It is that time of year – people around the world are celebrating the holidays. Here at my house, we are getting ready for Christmas. As I write this, there are still a few last-minute things we need to get, but for the most part we are done with our shopping and preparation. We will be sitting down with our family on the 25th to enjoy some quality time together.
I am typically a “Glass is half-full” kind of person. I try to see the good in situations. But flying on the airlines lately has caused me to look at things not in a “Glass is half-full” or “Glass is half-empty” way, but more in a “The glass is empty” way.
The topic of negotiation has been on my mind for the past month or so. It seems as if many of our elected officials, especially in Washington, D.C., have chosen to abandon the possibility of negotiation, choosing instead to take hard-line stands on one side or another. Sure, we hear, “We are willing to negotiate….” from many politicians, but if they also say, “I am not willing to budge on XYZ issue,” then that is not the groundwork for negotiation, as we saw with the recent government shutdown.
NBAA2013 is fast approaching. The staff of D.O.M. magazine is making final preparations for the largest business aviation trade show of the year.
I always enjoy NBAA. It is an opportunity to see what’s new in business aviation products and services and network with the business aviation community. It’s an opportunity to meet up with old friends and make new ones. It is a big learning opportunity.
There’s excitement in the air at Helicopter Maintenance magazine’s offices in Wisconsin and Arizona, and we want to share it with you. As the industry’s premier magazine for, by and about helicopter maintenance professionals, we are going to offer an award for the 2013 Helicopter Mechanic of the Year. Following is information on who is eligible to participate and how to nominate an individual.
In my editorial column A Level Playing Field in the June issue of D.O.M. magazine, I told the story of Nick, a repair station owner of an avionics repair station in the Oklahoma City area that felt forced to surrender his repair station because of the hassles his PAI was supposedly giving him. (You can click here to read that editorial if you haven’t already seen it.)
Yesterday, the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) sent a message out to its members urging them to contact their House Members and ask them to protest FAA ATC Fees. Here is that letter:
Two weeks ago, EAA members and others sent more than 19,000 emails and letters went to U.S. Senate offices urging senators to sign a letter opposing FAA's effort to charge air traffic fees at aviation events, including AirVenture. This is costing events hundreds of thousands of dollars or forcing them to cancel.
D.O.M. magazine is seeking nominations for its second annual Maintenance Manager of the Year and Above and Beyond awards.
The D.O.M. magazine staff introduced these awards in 2012 because it believed there isn't enough recognition for all the extra effort and professionalism that exists in our industry —in particular, there is not enough recognition for maintenance managers that deal with the day to day challenge of running an aviation maintenance department.
I am writing this blog on Tuesday, May 21. This Friday, May 24 is Aviation Maintenance Technician (AMT) Day, the day we celebrate aviation maintenance professionals – the unsung heroes that keep aircraft flying safely.
Many aviation management professionals will be in Fort Worth, TX April 30-May 2 attending the National Business Aviation Association Maintenance Management Conference (NBAA MMC). D.O.M. magazine will be exhibiting at the conference, and our publisher Greg Napert and I will both be there.
New historical research challenges whether the Wright brothers were first to powered flight; and therefore, whether Charles E. Taylor was the father of aircraft maintenance.
There is a renewed focus going on right now on whether or not the Wright brothers were the first to achieve powered flight. I first noticed the news on a USA today article published on March 19. The headline read, “Could Wright brothers, N.C. lose 'first in flight' stature?”
My wife works at a local school district. Last week, a group of teachers and administrative staff got together for an after-work social event.
I enjoyed spending the time walking around and talkng to different people. As I was talking to one teacher, the subject of the newly-hired school superintendent came up. Out of curiosity, I asked him, "Does someone have to be a teacher to be a superintendant?"
"I'm not sure, but I would guess so," he replied. "How can you lead a school district if you have never been a teacher yourself?
Earlier this month, the Aeronautical Repair Station Association (ARSA) sent out a press release regarding the FAA’s recent reversal of its maintenance duty time legal interpretation. In May 2010, the FAA issued a legal interpretation of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations (14 CFR) section 121.377.
Litigation extortion. That is how I like to characterize the crazy litigious society we live in here in the United States. Some people are all too eager to sue the pants off of companies, raising the price of just about every product we buy as consumers. Those of us in aviation definitely feel the effects of litigation. Talk to just about any aircraft manufacturer or aviation product supplier. Chances are high they have faced lawsuits. It is one thing to file a legitimate lawsuit because of negligence. It is another thing to take advantage of the system to “stick it to the man.”
The percentage of females enrolled in FAA Part 147 schools is on the rise according to the Association for Women in Aviation Maintenance (AWAM). “Although overall enrollment in Part 147 schools is down, the percentage of female students is on the rise,” shares Lynette Ashland, president of AWAM.
AWAM has many opportunities for female mechanics to network including local chapter meetings and its annual event and gathering in conjunction with the International Women in Aviation Conference.
A Hawker 800XP operator, who was experiencing a squawk on both #1 and #2 HF systems, recently contacted us for support. He was not able to receive transmissions on either system.
Contributed by Jerry Cable, Accessory Tech Rep
NBAA2012 is fast approaching. The staff of D.O.M. magazine is making final preparations for the premier business aviation trade show of the year.
I always enjoy NBAA. It is an opportunity to see what’s new in business aviation products and services and network with the business aviation community. It’s an opportunity to meet up with old friends and make new ones. It is a big learning opportunity.
Each industry has their own set of acronyms and abbreviations that often leave outsiders scratching their heads. There are nearly 3,000 identified aviation acronyms. However, in honor of the Duncan Download’s 200thblog post, I asked our own experts to share 200 aviation-related acronyms that they use most during a normal work day. These overachievers sent me nearly 300.
Do you know them all?
We in the aviation maintenance community have the opportunity to let our voices be heard on a regular basis as part of the FAA’s rulemaking process. Now is one of those times. A Notice of Proposed Rule Making (NPRM) was published in the Federal Register on May 21, 2012 regarding changes to 14 CFR Parts 43, 91 and 145 rules affecting repair stations . The original deadline for comments was August 20, 2012, but because of the efforts of several industry associations, the deadline has been extended 90 days to November 19.
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