Management

Through the years, I've been involved with aviation and aviation management in one way or another. Unfortunately in recent years, it seems that the caliber of people in management positions have plummeted. In allot of cases, respected men(and women) have started fine businesses only to have them practically destroyed by their offspring.  Disney comes to mind...

Aviation has never been 'easy' to get into without a fat wallet, and allot of friends, and it continues to become more difficult as our planet 'becomes smaller.' I don't really have many doubts that of those individuals were to try to start their own business today, it would fail.  I have already witnessed 4 companies implode within the year last 5 years. That's almost one a year in my very small geographic location - and I don't get out that much.

Companies that have been established for quite some time have long customer lists, and most of them will remain loyal, even if junior thinks it's OK to leave a running aircraft's cockpit unattended while he loads baggage in the rear and receives a violation.The equipment is paid for, employees are hired, and expenses are paid through the end of the year.  Anyone can succeed when it's just handed to them.

The aviation industry, and business in general are in a bad way.  Statistically speaking, 99% of start ups fail.  If that's the case, why do we insist on doing things the old way. Why do our 'elders' insist on doing things the old way?  Isn't that the definition of insanity?  Doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different out come?
Go to school, get a job with 'slightly' higher pay than your 'uneducated' counterpart, get married, and die. You'll be in dept for the first 10 years of graduation too.  But you won't have to pay a dime for the first 6 months after you receive your diploma! I'm not anti school by any means.  But did you know that garbage men make $60,000 a year?  Almost 80 in New York. 

Business is the same.

Make a business plan.  Jump through hoops. Sell 90% of your company before it's founded. Work your butt off, and if it's successful, be happy that you make more than the average garbage man. Or do you? You probably do if your parents gave you the company.

Over the next few months, I plan on discussing some of the reasons, businesses fail.  I'm doing this so that I can learn about the pitfalls, and hopefully avoid them. Without discussing to many proprietary things, I will share as much as I can because I hope that we can do business together in the future.


I've ordered a couple of books,  I don't know if they're any good, so I can't really review them. But based on others' reviews, it seems like it will probably be helpful.  If you've read This, let me know what you think. Also, can you recommend any good ones?

Airline startup? Or foundups? Need a job?

Recently a student sparked my interest in owning an airplane together. Being the way that I am, I lost allot sleep while researching. I don't tend to spend allot of money,and even a cheap aircraft would be my biggest purchase. So,I looked into exploiting any said purchase.

I've looked into a start up air charter as a way to solve quite a few of my personal goals, and do some good for others as well. This would be a part 135 charter. What this means is that I will be a little more flexible when it comes to departure times and locations. If the customer wants to leave at 2:00am from an airport that is only 5 miles from his house,we can do so. If you have flown commercially with say United, or American, then you have had to work around their schedule. Those airlines operate under part 121. There is very little flexibility for you under this system.

Need a job?

It's very difficult to get jobs in aviation. If you're a pilot, or business type marketing person, or have some other skill you think that I can use, send me a resume. We won't be ready for about a year, but why wait until then? Also, if you spread the word, and if it results in significant funding, I may hire you, or train you until I can hire you. *If you're a pilot, you know what that means. Yes, you do.

Where will I do business?
It's to be decided. I looked into certification in the USA under the FAA. It doesn't look to difficult,but will take time. I personally am biased towards business in Japan. And someone that I'm collaborating with has suggested Malaysia. Asia is a good choice. It's growing, and there are allot of customers there. Ultimately I'll go where the investors /customers are.

Which brings me to foundups. I'll leave contact info at the bottom. A few months ago,I looked into finding some Angel investors. Several wanted money that I didn't have. up front. It doesn't make since to me. Why should I pay five grand to fly your butt down here to discuss funding that isn't guaranteed? AND you want control of my company too? It sounds like a way to get free vacations, and after he has enough, then * maybe he will invest in a company. Probably not mine. Foundups is a corporation started by Michael J. Trout. His goal is to take the power away from the institutional machine, and put it in the hands of small investors, and this companies that they invest in. He will help start 100 companies (mine is one) for the first year. It's the alpha 100 program. His company is in the initial phase and he's looking to launch in November 2011. I'm sure there is room for a few more companies, but if you miss your chance, then you'll have to wait until next year. Its free,so if you have an idea,give it a try. There isn't much to lose,and you will meet allot of people with the same goals.

