D.O.M. Blogs

The long and illustrious history of the aviation industry has been fraught with many trials and tribulations over the years that have tested businesses to their limits and served as a catalyst for change. Here, component supply specialist Artemis Aerospace looks at the events that had a significant impact on the sector and how they have changed aviation forever.

The world’s most significant air crash

How to Resign

It still seems to be a job-seekers market out there. There are more open aircraft maintenance jobs out there than people to fill them. This includes leadership/supervisory positions.

If you are in a director of maintenance or other leadership position, how you resign can affect your team as well as your future job opportunities. After all, aviation is a small world — you never want to burn a bridge!

I found a good article by David Burkus that discusses seven steps for how to resign from a leadership position. They basically are:

QWERTY

For those that may not know, QWERTY is a keyboard layout. Its name comes from the order of the top left letter row of the keyboard — Q-W-E-R-T-Y. This layout was created by Christopher Latham Sholes, a newspaper editor and printer from Kenosha, WI. 

I took typing classes in high school. My guidance counselor recommended it. Although I didn't realize it at the time, it would come in very handy throughout my career. 

The Future of eVTOL Aircraft

After 119 years of aircraft technology advancements, we are still seeing technology developments. Like the Wright Brothers in the years leading to first flight in 1903, companies investing in the future of aviation do so with great risk at the chance of either rewards or failure.

Unable to Work

Last week was chaotic. Last Wednesday, we closed on our new construction house. We had movers coming over on Saturday to move the big stuff for us from our rental house to our new house. Let's just say the days of asking my buddies to help me move and "paying" with pizza and beer are long over. We have a lot more stuff than back in the old days, and my friends are a lot older — just like me.

Leadership Lessons From the Flea Circus

When I stumbled across a post on Root Inc. (www.rootinc.com) titled, "Leadership Lessons From the Flea Circus," I was intrigued and wanted to learn more.

I have been to many flea markets. I know for a fact that you don't buy fleas at a flea market.

But I never knew about the history of flea circuses. What constituted a flea circus? What was the difference between a regular circus and a flea circus?

Directors of maintenance and supervisors must act on job-related decisions every day. It’s part of our job. If you are the person who must make a specific decision, delaying it hinders your company’s smooth operation, affects customer service and leads to poor employee morale.

A recent personal experience is a good example of this. 

Stress

Stress is one of the Dirty Dozen human factors. D.O.M. contributing writer Gordon Dupont discussed stress in one of his articles for us. You can learn about stress and how it affects us by reading Dupont’s article here: https://www.system-safety.com/articles/DOM/21%20Stress.pdf.

Stress is a normal part of life. As Dupont says in his article, “…the only time we have no stress is when we are dead…”

The Myth of Multitasking

I'm writing this blog while on a 10-day vacation in Alabama. Last Saturday, my wife's side of the family had their annual family reunion. This Saturday, our niece will be getting married. We packed up the car last Thursday and made the 900 mile drive from Wisconsin to Alabama with our 3 1/2 year old granddaughter and our dog.

Happy AMT Day!

Another AMT Day has come and gone. On May 24th of last week (AMT Day), we shared the following note from Ken MacTiernan, chairman of AMTA:

Greetings everyone,

20 Miles

The D.O.M. team is in San Antonio for the NBAA Maintenance Conference (NBAA MC). If you are at the show, stop by booth 421 and say hi.

I always enjoy the NBAA MC. It's great catching up with all the maintenance managers I've met over the years and meeting new maintenance management professionals as well. The sessions are always educational — you never know what you will learn.

Effective Communication

Effective communication is important in the workplace. It is especially important for those who have moved from being a mechanic to a supervisor or DOM. 

I wanted to share some tips on better communication in this blog. I started by searching for “effective communication tips” on Google. One of the top results of the search was an article “Effective Communication: 6 Ways to Improve Communication Skills” on MasterClass.com.

5.5 Million Rivets!

Our upcoming April issue of D.O.M. magazine features an article by John Pawlicki that discusses airships and blimps and how they may play a bigger role in transportation in the near future.

Reading John’s article reminded me of my visit to the Zeppelin museum 15 years ago when I was attending AERO Friedrichshafen. I enjoy visiting aviation museums. The Zeppelin museum stands out as one of my favorites.

Boeing 737 MAX

A recent NETFLIX documentary, Downfall, discusses the events leading to the two crashes of Boeing 737 MAX aircraft in a short span of time — Lion Air Flight 610 on October 29, 2018 and Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 on March 10, 2019. The film is critical of Boeing and draws a picture of a flawed management philosophy at Boeing at that time that focused on raising stock value instead of fostering a strong safety culture (which had previously existed at the company). Was there an agenda by the movie producers to shed a bad light on Boeing? I don’t know.

Lessons From the Mater Man

In a recent blog from Wally Bock's Three Star Leadership website, Bock tells the story of "Mater Man." It's the story of a farmer who sells tomatoes and other produce at a farmers market.

Mater Man is a successful businessman. Mater Man's key to success is following his four rules. I believe we could be better leaders and make our companies more successful if we pay attention to Mater Man's rules. They are:

What a Screwy Concept!

Aviation technology is developing at a rapid pace — especially in small unmanned air vehicles (sUAV). Some recent sUAV flights pushed the envelope by proving a concept that is, well, screwy.

I’m sure all of you have seen Leonardo da Vinci’s drawing of his aerial screw design. Back in the late 1480s, he envisioned this concept of how a person might be able to take flight.

Advance Your Career

There are many things you can do to advance your career. Getting a degree is one thing that can give you a leg up in career advancement.

If you have already have a bachelor’s degree, you may want to consider obtaining a master’s degree. One option that makes it easier for aviation maintenance professionals to get their master’s degree is Purdue University’s online master’s program from its School of Aviation and Transportation Technology.

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About D.O.M. Magazine

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).

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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