The Bristow Academy maintenance department has a safety culture program called “Target Zero” in which the hangar environment is tightly regulated. Cell phones, iPods and similar distractions are not allowed in the hangars.
operators know that and often come here looking for new technicians when they need someone. Although we have a lot of time and money invested in training all of our people moving on is sometimes the next logical step in a career.” “I recognize that people just don’t stay in one place the way they used to. And if a Bristow Academy Technician can move out into the industry and use the values and beliefs leaned here to affect a positive change, who am I to stand in their way?” He continued, “We do our best to help our folks achieve their dreams, even if it does mean they ultimately end up leaving the Academy Team.”
Tribal Knowledge
Even the simplest piston helicopter is an incredibly complex machine compared to its fixed-wing cousin so the more hands-on experience a fledgling technician can get, the faster he or she will become skilled in translating, “It’s running rough…” into where to look for a problem. Helping its technicians gain intimate knowledge of each of their aircraft is a secondary benefit to Bristow
Academy doing most of its maintenance in-house.
Due to space and manpower, the only things they currently farm out are overhauls for engines, life-limited components and avionics/instruments. “We operate more as a line maintenance facility here. Our aircraft leave and come back many times during the day and we have to be responsive to the immediate needs,” Smith said. “My philosophy is you can’t be good at everything so pick what’s most important and do that to the best of your ability.” Smith explained that their methodology is to have each technician learn all the ins and outs of one particular model before they start doing any cross training. He said the major benefit is that the specialized knowledge helps each technician become more confident, while being better able to help spot trends before they evolve into major problems.
“Because we put so many hours on these aircraft is such a short time, we’ve seen pretty much everything there is to see on these aircraft,” he said. “If you go
22 Aviation Maintenance |
avm-mag.com | February / March 2013
through the 269C-1 service bulletin book much, if not most, of what you’ll see is a result of something we were the first to experience.” While it’s not directly related to their maintenance practices, Smith shared Bristow Academy’s philosophy on running a ‘sterile shop.’ “It’s a very dynamic environment with
aircraft coming and going continuously. Bristow’s Target Zero Culture of Safety is our number one priority and we don’t just say it, we practice it,” he said. “As part of Target Zero in maintenance, we have a no-electronics policy in our hangars. No cell phones. No iPods. No Tablets. We do allow music from a ‘community’ radio, it’s very tightly regulated. We try to avoid anything that might distract our technicians from concentrating on the task at hand.” “We believe safety begins here in the
hangar,” Smith said. “Once someone learns to do things the Target Zero way, it makes Bristow Academy, Bristow Group, and hopefully all of aviation safer for everyone.” AM
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