When there is a market downturn, business jet aircraft owners look to breathe new life into their asset. Or, instead of buying new, they might consider a used aircraft and then take it in to personalize it. Air medical operators — so important in the current health crisis — are actively considering future projects. We…

If my 30-year career in accident investigation has taught me anything, it’s that accidents typically happen at night, on weekends or during a time that is most inconvenient to the investigator. However, I had never personally experienced the axiom of “Bad Things Come in Threes” in my profession…that is until a late Friday afternoon four…

Most of the aviation industry pundits are predicting a U-shaped rebound of the industry, which means a prolonged, stretched, slow recovery. As of today, more than 50 percent of commercial aircraft are parked, the number of people flying in the U. S. is down by 85 percent compared to last year this time and IATA…

The aviation industry is facing a challenging time as travel restrictions persist and airplanes are grounded in an effort to stop the spread of COVID-19. According to fleet data estimates, approximately 9,000 aircraft are now in short-term parked status and more than 3,000 aircraft have been put in long-term storage worldwide. As airlines grapple with…

Omaha’s Warren Buffett sold out of the airline sector at a loss at the beginning of May. Buffett is quoted as saying he thinks the airline business has changed and has a hazy future. Investors took the move as a bad omen. Buffett usually touts the long view of buying and holding. Revenues are predicted…

The potential of digital twins for aerospace is coming to light. Digital twins, virtual simulations of physical assets, are finding their way into aerospace. Original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) can design new engines, airframes or complex components or test how assets will mature throughout lifecycles. These virtual models allow OEMs to refine maintenance contracts and aftercare…

Jeff Guzzetti is the president of Guzzetti Aviation Risk Discovery (GuARD), an aviation safety consulting firm that he formed following a 35-year career with the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and other agencies. During his 18 years at NTSB, Guzzetti was a field investigator, “go-team” engineer and Deputy Director. He then…

I have been teaching Human Factors (HF) courses for a very long time. And in my more than two decades of training aircraft maintenance personnel both in the United States as well as abroad, a common theme is noticeable — there can be a stigma associated with HF training. Aviation Maintenance Technicians (AMTs) are often…

Introduced in the late 1960s as part of airworthiness requirements, the aircraft minimum equipment list (MEL) is a document with a list of aircraft components or systems that may be inoperable for dispatch. Prior to the use of MEL, aircraft dispatch was a topic of negotiation between aircraft operators and regulators. Have things around the…

Travel restrictions imposed due to the coronavirus caused airlines to respond to the unprecedented impact from the pandemic by reducing capacity by 50, 60 even 90 percent in some cases and securely parking hundreds of aircraft at numerous locations around the world. Capacity was cut dramatically by all airlines around the globe, some suspending service…