AMTonline Blogs

A few years ago, I read a book titled Fish by Stephen C. Lundin, Ph.D., Harry Paul, and John Christensen. The book tells a parable of a businesswoman struggling to improve morale in her department (the work environment at her office is described as a “toxic energy dump”), and getting inspiration from the Pike Place Fish Market in Seattle, WA. The theme of the story is that if you choose to be positive at work, any job — even a dirty thankless job like working with slimy, stinky fish all day — can be fun. According to Fish, the four key points to boost morale and improve results at work are:

• Play. Have fun and create energy at home and at the office.
• Make their day. Engage fellow employees and customers and make each other’s day.
• Be Present. Be fully available and aware during conversations with people. It is about creating a greater sense of intimacy between individuals.
• Choose Your Attitude. Each day you choose how you are going to act (which “side of the bed” you will wake up on). The choice is yours and, the way you act affects others.

In order to truly create positive energy and workplace fun, everyone from the top down needs to buy in to the Fish concepts.

If that happens, even the “worst” job you could have like working in a fish market, working on the ramp in sub-zero temperatures or 100+ degrees, or dealing with a heavy workload can seem like the best job in the world.

If it doesn’t happen, then working in the “best” job you could ever have can still seem like just a thankless job working around slimy, stinky fish — like working in a toxic energy dump.

I have seen plenty of aircraft maintenance companies where the employees are happy at work. They have strong, engaged leaders that foster a positive work culture. Employees there work their hind ends off, and are happy.

I have also seen quite a few toxic energy dumps. The mechanics there are disgruntled and unhappy. Productivity suffers. Turnover is high.

What kind of work environment are you working in?

Thanks for reading.

Joe Escobar

A U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) news announcement this morning stated that in order to help solve the aviation delay problems in the New York area, Transportation Secretary Mary E. Peters has appointed Marie Kennington-Gardiner as aviation czar.

As the newly appointed aviation “czar,” Kennington-Gardiner will coordinate regional airspace issues and all projects and initiatives addressing problems of congestion and delays in New York.

The news release can be read here.

Dictionary.com defines a czar as any person exercising great authority or power in a particular field: a czar of industry.

So, what’s the message being sent? If you really want something done, you appoint a czar?

Heck, while the DOT is in a czar appointing mind-frame, how about another czar appointment? We could call him or her the Level Playing Field Czar. This person would be responsible for ensuring all maintenance facilities are allowed to do business on a level playing field. This czar could begin by addressing the lack of drug and alcohol testing requirements for foreign repair stations.

If you could appoint a czar to spearhead an important industry initiative, what would the new czar’s title and job description be?

Thanks for reading!

Joe Escobar, Editorial Czar

AMT and AMTonline.com

What a crazy few weeks these have been for the airlines!

The Southwest Airlines inspection fiasco from a few weeks ago has led to Congressional hearings on airline safety that kick off today. Since the Southwest incident, Delta, American, and now United have canceled flights as they have been caught in their own inspection quagmires.

Aloha Airlines declared bankruptcy and stopped flying as of this past Tuesday. ATA announced today it has ceased all flights as it files for bankruptcy.

We have seen the airlines keep fees artificially low for years, choosing other ways (like outsourcing maintenance) to save money. If one airline raised fares, the others would normally stay low, resulting in a loss of customers for that airline. After all, the general public has changed from brand-loyal to cost-conscious customers.

I compared it last year to the airlines all bleeding money, with airlines posting losses in the millions for quarter after quarter. But no one wanted to stitch their own wounds. Seems they wanted to wait until some of their competitors died of blood loss. Then they could mend their own wounds and take business from their dead competitors.

Well, the funeral procession may have just begun. Can you hear the dirges in the background?

And lets not forget the FAA. It is part of the Congressional hearings that are taking place today, with current and former FAA inspectors testifying that the FAA has become too cozy with the airlines they are supposed to regulate. 

John Nance even came on Good Morning America this morning saying that the FAA has become ineffective and most inspectors are focused on retiring and not on doing their jobs. He suggested that to fix the problem, we need to do away with the FAA, get rid of every FAA employee, and start all over again with a new regulatory agency.

Kind of an extreme solution…isn’t it?

Thanks for reading,

Joe Escobar

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

The AMT team was in Houston this past Sunday through Tuesday attending HAI’s HeliExpo trade show. The trade show floor was buzzing with activity (HAI announced that it broke previous exhibitor and attendance records).

