I begin this month by welcoming two new people to the staff of AMT. Phil Saran has joined Cygnus Business Media as publisher of Aircraft Maintenance Technology, as well as publisher of Cygnus’s other two aviation publications, Airport Business and Ground Support Worldwide. Phil brings many years of publishing experience to Cygnus.
Russell Brody has joined Cygnus Business Media as a national account manager for AMT. Russell also brings years of experience to Cygnus, including media sales in the aviation industry.
Additionally, I will be playing a larger role in Airport Business and Ground Support Worldwide as editorial director aviation, as well as retaining my core responsibility as editor of AMT.
Look for Phil and Russell at upcoming aviation trade shows including next month’s NBAA 65th Annual Meeting & Convention which will be held in Orlando, FL, October 30 through November 1. Stop by our exhibit, number 3389, and say hello to Phil, Russell, and other members of the Cygnus Aviation staff. See you in Orlando!
In this month’s issue
As the leading aircraft maintenance publication, AMT provides our readership with applicable articles from all segments of aviation. One segment of aircraft maintenance often times overlooked by civilian aviation publications is the military segment. Tens of thousands of aircraft maintenance professionals, both direct members of the military as well as civilian contractors, maintain thousands of military use aircraft worldwide.
This month’s cover story of AMT is dedicated to all the men and women who serve our country in military aviation. Beginning on Page 16 you can read how the North Dakota Air National Guard, the Happy Hooligans as they are proudly known, transitioned civilian maintained C-21 aircraft, the Lear 35 in civilian aviation, to a United States Air Force maintenance program.
Working in aviation and in particular aircraft maintenance we all know the importance of following standard procedures in any type of maintenance organization. Daily we are faced with endless numbers of maintenance policies, standard operating procedures, and maintenance instructions, all intended to ensure maintenance is performed to the exacting standards required for not only the safe operation of aircraft, but also the safety of everyone working in an aviation setting.
Unfortunately there are times when events occur and the investigation that follows reveals the presence of a deviation to the published procedures that have been established by the maintenance organization or by the aircraft or equipment manufacturer. Workarounds as they are commonly referred to, can begin as subtle deviations to standard practices by technicians, managers, engineers, or most anyone, generally with the best of intentions like getting the job done easier or in a timelier manner. Unfortunately these subtle deviations sometimes unknowingly evolve into regular practices and can become more of an organization’s cultural norm. Read more about the dangers of workarounds beginning on Page 6 in this issue of AMT.
