MANAGEMENT IN AVIATION HISTORY BENCH MARKS


LINDBERGH’S FRIEND IN AVIATION SAFETY JEROME LEDERER (1902-2004)


BY GIACINTA BRADLEY KOONTZ


“The principles are the same in aviation and space safety. You always have to fight complacency — you need formal programs to ensure that safety is always


kept in mind.” Jerome F. Lederer 1992 Inductee International Space Hall of Fame


The Annual Aviation Maintenance Competition (AMC) is held this year at Atlanta, GA during April 8-11, as part of the MRO Americas convention. AMC founders John Goglia and Ken MacTiernan are well known for their leadership in aircraft maintenance and are following the lead of “Jerry” Lederer, often referred to as the “Father of American Aviation Safety,” and the author of the Aviation Mechanics


40 DOMmagazine.com | apr 2019


Creed. As I read Lederer’s biography it did not surprise me to learn that Charles Lindbergh (1902-1972) considered him a long-time friend. Lindbergh was no stranger to aircraft maintenance having repaired many of his own planes. Lederer and Lindbergh inevitably crossed paths due to their mutual interest in focusing on aviation safety. In 2007, five years following Lederer’s death, The National


Academies Press published a tribute by Dennis Bushnell in which I gained an insight to Lederer’s “hands-on” approach to problem-solving and an overall impression that everyone was eager to work with him. At age eight, Lederer’s parents must have become “air-minded” along with the rest of the world and took their son to the Belmont Air Meet of 1910 on Long Island, NY. Aviation author Doris Rich described the box seats at America’s


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61  |  Page 62  |  Page 63  |  Page 64  |  Page 65  |  Page 66  |  Page 67  |  Page 68