AMTonline Blogs

Last week, I attended a Safety Management Systems (SMS) seminar at Aviation Industry Expo that was co-sponsored by NATA and AMTSociety.

During the course of the seminar, an FAA representative discussed how the FAA and the aviation community need to get past the “blame game” of the past, and move forward towards a safety culture where the FAA and industry work together to identify risks and develop an even safer aviation system. He encouraged more sharing of incident and accident information between industry and the FAA.

Maybe it’s just me, but how can the FAA be both a regulator, an enforcer of the rules, and a safety partner at the same time? Aren’t the two mutually exclusive? The FAA can either focus on regulatory enforcement and oversight, or on carrying the torch of SMS. I don’t believe it can do both.

Take Southwest Airlines for example. The airline self-disclosed that it had missed some inspections. A true SMS attitude would have taken that information, figured out the root cause of the missed inspections, and implemented corrective actions to prevent such an occurrence from happening again.

Instead the blame game attitude prevailed, and a $10.2 million fine was imposed on Southwest.

If I were an airline and saw what happened to Southwest, why on earth would I want to self-disclose any information to the FAA? And without the airlines and aviation companies self-disclosing information, an effective SMS system is only a pipe dream.

What do you think? The FAA — enforcer or safety champion?

Thanks for reading,

Joe Escobar

It has been a long week for the AMT team. We were in Dallas attending the Aviation Industry Expo show. Today is a day for me to unpack, wash clothes, and re-pack them all over again. I will be heading up to Minneapolis on Sunday to attend their IA seminar.

Next week, we will be working on the April issue of AMT, where we will have expanded coverage and highlights of from the show including:

• The first annual AMTSociety golf tournament. The tournament was a big success, and raised around $3,500 dollars for the AMTScholarship program. (Thank you to the Haggan Aviation team for doing such a great job coordinating the tournament.)
• The first annual S.W.A.T. Texas Hold ‘Em poker tournament benefitting the AMTScholarship program. (Yours truly made it to the final table!)
• Winners of the FAA AMT Awards program prize drawing.
• Winners of the AMTSociety fundraising drawing. (One lucky winner won a Snap-On toolbox!)

Stay tuned for more news on AMTonline.com as well.

Thanks for reading,

Joe

Today, instead of prognosticating the future of Southwest Airlines as it is caught up in a public relations nightmare surrounding last week’s record $10.2 million by the FAA for failing to inspect some of its aircraft last year, or discussing the ongoing drama that is unfolding in the mainstream media and their coverage of the issue, I thought I’d cover another aviation news story that caught my attention this week. It involves two Italian women, a dead body and airport security. Here’s a one-question multiple-choice quiz for you:

Question: Two Italian women are stopped by airport security in Germany after security agents spot evidence of human remains in a suitcase passing through an X-ray machine. What happens next?

A. The agents allow the women to board their next flight after the women show security agents a death certificate for the body in the suitcase.

B. Gunther von Hagens contacts the women and asks if they would like to donate the human remains to be part of his Body World exhibit.

C. The women are arrested and charged with two counts of mutilation and one count of illegal transportation of a corpse.

To read the news story that prompted this quiz and find out how you did, click here.

Thanks for reading,

Joe Escobar

As I write this blog, Aviation Industry Expo one week away. This event promises to be a great opportunity for aircraft maintenance professionals to see the latest products and services, attend technical seminars and have a little fun.

Yes, we have several opportunities next week to have some fun while raising funds for a good cause. First off, there is AMTSociety’s golf tournament next Monday, March 17. What a fun way to spend St. Patrick’s day — hitting the green for some fun and networking! Although I am a scratch golfer (I scratch my head every time I hit the ball, trying to figure out where it went), I won’t be golfing. I’ll be riding around with the beer girl on the beer cart, taking photos and chatting with the participants. I know, it’s a tough job, but someone’s got to do it. All proceeds will benefit AMTSociety’s AMTScholarship fund.

Not a golfer? Don’t fret. The next night, Southwest Airframe and Tank (SWAT) will be hosting a Texas Hold ‘em tournament. A $50 buy-in gets you a seat at one of the poker tables. Food and drinks are included, and plenty of prizes will be awarded. SWAT will donate the proceeds from this tournament to AMTSociety’s AMTScholarship program.

I have already reserved my space in the poker tournament, and have even bought some sunglasses so I can look like I know what I am doing at the table.

Information for the golf tournament, the Texas Hold ‘em tournament, and all of the events going on at the show can be found on www.amtsociety.org and www.aviationindustryexpo.com.

See you in Dallas!

Joe Escobar

If United Airlines has its way, there could be almost 4,500 mechanics in the San Francisco area looking for work in the future. United closed its Indy maintenance facility a few years ago. Now it is considering closing its SFO base and outsourcing the work (the airline already outsources 46 percent of its maintenance).

Editor’s Note: Shortly after this blog was originally posted, AMT spoke with a United spokesperson who says the airline has no intention of closing its SFO maintenance base. See comment below. je

The Teamsters, along with mechanics and politicians, are fighting to keep the jobs in the area. They may be fighting an uphill battle.

More and more airlines are outsourcing more and more of their maintenance. The trend continues with no turnaround in sight.

It is pretty clear we are witnessing a major shift in the way airlines run their businesses. They are fiercely focused on flying passengers from point A to point B at the most cost-effective price, period. They are more focused on controlling costs of maintenance than controlling the maintenance that is performed. They are more concerned with offsetting fuel prices than with customer satisfaction.

But we can’t put all the blame on the airlines. Their decisions are based on evolving customer demands. Gone are the days of customer brand loyalty. Nowadays, the flying public will switch airlines quicker than Hollywood celebrities switch rehab centers just to save a few bucks.

Most of us have witnessed similar change in business models with service stations. Up until the early 70’s, there was no such thing as a self-service gas station. When you pulled into a gas station, you not only got a full tank of gas, you had the fluids checked in your vehicle, tire pressures checked and your windshield cleaned — all without having to step out of the vehicle. Service stations had their own mechanics on staff, ready to work on your car at a moment’s notice.

Now fast forward to almost 40 years later. Full service stations are mostly a thing of the past. You now have convenience stores. The cost (and convenience) of having service attendants on duty has been done away with. Now, you fill up your own car. You don’t even have to bother the cashier, you can swipe your credit card and pay at the pump. Things have changed quite a bit in those 40 years.

Think about some of the changes the airlines have already made.

Passengers book their own tickets online. Want to talk to a live person? That’ll cost you extra, and you’ll probably be talking to someone in India.

Meals have been done away with for most domestic flights. Some offer a limited amount of meals — for a price.

Want to check luggage? On some airlines it better be just one bag. More than one? That’ll cost extra.

So, what will the airline maintenance landscape look like in 40 years? There is no question — the aircraft the airlines operate will still need to be inspected and maintained. But how and where will that happen?

Thanks for reading,

Joe Escobar