D.O.M. Blogs

I attended a presentation by Dr. Tony Kern a few years ago at the NBAA Maintenance Management Conference (NBAA MMC). Dr. Kern discussed professionalism. He gave us some things to think about concerning what it means to be a true professional. Some would say they are professionals because they follow all the regulations strictly. He disagreed, saying that was akin to saying, “I do what I need to get by — I follow the MINIMUM standards.” The purpose of Dr.

Everyone probably knows a few lawyer jokes such as, “What’s the difference between a good lawyer and a bad lawyer? A bad lawyer makes your case drag on for years. A good lawyer makes it last even longer.” “How do you tell if it is really cold outside? A lawyer has his hands in his own pockets.”

We can joke about lawyers, but the sad truth is that our industry is burdened with an extreme amount of litigation. It is a scene that plays out all too often. An aviation accident happens. People are injured or killed. Lawsuits are filed seeking compensation for these injuries or deaths.

I have interviewed many aviation maintenance managers over the years. Just about every one of them would tell you that they developed their leadership skills by observing and learning from others as they climbed their career ladders. They adapted the positive skills from great leaders and learned what not to do from bad leaders.

I don’t tend to watch much late night TV. I’m usually in bed after the weather forecast is finished on our local news. But on a recent business trip, I found myself channel surfing after the local news and stopped when I saw Kevin Spacey being interviewed. I don’t remember which talk show it was, as I was paying close attention to what Spacey was saying. His message was inspiring – "Send the Elevator Back Down!"

...you might want to take your tests sooner rather than later! There have been some significant changes to FAA Order 8900.2A which covers Designated Mechanic Examiners ­(DMEs) and the Performance Test Standards (PTS) they are required to test to. These changes will affect the practical tests of the mechanic exams and are going to take effect October 1st for current DMEs. DMEs who are newly appointed before October 1 will need to meet the new requirement once they receive their designation, even if it is before the October 1 date.

I came across an interesting blog this morning on smartblogs.com by S. Chris Edmonds. The title of his blog is “What Would Your Best Boss Do Today?”
In his blog, Edmonds asks us to think about the best boss we ever had. If that person would come into your workplace and see how you are leading your team, what would he or she think?

Last week, I was in Miami attending the MRO Americas trade show. As part of the show, I witnessed competitors from around the world compete in the Aerospace Maintenance Competition. There were 39 teams competing in 20 different events to see who was the best of the best. Our May issue of D.O.M. magazine will have an article on the highlights of the event including the winners of the different categories.

What do you do if you can’t find a suitable gear bag for your bicycle? If you are an A&P, you design one! That’s what Cody and Justin Greenwell have done. They have launched a Kickstarter project to help fund manufacturing of their bicycle storage solution – the CODEPAK.

Cody, a certified aircraft mechanic, and his brother set out to build a premier bike cargo solution. Their design is a bike pack that is light, durable and easy to open.

This is the busiest time of year for our sales team. They are working with our advertisers and potential advertisers lining up their advertising schedules for 2015. I am not a sales guy. I know that being in sales is tough, and I admire those who are successful doing it. Just like in business publishing, aviation maintenance operations couldn't be successful if it weren't for successful sales professionals.