D.O.M. Blogs

Unless you live in a cave on a remote island, you have heard plenty of news about COVID-19 (Coronavirus). On March 11, the World Health Organization officially called the spread of the virus a pandemic. That same day, the CDC reported that there was a total of 938 cases of people infected with COVID-19 in the U.S. with 29 fatalities. Cases have been confirmed in 38 states and the District of Columbia. Some previously unheard-of actions are being taken to try to minimize the spread of the virus. Some of the recent news announcements here in the U.S.

Someone once told me, "Attitude, more than aptitude, determines altitude." Sorry I can't remember who that was, otherwise I would give attribution here.

In the 11 years we have been publishing D.O.M. magazine, I have seen evidence of those words of wisdom time and time again. I have also witnessed it first-hand throughout my aircraft maintenance career.

Don't get me wrong — we need to have a certain level of skills and knowledge to have successful careers. However, having a positive attitude is one factor that can give us a significant advantage in career success.

2020 is almost 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!

Making a New Year’s resolution is like making a goal. The problem is that most New Year’s resolutions fail because we set unrealistic, unachievable goals. They aren’t SMART (specific, measurable, achievable, realistic or time-bound) goals.

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."