D.O.M. Blogs

There is much speculation as to the cause of the Lion Air Flight JT610 crash on October 29 that killed 189 people. 

The National Business Aviation Association Business Aviation Convention & Exhibition (NBAA-BACE) is just around the corner. From October 16-18, the D.O.M. magazine team will be at NBAA-BACE in Orlando, FL along with around 27,000 business aviation professionals from around the world at the sixth largest trade show in the United States. 

In our upcoming October issue, Dr. Shari Frisinger discusses distractions, demands and difficult people. When it comes to distractions, Frisinger touches on "multitasking." She says, "Mentally shifting gears scatters your mind. You want to believe you can juggle your priorities; however, you know deep inside that multitasking is a myth. Giving in to demands splinters your energies, your focus, and your train of thought."

I coudn't agree more with her!

Oshkosh is a town, population 66,000, in Wisconsin. But every summer, almost 600,000 aviation enthusiasts visit this Wisconsin town for EAA AirVenture — a one-week event that has come to be known by many as simply "Oshkosh." EAA AirVenture 2018 is less than two weeks away. The D.O.M. magazine staff will be there. Will you?

While attending a safety seminar recently, the subject of normalization of deviance came up. The discussion reminded me of the importance of understanding normalization of deviance and how it affects safety in aircraft maintenance.

A basic definition of normalization of deviance is the gradual process by which the unacceptable becomes acceptable in the absence of adverse consequences.

There are some unhappy workers in our industry. They are fed up with low wages and increased outsourcing by the airlines — the same airlines that are recording record profits. They feel that their contribution to those airlines' profits have been ignored and they want increased pay! After all, nearly 40 percent of these workers make under $15.00/hour according to a press release sent to D.O.M. magazine by the Transportation Trades Department of the AFL-CIO.

Well, I guess it is.

On March 24, self-taught rocket scientist “Mad” Mike Hughes, who happens to believe the earth is flat, launched himself over 1,800 feet in the air in his homemade rocket.

The rocket came back to earth by parachute. One deployed right after the launch was complete. The second one was deployed before touchdown, but it seems to me it was deployed a little late — which may account for the hard touchdown that injured Hughes’ back.

There are a few questions that came to mind as I read the news story:

My wife and I recently had a horrible experience on a flight back from our 20-year anniversary trip to Punta Cana. Those of you who are friends with me on Facebook have probably read some of my posts during that experience. Allow me to share.

Our flight was supposed to be a five-hour flight from Punta Cana to Chicago O’Hare. Other than the flight being overbooked and the airline asking for eight volunteers to give up their seats for a $500 voucher, a room at a resort overnight and a guaranteed flight out the next day, everything went pretty typical – until we boarded.

As we get closer to the New Year, many people are thinking about New Year's resolutions.

The problem with New Year's resolutions is that they often fail. We set our minds to a goal and often set ourselves up for failure. 

Let's look at one example. We make a resolution to lose weight. We sign up for a gym membership and start a diet.