Building and maintaining relationships can be one of, if not the most important aspect of your life, your job, or your business today. Pick up any self-help book or industry trade magazine today including this one and you will undoubtedly find any number of articles or management tips relating to the subject of relationships in business and the workplace. Whether it’s between you and your supervisor, your company and a supplier, your staff and your customers, your personal job and the success of your business or company rely on building and maintaining good solid relationships. I am reminded of the importance of this every time I attempt to contact someone new to discuss a new trend in aviation, a new maintenance process, or an aircraft maintenance topic with hopes of a possible article in AMT. This month’s MRO Operations feature section talks about the importance of establishing relationships between customers – aircraft operators, parts and material suppliers, and the maintenance provider. Aviation Technical Services (ATS) from Everett, WA, describes some of its experiences and learned best-practices when establishing maintenance and modification programs with aircraft operators or airlines. Phil Fields, vice president of business development for ATS, suggests the need to choose your maintenance partner early.
Charles Chandler one of the AMT field editors looks at the subject of intermittent faults in today’s aircraft electronics systems, and the impact to operations and the cost of maintenance. Universal Synaptics Corp. located in Utah provides their insights and a potential solution for the all too common troubleshooting situation of “no fault found.” Along the electronics and avionics line, FAA aviation safety inspector Michael Dziurgalski contributed an article relating to avionics technology and the aircraft technician, and Jim Sparks’ always popular Avionics Technology feature this month looks at one of the basic instruments in the aircraft the magnetic compass. Other highlights in this issue range from Service Difficulty Reporting, to the evolution of remote visual inspection techniques, to some of the most common questions relating to general aviation propeller maintenance.
Just back from another successful Cygnus Aviation Expo in Las Vegas, and preparing to leave for the Heli-Expo, we at AMT like many are in the midst of the aviation industry tradeshow season. Maintaining a network of business and professional contacts is very important and industry trade shows are a great place to both build new and maintain existing business relationships. What other venue is there that brings together related businesses and provides time to discuss new and existing products and services. Soon to follow will be the Aircraft Electronics Association Annual Convention and Trade Show, National Business Aviation Association’s Maintenance Management Conference, and the MRO Americas. These are just a few of the many important events where you will find industry professionals from around the country and the world.
And don’t pass up your local and regional events.For me the upcoming Minnesota Aviation Maintenance Conference has been a favorite for decades and provides a chance to meet both old friends and business acquaintances. Yesterday I attended a small gathering of aviation enthusiasts at local Stanton Airfield. Lots of hangar flying was taking place with everyone eagerly awaiting spring flying weather. Watch for maintenance-related coverage from many of the upcoming industry gatherings and tradeshows in future issues of AMT and AMTOnline.
Thanks for reading, Ron
