Jeff Schiedegger’s Post

We are deep into the holiday busy season for FBOs, and with it comes a seasonal spike in hangar rash incidents. The primary cause behind this increase is straightforward: the job needs to get done. With travel at record highs this season—and new milestones being set each year—line techs are expected to do more with less. This relentless pressure often leads to occasional mistakes amidst the chaos and, in some cases, a breaking of standard operating procedures (SOPs) in an effort to quickly move on to the next task. Recently, we received a video showing a line tech pulling a plane out of a crowded hangar—completely unaided, with no wing walkers or assistance. While no incident occurred in the video, successfully completing such a risky maneuver can inadvertently encourage similar high-risk actions in the future. We have anonymized the individual and the facility in question because this isn’t a “them” issue—it’s an industry-wide challenge. These situations arise at nearly every FBO, regardless of culture or training. When the pressure is on, and the job needs to be done, safety and standards often take a back seat. I’ve witnessed this firsthand at both large and small FBOs. On one occasion, I watched a line tech single-handedly move a Gulfstream while the Ops Director stood nearby, explaining how they always use wing walkers. Training programs and Safety Management Systems (SMS) are vital in combating ground damage, but they are just the starting point. We need to explore additional solutions because, time and again, safety and standards are compromised under the pressure of getting the job done. If you recognize the team, airport, or aircraft featured in this video, we ask that you refrain from harassment or attempts to expose them. The video is shared purely for educational and informational purposes. Have you witnessed similar maneuvers or seen SOPs disregarded to ensure a task gets done? Share your experiences with us—we’d love to hear from you! #fbo #businessaviation #hangarrash #safety

The benefits of realistic training, applied practice and in remaining calm under stressful moments...

34 years ago in safety history (10 JUN 1990) British Airways flight 5390 landed safely with 86.5 passengers and crew on board. CAPT Timothy Lancaster was the 0.5; he was half-ejected through a flightdeck window. (See inset photo recreation below. FO Alastair Atchison is at the controls as FA Nigel Ogden holds tightly to his captain.) The Birmingham, ENG to Malaga, ESP flight landed Southampton after a 20-minute inflight emergency. Lancaster survived with frostbite, a fractured arm, and a fractured wrist. 84 of 90 screws holding the window in place were undersized, both too small in diameter and too short. Also, the window was not of the plug design where cabin pressure holds the window in place. A maintenance supervisor replaced a cracked pane before the flight. The maintenance supervisor did a poor like-for-like replacement and did NOT refer to the maintenance instructions. He used the wrong parts. Once at altitude, Lancaster and Atchison released their shoulder harnesses and loosened lap belts. The pressure difference at altitude popped the window out and instantly depressurized the cabin. Lancaster was sucked half-way through the opening. Atchison held on to his captain while he called Ogden to the flight deck. They could not get the captain back in and they surely would not let him go - so they landed with him half in and half out. Configuration control is a cornerstone of safety and reliability in complex system. Safety systems engineering depends on physical configuration (the right parts assembled the right way) and operating configuration (controls and valves and breakers and others in the right positions). This loss event was caused by poor physical configuration control through an error in maintenance. My ask this week of safety leaders in power, transportation, manufacturing, and healthcare is to "go and see" configuration control. Choose just one part of one safety system for a check. Can you tell what the physical configuration should be from design documents? Does the physical plant match? You should not infer the correct physical configuration from the present physical configuration. Then, is the physical plant in the right operating configuration? Checking is a form of Preoccupation with Failure, one of the five Weick and Sutcliffe HRO principles. As the great UCLA basketball coach, John Wooden, would say - if you stay ready you do not need to get ready. Stay ready for safety by controlling configuration. #safety #hro #derisking #safetyleadership

Interesting Safety Story. Work arounds and not following policies can lead to negative results. In healthcare, we want to do everything right the first time for the quality and safety of our patients. Every person. Every time. #PatientSafety #Safety #SafetyCulture #HRO

Webinar worth considering: CASA's long-term safety trends, findings and insights. Date: Thu, 28 Nov, 2:30pm - 3:30pm AEDT Are you an operator, or do you work with operators to develop safety management systems (SMS) documentation and processes? Have you ever been curious about the safety findings that guide decision-making on CASA's aviation safety policies? If you answered yes to any of these questions, we invite you to attend our webinar on CASA's long-term safety trends, findings, and insights.

Great article Flight Safety. Consider the risk of fixation for your business – how do we stop ourselves from falling into this? When things go wrong, we don’t rise to the level of our training – we fall to the level of our proficiency. Make sure your business and people have a high level of proficiency with Alacon Aero at your side guiding you!

Does your project list look like an airline departure board during a snowstorm… 'Delayed', 'Delayed', 'Delayed..’? Are your managers constantly committing to stuff that just doesn’t get finished? Here’s the single sentence – with just three words – that will clear that departure board and Get Stuff Done: “You have control.” Simple as that. Let me explain: https://lnkd.in/dj2zQ8s

Does your project list look like an airline departure board during a snowstorm… 'Delayed', 'Delayed', 'Delayed..’? Are your managers constantly committing to stuff that just doesn’t get finished? Here’s the single sentence – with just three words – that will clear that departure board and Get Stuff Done: “You have control.” Simple as that. Let me explain: https://lnkd.in/eUJ4FQU

Does your project list look like an airline departure board during a snowstorm… 'Delayed', 'Delayed', 'Delayed..’? Are your managers constantly committing to stuff that just doesn’t get finished? Here’s the single sentence – with just three words – that will clear that departure board and Get Stuff Done: “You have control.” Simple as that. Let me explain: https://lnkd.in/eUJ4FQU