We're working on naming the company now, so in a few days, (hopefully,) I'll have something concrete. Until then, foundups info-

Foundup®Mall

fOUNDUPS® is pioneering the world’s first “collaborative” Open Incubator™ for launching strategic initiatives (Foundups) into successful early-stage startups. For more information visit foundups.org and foundupsblog.com. Or call +1 202.360.4467 or rtarbet@foundups.co

Bastrop Texas Fires Aftermath - Aerial Video

Last week, near Bastrop Texas, a wild fire burned nearly 34000 acres, 600-1000 homes, and killed at least 2 people. It's been in national news all week. But no one is talking about the many fires that have been sprouting up all around Austin lately due to our drought, and watering ban. About one week prior to this fire, a rather large(but small in comparison) fire raged west of Bastrop on 8/5/2011. It was put out within a day by small aircraft with payloads of water and retardant.

Why then did the fire last week get so out of control? There were places where embers actually flew over the Colorado river and ignited brush on the other side. After Fukushima and a flooded nuclear power plant(Fort Calhoun)which also lost cooling due to a fire, our government would be a little more proactive. The Bastrop fire was within 5 miles of Sim Gideon Power Plant. While not a nuclear power plant, losing it could tax the infrastructure beyond limits. All this after requiring Texans to participate in mandatory blackouts.

So, let me get this straight.
A.Smaller planes carrying retardant could have put the fire out before it raged out of control?

B.After getting big enough to require a DC-10 Tanker, it still wasn't deployed due to
"delays in preparing the fire-retardant mixing facility" at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport?

C.Even though this was "the most destructive single wildfire in Texan history," the DC-10
tanker was sent to Houston before complete containment of the Bastrop Fires?

Is FEMA responsible? Did they tell Texas Fire Fighters to Stand down?
Do you think that Rick Perry will Be more concerned with the American people, and less concerned about his pointy
boots if he's elected president? The Gulf oil spill was Obama's Katrina. This is Rick Perry's Katrina. At least Obama, and Bush became president before 'not doing their job.'

Cockpit recording

I was asked by a few people on YouTube, how to record cockpit audio properly. You will need the following:
a camera with a microphone in jack. Mine has a 1/8" jack.


an attenuating cable like this one from Radio Shack. It's important to get this one, and not just a normal extension. This is an example of audio using a regular cable. And this is an example of audio using the cable from radio shack.

You will also need an adapter1/8" to 1/4.

If you are flying alone, you can simply plug your camera in any spare socket, but if you are flying with a full airplane, you will need a Splitter so that your headset and camera can share a socket.

Just adjust volumes to your liking, and you should be good to go. Here's a video of my setup.

Sport Pilot

Recently I've had to study up on the regulations for helping students achieve the sport pilot certificate. Actually, I've never worked at a place with a light sport aircraft before. This week I have started with one new student that wants to get this, and this weekend I will fly for the first time with a woman whose instructor quit this week. It only requires 20 hours verses the 40 for a private pilot certificate. It seems like just a small number. I was just wondering if anyone out there has received their sport pilot near the minimum time required. How was it?

Sport Pilot



To qualify for the Sport pilot certificate, an applicant must:[8]

Be at least 17 years of age
Be able to read, speak, write, and understand English
Log at least 20 hours of flight time of which at least
15 hours must be dual instruction with a qualified flight instructor
2 hours must be cross-country dual instruction
5 hours must be solo flight
Fly one solo cross-country flight over a total distance of 75 or more nautical miles to two different destinations to a full-stop landing. At least one leg of this cross-country must be over a total distance of at least 25 nautical miles (46 km).
Have received 2 hours of dual instruction in the preceding 60 days, in preparation for the Practical Test
Pass a Knowledge (written) test
Pass a Practical (oral and flight) test
Have a valid US State drivers license AND not been rejected for your last Airman Medical Certificate
...or have a current 3rd class or higher Airman Medical Certificate


restrictions

No more than one passenger
Daytime flight only (civil twilight is used to define day/night)
Maximum Takeoff Weight of 1320 lbs,[9] compared to 12,500 lb (5,700 kg) of the Private Pilot Certificate or the Recreational Pilot Certificate.
No flight above 10,000 feet (3,000 m) MSL or 2,000 feet (610 m) AGL, whichever is higher (this automatically excludes flight in Class A airspace)
No flight in any of the airspace classes that require radio communication (B, C, or D) without first obtaining additional instruction and instructor endorsement

The Sport pilot certificate is also ineligible for additional ratings (such as an Instrument rating), although time in light-sport aircraft can be used towards the experience requirement of other ratings on higher certificate types.javascript:void(0)

Found up

Ever feel like starting up a business? Don't know where to start? This is a good place. If you have an idea, it's a good way to get your name out there. It's in the 'Alpha' Stage right now.

http://foundups.com/57dz1

Prioritize!

I was awoken rudely today for the second time this week. My friend had a flat tire. This tire had a bubble on it since at least a week ago. I know because she told me so. I always sleep as much as I can before getting up for work, and was about to get up anyway for work. The problem is that after a shower, and morning traffic, there isn't enough time left to change a tire for someone. Luckily a local motorcycle cop helped her change it so i could go on to work. I saw the tire later. It literally exploded. She was lucky.

