Down!"
Successful companies are built upon trust. Management trusts its employees to perform their jobs to the best of their abilities. Employees trust the company to provide a safe and productive work environment. Customers trust companies to provide products and services with value and quality. But what happens when trust is broken? There have been many examples of businesses struggling or failing because of betrayal of trust. Volkswagen is the latest example.
...you might want to take your tests sooner rather than later! There have been some significant changes to FAA Order 8900.2A which covers Designated Mechanic Examiners (DMEs) and the Performance Test Standards (PTS) they are required to test to. These changes will affect the practical tests of the mechanic exams and are going to take effect October 1st for current DMEs. DMEs who are newly appointed before October 1 will need to meet the new requirement once they receive their designation, even if it is before the October 1 date.
An interesting project was completed at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh last summer. More than 2,500 AirVenture attendees took part in building a Zenith CH 750 Cruzer during the seven days of the show. The project was dubbed the One Week Wonder.
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