I spent the first day of the show attending press conferences and seminars. As I was looking over the schedule in the morning to decide which press conferences and sessions I would be able to attend, two sessions stood out. The first was titled Maintenance Director’s Forum, and would address regulatory issues affecting maintenance personnel including avionics, field approvals, and current issues. Sarah MacLeod, Executive Director and Marshall Filler, Managing Director and General consul, of the Aeronautical Repair Station Association (ARSA), and Ed DiCampli, HAI’s Executive Vice President would lead the discussions.

The session was hosted in a room that could easily accommodate two hundred attendees. If you didn’t count journalists (myself), consultants (Richard Komarniski from Grey Owl Aviation), and associations (me, Brian Finnegan, Director, Professional Certification, SAE Institute and Clark Gordon, Chairman, PAMA), there were not two hundred. There weren’t even one hundred. There were two. And both of them were from the same company. So the eight of us pulled our chairs in a circle and had a nice two-hour discussion on industry issues. It turned out to be a great discussion.

The second seminar I had on my list was a session titled Maintenance Techs’ Mentoring Program. The program said that in this session, “a panel of top industry experts would share their experiences and expertise with individuals attending or just completing training, maintenance technicians already in the industry looking to pick up valuable information from seasoned professionals, and students considering a career as a maintenance technician.”

Across the hall at the same time as the Maintenance Techs’ Mentoring Program was a similar session for pilots titled Pilots’ Mentoring Program. As I passed that room, the room (that could probably accommodate around 80 people) was full and had people standing around the room. 

I walked into the maintenance room and met four maintenance students, all from the same school in Pittsburgh. So we pulled our chairs together in the large room and had a great discussion. The students present asked plenty of great questions and soaked up a lot of information from the maintenance veterans in the room .

As I sat in the second session, I couldn’t help but think if it was a sign of things to come. A room full of student pilots in one room wanting to pick the brains of those that have risen through the ranks, and a room right across the hall with four student mechanics taking advantage of the same opportunity to learn from industry veterans.

It was disappointing to say the least.

Thanks for reading,

Joe Escobar

I have had a few calls and e-mails the past few weeks regarding IA renewals, so I want to start off this week’s posting by giving my fellow IAs a friendly reminder — the March 31 deadline for completing your IA recurrency requirements is fast approaching. Remember — the FAA revised the requirement for renewing our IA certificate to once every two years. NOTHING changed in regards to our annual recurrency requirements. We still need to meet those annual requirements by March 31 of this year. Then between April 1 and March 31 of next year, we need to meet another year’s annual recurrency requirements and go into our local FAA office and have them renew our certificate. For those that continue to practice their IA responsibilities after March 31 without meeting recurrency requirements, they will be in violation of the FARs and subject to FAA disciplinary action. You can reference FAR 65.93 to review IA renewal requirements.

Now for the meat and potatoes of today’s blog. It has to do with the future of aircraft maintenance. Many of you take time to comment on this blog, and I appreciate your participation in this public forum. One of my most replied-to postings in the two years I have been blogging was “Future of Aircraft Maintenance?” from November 2006. To date it has received 52 comments. In that posting I asked, “What can we do to help recruit more youth to pursue aircraft maintenance as a career? What can we do as aircraft maintenance professionals to help raise the interest level in aircraft maintenance?”

Well I got just about every sort of response from very positive to negative. It reminds me of a comment we received from a reader four years ago in response to a salary survey question. He said, “Don’t become an aircraft mechanic — A piano player in a whorehouse gets more respect than we do!”

Reading the ongoing responses to that blog, it is evident that quite a few readers are fed up with the industry.

Here’s today’s question. For those of you that are fed up with the industry, are considering leaving the aircraft maintenance career field, or for those that have already left, what would it take to change your attitude? Money? Respect? Job conditions? Working hours? Advancement opportunities? I don’t necessarily want to hear why the industry is bad. I want to know what it would take to change your attitude — what changes would it take to satisfy your career goals and aspirations?

I am not just soliciting feedback from those fed up with the industry. If you are happy with your job situation, let us know why. What makes your job fun? What motivates you and pushes you to excel? Why do you find your career choice rewarding?

Thanks in advance for your feedback.

Joe Escobar