Editor's Notebook - Maintain your way to recovery. (Dec/Jan 2010)

Ian Parker, Editor-in-Chief

I have great pleasure in presenting the first issue of 2010 which is one of our biggest editions (over 68 pages in print and online). Click on the flip book animation opposite or the contents image below to read it online instantly. If you would prefer the traditional print edition then go HERE.

Few people today would admit zero interest in environmental issues. But it's very difficult to form an opinion because there is so much conflicting data and the subject has become politicized. Years ago scientists were believed without question. Now people look for their business or political affiliation.

One thing is certain - aviation has been unfairly, maybe even totally erroneously, targeted. Aircraft and airports are highly visible things and it's much easier to point the finger at them, rather than the invisible effects of the billions of poorly insulated homes.

Could it be that the recent Copenhagen meeting will spark a much more fact-based approach? Certainly, historically held views are being challenged. Just before the meeting one senior British climate scientist said that over the last four years or so we've experienced global cooling, not warming, and that atmospheric CO2 is not connected with that process and anyway it's good for plant life and agriculture.

So how certain are the opponents of aviation that it's damaging to the environment? Combined with a re-assessment of the effects of aviation, the ‘green shoots' of economic recovery will mean that people and goods will need a vibrant air transport system once again.
If so, we'd better get maintaining the aircraft. There's no doubt that in a recession, operators defer maintenance where allowed to keep costs down. When an upturn comes, that maintenance has to be done fast. Far-sighted operators will already have that underway. Now that the upswing is here, the last thing you want is an unprepared fleet of aircraft.

The maintenance industry needs to throttle up. Workers may have been laid off and facilities scaled down, but it's time to reverse that process if we are not to be caught out. Recovery is led by investment rather than a producer of it. There are always opportunities coming out of a recession, and the industry's business leaders are no doubt watching for those.

Of course the industry must be environmentally aware and there's lots of evidence that it is. Aggressive chemicals are being eliminated or tightly controlled, facilities such as engine test cells are being established with top notch ‘green' credentials and fleet upgrades/refurbishments are being made which reduce noise and fuel burn and increase efficiency.

Aviation has its opponents, but in many cases they are failing to consider real-world evidence and they are certainly not considering the effects of alternatives. To put it simply, why would you want to drag anything across the land or through the sea when you can send it, largely silently and out-of-sight, through the sky? To do that safely, efficiently and reliably, you need a healthy and responsive maintenance business. As the leading publication in the field, we intend to do our bit to ensure that continues to be the case.