AMTonline Blogs

What happens when people intentionally break the law to showcase weakness in the system? I harped on ABC news a couple of years ago when they tried to gain access to a secure airport area in order to sensationalize their perceived lack of adequate security procedures at airports. That plot backfired when alert employees called law enforcement officials after noticing the individuals acting suspiciously.

Well, another instance of trying to show a weakness in airline security procedures has come to our attention. This time, it wasn’t a news agency that was out to sensationalize a lapse in security, it was a college student. Indiana University PhD student Chris Soghoin posted an online boarding pass creator that allowed people to create and print fake Northwest Airlines boarding passes right from his website. He says that his intent was not to allow criminals to gain access to secure areas of the airport, but instead to show the TSA the flaws in the system. He got their attention all right, and the attention of the FBI and other federal officials.

The reaction at this time is mixed. Some are calling for criminal prosecution. Others such as U.S. House of Representative Homeland Security Committee member Ed Markey have called for the Department of Homeland Security to put him to work fixing loopholes like the one he discovered.

Although the intent may have been noble, the way that Soghoin went about highlighting the security weakness was totally inappropriate. Why not approach local law enforcement or government officials? Why not show them the boarding pass creator without making it available to the general public? Just the act of posting the tool online should be treated as a criminal action.

 What do you think?

 Joe Escobar

Greetings from the press room at NBAA. It is the third day of the show, and it has been an exciting one. And talk about big — NBAA announced that as of yesterday, the two-day attendance total was 32,104. That beats last year’s three day total by almost 11 percent, and surpasses the previous record attendance of 31,665 for the 1998 show.

There was plenty of buzz on the show floor and at the press conferences. I am excited about the expanded show coverage AMTonline.com has been able to provide thanks to our online editor-in-chief Tom Smith and the interactive team of AMTonline.com. They have done a great job covering the news from the show. If you weren’t able to attend the show, be sure to browse the special show coverage on our website.

Yesterday, Mary Matalin and James Carville entertained a room full of NBAA attendees speaking about this year’s mid-term election and what it means for the country. I was looking forward to listening to these polar opposites speak, and they didn’t let me down. Carville threw a jab at his wife telling the crowd “You’ve heard of helicopter moms — the ones that hover over their kids all the time? Well, Mary is an adhesive mom — she sticks right to them all the time.”

It got me thinking about management types. Unfortunately there are helicopter supervisors in aviation, and even some adhesive ones. You probably know of a few such people. Some would call them micro-managers. They are the ones that have to be involved in everything. By micro-managing, helicopter supervisors give employees the message that they don’t trust them.

Helicopter supervisors are an obstacle to production. Their excessive meddling can lead to decreased morale on the shop floor. All the time spent hovering over employees takes time away from what the supervisor should really be doing — leading.

Helicopter supervisors should back off. Whether they hover due to insecurity or the need to control, they should learn to lead the team, not hover all around them. By doing that, they can build a cohesive team that is armed with the tools they need to succeed.

So, do you know any helicopter supervisors?

Thanks for reading. I should probably to go back to the show floor now before my publisher starts hovering over me.

 Joe Escobar

“Do not fly with this plane, it is not safe.” Those are some pretty direct words — no beating around the bush. If a pilot were to hear these words uttered from a mechanic, he would probably think twice about flying that aircraft.

But what if it was a pilot who said that? What if you were a passenger on an aircraft, buclked in and ready for takeoff, when you heard those words come across the intercom? Believe it or not, that situation did happen to some unfortunate passengers. The Daily Mail reported a few weeks back that a jet carrying 180 tourists was grounded when its pilot made some unsettling comments. The A321 was about to take off when a srange sound came from one of the engines. That is when the captain announced, “I am resigning from my job. Do not fly with this plane. It is not safe. Do not fly with Onur Air.”

The pilot was escorted off the aircraft leaving the passengers onboard an aircraft with temperatures over 100 degrees and no air conditioning. The passengers eventually deplaned, retrieved their luggage, and went to back to the terminal where an alternate flight had been arranged. 

When the pilot made the announcement, there were varied reactions from the passengers. Some laughed nervously while others were crying and almost screaming. About 20 of them refused to board the re-booked flight and made travel arrangements to get home.

I don’t know how I would have reacted in that situation. I think I would have laughed at the surreal atmosphere of the situation. I likely would have been one of those trying to find an alternate means of getting home. 

 Thanks for reading.

Joe Escobar

I was in Appleton, Wisconsin yesterday visiting Miller Electric doing some research for an upcoming article on TIG welding. The folks at Miller had invited me to learn more about TIG welding aluminum and to get some hands-on practice with their equipment.

The morning was spent learning the ins and outs of TIG welding. We discussed different machine setups, filler materials, shielding gases and welding techniques. Miller product manager Jim Brook described a good TIG weld as “stacking dimes.” He explained that if one has good technique when welding with filler, the bead should resemble a stack of dimes evenly spaced going across the work surface — consistent width and spacing.

After lunch, I donned my auto-darkening helmet and safety equipment and got to welding. We played around with a lot of different machine settings and fillers. It was a good opportunity to get a bit of hands-on practice.

So, did I stack dimes? Well, some of the beads looked pretty good. However, I must admit that a few welds looked like I stacked whatever change was in my pocket.

It was a good lesson on how practice makes perfect. I definitely could use more practice. Thanks to Miller for letting me get a little stick time and to Jim Brook and Mike Sammons for giving me advice on improving my welding techniques.

By the way, I wasn’t able to take the Orange County Chopper Miller-themed bike around the block. Seems they have the motorcycle under tight security and are hesitant to let folks take a joy ride on it, even those who play the Press card.

Thanks for reading!

Joe Escobar