Me at home: ‘Honey, where’s the ketchup, did you finish it?’ Wife: ‘It’s in the fridge’ Me: ‘I looked, it’s not there’ The sound of pounding footsteps on a mission are heard marching to the fridge, whereupon an impressive and commanding opening swing of the door is given, the wife’s hand swivels like a whip, tip towards the now mysteriously reappeared bottle of ketchup and voila, there it is. I bow and kiss her backhand then meekishly apply the condiment. Occasionally solutions to our problems a...

To lawyers and quality geeks, the careful selection of words one uses to communicate is a source of constant musing. Because of this I’m amazed that preflight passenger briefings continue to use a curious mixture of potentially confusing words for the inexperienced passenger. For example, “posted placards”. Huh? What’s a placard? Also, “no congregating around the forward lavatory”. Congregating? Are they expressing a religious restriction? I’m offended. Why not just plainly call a placard- signs...

Many of you buy and sell avionics parts and/or have Repair Stations/Approved Maintenance Organisations. As such I’d like to share with you the options that exist globally regarding the credentials which avionics technicians may bring to your attention during the hiring process, including the relatively new NCATT (National Center for Aircraft Technician Training) Certification. Before starting, since this article is addressing a global topic, we need to point out that generally, the terms Technic...

Back when the European Union was just forming, I distinctly recall the old days of the toothless JAA (Joint Aviation Authorities), and then in recognition of such tooth lessness, the transition to the more formidable EASA (European Aviation Safety Agency). My earliest impressions of the new EASA were twofold; one, that they were intent on not following anyone’s existing model of how to administrate aviation (read that: we’re not going to follow the FAA’s model), and two, a nearly homogenous aura...

You bump into a friend you have not spoken with in a while. The friend asks “so…are you still with Jane?” What should be a simple yes or no answer turns into a slightly awkward and delayed answer from you; “it’s complicated”. Use of the “it’s complicated” strategy  means that in order to be truthful with your friend, a quick answer will not do, and that the choice to give any additional details is optional (due to time limits or level of trust), and further, that if you don’t give any additional...

I do a lot of work with Repair Stations/AMOs (Approved Maintenance Organization). For MROs (Maintenance Repair and Overhaul) which do business internationally, the customer’s national CAA (Civil Aviation Authorities) often require that maintenance performed on aircraft based there be performed by MROs certified to their nation’s regulations. Thus, it is common to see MROs with multiple certifications for all the nations they do business with. Each nation typically charges fees, and requires a de...