Last week I asked “what would you do if you were laid off and found another job in the interim; would you come back to aviation?” I then stated that the responses would give us an indication as to how much trouble the industry will be in if it lays off its highly talented, certificated maintenance personnel. Well, even though I know it is not very scientific and limited in coverage, 100 percent of the responses said, “would not return to the industry.” Not one “I love this business and what I do and would come back if the opportunity presented itself.” I admit, I am not sure this unanimous position represents reality – but if it does, I suggest all you OEMs, MROs, and flight departments that are laying off, furloughing, or whatever, be mindful of the consequences for the future. Now is not the time to panic. We all should be assessing our resources and formulating plans for when this recession ends. Based on what I have heard and read, we have just about bottomed out and late this year or early next year we will begin to see continued industry growth. Hopefully the leaders of our industry will see this and keep their talent.
I recently heard our vice president tell the American people in an interview he would not recommend flying in an aircraft in the immediate future and he suggested the public minimize use of mass transportation. This, of course, is in response to the swine flu epidemic – notice I did not say pandemic. True, we all have to be careful, especially old guys like me whose immune systems have been working overtime, but I think he could have chosen his words more carefully and not given aviation another knockdown. I do not understand our government sometimes. Aviation is a business that is one the foremost contributors to our growth, freedom, and way of life. It contributes millions of jobs, positive results with respect to trade balances, and hundreds of millions if not billions in tax revenues to support our government. Let’s get smart, D.C.!
The other day a 747 circled New York City with a fighter escort. It was on a White House-sponsored picture-taking exercise – except no one told anyone in N.Y., including the mayor. I am sure you have all heard the flap over this and that “heads will roll.” My concern is that I have heard some of these heads might be at the FAA, the agency that provided permission for this flight. I’m sorry, I just don’t think the blame belongs there. This was a failure in communication, like in Hud. At this point I don’t see how the agency could be blamed for not communicating. All they did was approve an executive request. Hopefully none of our overworked FAA people will get caught up in this mess.
Well, I have sounded off here and I am sure many of you do not agree with what I have written. I am anxious to hear your points of view on these miscellaneous thoughts that are related to our business. Your contributions show interest and that tells us we are generating useful ideas. Thank you all for that.