Before getting started, we need to establish that insiders do not call these pilotless flying devices ‘drones’. Universally, commercial, government, and military operators call these either Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) or Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV). Recreational users continue to perpetuate the use of the drone moniker and it seems to have stuck in the public’s mind. This article will include: Overview and Introduction. Operations and Regulations. Maintenance. Parts. Sales/Distribution. T...

MAX, ODAs, BABIES, AND BATHWATER By Roy Resto My spleen seeks comfort in being vented, so this is going to be one of those articles. Regarding Max, let’s be clear; the issue will be fixed, the lessons learned, and the aircraft will return to be the economic best-selling performer it was meant to be. Period. I have always been impressed with our industry’s capacity to get to the root cause of any problem devoid of emotional, political, or institutional influences, for example in accident investig...

In the Aviation/Aerospace industry, Manufacturers, Airlines, AMO/Repair Stations, and Distributors all conduct Receiving and Shipping Inspections of their aircraft parts. I have experience with all of these, so I thought I’d share some critical observations. First a little sarcastic humor from the distributor community: Salesman: “I meet my quotas by buying everything as quickly as I can issue PO’s. If it gets through my Receiving Inspectors it must be good…” Salesman: “I secretly drop ship ever...

It’s amazing how fast this data accumulates in a short period of time, so here’s the latest compilation in summary-highlights form for your reading pleasure. Number of Laser Incidents in 2018 TSA Busiest Day Ever, And Various Interesting Stats Global Airlines 2019 Profit Forecast Cut European example of Trains competing with Air Service CFM56 Milestone Achievements US Aerospace and Defense Industry 2018 Performance Interesting Highlights From the FAA Aerospace Forecast 2019-2039 Boeing 2019-2038...

You’re on your honeymoon. Your eyes are a-glaze with thoughts of a tranquil reverie with your beloved. Soon the honeymoon will be over and you’ll come home to the new reality of the challenge to make the relationship work. And so it is with airlines…but how so?  You have a new and young fleet. The aircraft, engines, and components are covered by warranty. Even as those warranties expire, it will be some time before many of those parts reach their forecasted MTBR’s (Mean Time Between Removals). A...