D.O.M. Blogs

The article on page 46 of our November issue from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, “All You Need is Love,” is responsible for my current ear worm of the Beatles’ song playing over and over in my head. It also got me thinking about workplace culture. I had never thought about “love” as it relates to the workplace.

The National Business Aviation Association Business Aviation Convention & Exhibition (NBAA-BACE) is just around the corner. From October 22-24, the D.O.M. magazine team will be at NBAA-BACE in Las Vegas along with around 27,000 business aviation professionals from around the world at the sixth largest trade show in the United States. 

“If you are looking for perfect safety, you will do well to sit on a fence and watch the birds; but if you really wish to learn, you must mount a machine and become acquainted with its tricks by actual trial.”
–  Wilbur Wright, from an address to the Western Society of Engineers in Chicago, 18 September 1901.

I really enjoy this time of year here in Wisconsin. The days are warm and long, providing plenty of opportunities to enjoy outdoor activities.

The NBAA Maintenance Conference (NBAA MC) is coming up! Will you be there?

If you are a director of maintenance or maintenance manager, this is the must-attend conference of the year. At the NBAA MC, you can join your peers for three days of high-quality education sessions. This premier event brings together all business aircraft maintenance professionals – from maintenance technicians to directors of maintenance – for critical learning and best practices making this the best place to expand your network and grow professionally.

Yesterday, the FAA joined other countries in grounding the Boeing 737 MAX.

I was contacted yesterday morning by a news radio show that wanted me to discuss the 737 MAX situation on-air. I declined, telling the them, "I appreciate you reaching out to me, but I don’t feel it is appropriate to discuss the 737 MAX or the crashes without knowing what the causes were. I wouldn’t feel comfortable speculating on the matter, especially since I am not intimately familiar with the 737 or 737 MAX."

I'd like to pose the following question: What's in a title? I don't mean the title of an article or book. I'm talking about job titles.

My brother-in-law is a vice president for a large financial institution. How many departments does he oversee? NONE! He has been with the company for so long and has reached a certain level of pay that he was given the title of vice president. He is hard-working and deserves his pay and title. But the title could be deceiving to someone on the outside.

2019 is here. Do you want to get your year off to a good start? Then DON'T make a New Year's resolution!

That's right — by making a New Year's resolution, you are likely setting yourself up for failure. Psychology Today reports that 80 percent of New Year's resolutions fail by February!

I am writing this blog from the road. Last week we were in Orlando, FL for NBAA-BACE. This week, we are in Jacksonville, FL for the ADMA conference. One topic that has come up again and again during these two weeks has been the difficulty of finding qualified mechanics to fill job openings.