The first time was on Monday. It was her battery. I didn't have to be at work until noon, and as you know... I love to sleep! And I since I'm not a morning person, I hate to be bothered in the morning! So, I put some clothes on, and went down to her car to jump the battery. As I did this, I gave her a lecture about how I could still be in bed if she had followed my advice and had her battery tested at Autozone- for FREE! I knew it was going out because she asked me to look at her car the week before. Do you see a trend yet? After jumping her car, she had no choice but to drive to work, where it sat all day, only to require another jump for the ride home.

Maintenance just adds up and usually requires action all at once-unless you're keeping up with it. I had just started working at a flight school, when I noticed a crack on the nose cone, near the propeller. I don't know if the other instructors noticed it, and ignored it, or if I was the first to notice it. After I reported it, the owner decided to not order a new one right away, so the mechanic put a screw in it to prevent the cone from peeling away due to centrifugal force. The aircraft was an older model, so there was only one nose cone left at the manufacturer's warehouse. The screw did not hold, and the nosecone peeled away from the hub after only one flight. Unfortunately, the surplus nose cone from the manufacturer was no longer available. A custom built one for a few hundred dollars more was required. The brakes were also shot, requiring new rotors and pads. It was then that I found out that the mechanic told the owner that the rotors were shot only a month before, and they should be changed with the pads, or the pads would not last. He was right. Those pads did not last a month. When you think about it, how much do you use brakes in an aircraft? A one mile taxi to the runway? A one mile taxi to the hanger after landing? When was the last time you changed the pads on your car? 500,000 miles? They are made to last. Waiting on maintenance for 'financial reasons' doesn't make sense. You will pay through costly preventable maintenance, fines, or your life later.

Don't become a smoking hole in the ground!

If you've ever thought about getting your pilots license, you've wondered how difficult it could be. Sometimes things are only as difficult as you make them. Focusing on the small things, or fixating on seemingly important matters can seem like a good idea. After all, every major project that we complete is made of many small parts. We're all guilty of trying to be perfectionists from time to time. Wouldn't it be a shame to fail at our life's biggest project due to the weakest link being just one small detail? Unfortunately, the weakest link is more often than not, you!

I have had the pleasure of working with many types of students, ranging from age 13-76, and many nationalities as well. They all have their strengths and weaknesses, but it's impossible to learn how to fly without looking out the windshield. I'll use a recent student as an example. We'll call him Jim. Jim was about to enter his senior year of high school, and was spending his summer vacation taking lessons. Now, Jim was very bright, and studied everything that I told him to on his own. He picked up radio communications very quickly. He followed procedure, used the checklist, and remembered almost everything that I told him. Why then, could I not get him to fly a circle around a water tower without losing 400 feet?

Several years ago, I had a run in with a captain (George) at a corporation I was working at. It was the longest day that I spent at work with over 9 hours flying through the snow and ice. He was very meticulous, and could fly an ILS very well, without any significant deviation. He took time to plan every detail, and was very 'good' at pre-flighting the whole aircraft. On one trip when he was still a co-pilot, at 27,000 feet a warning light came on in the cockpit. It was for the baggage door in the nose of the aircraft. The captain at the time asked him where his keys were. George stuck his hand in his pocket, but his keys weren't there. After they had landed, George ran up front to get his keys, unfortunately, they are somewhere in Nebraska. His captain saw that there was a new dent on the engine cowling. One inch higher, and Georges keys would have taken the engine out. There is a reason that the last line in the pre-flight checklist says to do a final walk around. Sometimes it's difficult to see things that are wrong until we step back. But in his defense, he the gauge he was checking in the baggage compartment was in the green. :)

Sometimes it's better to step back, and view something as a whole, and let the chips fall were they may. Allot of the little things will take care of themselves. It is so much easier to tweak a few little things at the end of a project, than to micromanage every little thing that comes up. But then again, who am I to criticize all those micro managers out there?

So, what did I do for Jim, and how is Jim's flying now? Well, i covered all his gauges with a notebook so that only I could see his gauges for a whole flight. He deviated no more than 200 feet and less than 10 off of heading for the entire flight. Not bad for having no precision instruments to go by. It's a little ironic though. If he goes on to work on his instrument rating, he won't be allowed to see out of the window at all.
Don't become a smoking hole in the ground! Life has windows! Look outside.

Air Force One

I thought that I would share this video of a government plane passing through Austin Texas for some maintenance and testing. There were not any government officials on board. If the president was on board, this plane would be Air force one. Vice president would be air force two. The helicopter that you see landing on the white house lawn is marine one,marine two.... I won't say more than that for security reasons, and if the president was actually on it,I would probably wait a week or two before posting to YouTube. Can't be to careful.