Illustration: Mark Bennett It may be time to reconsider whether your company’s tribal knowledge and approved procedures differ from standard aviation rules. Mark Tyler, VP and general manager of Precision Aircraft Services, once overheard one pilot ask another: “Do you fly by the norms or by the rules?” That simple sentence made the lifelong maintenance professional pause to consider not only what was behind the question, but how much the answer could uncover about overall safety in an aviation operation. Tribal knowledge, or, simply, a mindset of “this is how we’ve always done it,” can be a liability in an aviation business, especially when the rules or regulations aren’t regularly referenced or checked against procedures. For instance, do your maintenance techs always consult the manual, line for line, when performing a repair, or do they just figure they already know how to do it? The same question can be posed about company procedures: do they follow industry rules and regulations? If the regulations limit a maintenance professional to a 12-hour day, for example, pushing to 14 hours for the overtime pay because “others do it all the time here” is a clear deviation from the rules. Tyler has worked in aviation maintenance most of his life. He’s seen his fair share of mistakes, and more than a few were the direct result of performing a task “the way it’s done” rather than adhering to how the rules or regulations dictate it should be done. Tyler has shared his observations to help pilots, mechanics/engineers, managers, and company leaders reconsider how work is performed in their operations. Join us Jun. 13 at 4 pm eastern (UTC-4) for a 60-minute VAI webinar where Tyler will encourage us to reexamine how we approach our aviation operations and determine where the “norms” and “rules” may not align. A Q&A will follow the presentation. To ensure your questions are asked, please email them in advance to dan.sweet@rotor.org. Our confirmed presenter: Mark Tyler, VP and General Manager, Precision Aircraft Services. In this webinar, you’ll learn: When the norms aren’t the same as the rules How to audit your company for regulatory deviations What to ask yourself to ensure compliance Problems to look out for And more. Register today for this free, one-hour webinar, Thursday, Jun. 13, at 4 pm eastern (UTC-4), to learn how your operation may be unknowingly deviating from standard aviation rules and regulations. Hi, I'm yesandagency
