FROM THE EDITOR
Things sure have changed a lot in the past couple of months. The last major trade show that took place was HAI Heli-Expo in February. I didn’t attend that show because I caught a stomach bug the day before we were to depart. Since then, numerous trade shows and events were cancelled or postponed. In aircraft maintenance facilities,
EDITORIAL DIRECTOR
JOE ESCOBAR
jescobar@DOMmagazine.com 920.747.0195
employees are getting used to the new normal. Social distancing is taking place whenever possible. Policies are being put in place such as staggering breaks to avoid lots of employees congregating. Everyone is more aware of washing their hands frequently and using hand sanitizer. Masks are the norm. Two hair styles seem to be common — buzz cuts and longer, unkempt hair. I keep joking that if barber shops don’t open back up soon, I’m going to either buzz my own hair or start putting it in a ponytail like my 1 ½ year old granddaughter! Training providers are adapting to allow for more virtual training opportunities. Just this week, I sat in on a demonstration of FlightSafety International’s virtual maintenance training. I was sitting at my desk in Wisconsin while a team of instructors in Wichita went through a short training session on a Woodward fuel control. That was a first for me. I have attended quite a few training courses over the years, but this was the first virtual training I had ever taken. I was able to look at schematics of the fuel control, see the instructor go through the workings of the fuel control using cutaways and diagrams and even see a virtual King Air cockpit as we went through different start and malfunction procedures. Attendees are provided with all the course manuals before the training date. During the training sessions, they have the opportunity to ask questions just like in a live setting. I guess I could get used to the idea of
virtual maintenance training. At the end of the day, I wasn’t at a remote location. I didn’t need to go back to my hotel where I was staying for a week or two. Instead, I went out to my patio, fired up my grill and cooked up some steaks and baked potatoes for dinner.
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DOMmagazine.com | may 2020 ADAPTING TO CHANGE
There is another change that is taking place in our industry — an increased focus on facility and aircraft disinfection. Aircraft mechanics are used to maintaining
aircraft. Following proper procedures that are dictated in manufacturer’s maintenance manuals is second nature to us. But what do we do when we’re called upon to perform new tasks — tasks that aren’t specifically called out in most maintenance manuals? That’s what’s happening now with the increased focus on disinfecting. Many directors of maintenance have been called upon to spearhead these new focused disinfecting efforts. With so much information out there, it can be easy to question whether the various products being promoted are effective disinfecting products or just “snake oil,” promoted by modern-day equivalents of wild west medicine shows — promising to kill viruses, remove stains and lessen visible wrinkles. Our June issue will feature a cover story
on aircraft and facility disinfection to help answer some of your questions. In the meantime, there is a good
resource you may want to take advantage of. Aeronautic & Economic Consulting (
aeronomx.com) has been hosting a series of safety officer teleconferences for quite a while. These teleconferences give safety officers the opportunity to share best practices and discuss topics of interest. Walter Kraujalis, president of AeronomX, hosts the call. There used to be two safety officer teleconferences a month. Since March, the meetings have been taking place weekly and focus on coronavirus. All interested aviation professionals are encouraged to attend. If you haven’t been part of past teleconferences, don’t fret — they are all archived. Just go to
http://www.aeronomx. com/sot-log to listen to past teleconferences. You can also subscribe to the mailing list to receive reminders of upcoming teleconferences. Thanks for reading and stay safe! – Joe
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