I’m sure many of you have heard about the tire exploding at a maintenance facility a few days ago. The incident took the lives of two and injured another. A major air carrier was highlighted, so was the type of aircraft that was involved.
That’s not what I want to talk about here. There are plenty of finger pointers and talking heads to lay blame. I’m not going to do that here. I want to talk about each of us.
We get up in the morning. Follow our morning routine. Tell everyone we are “off to work” and depart for our jobs. Jobs where we will spend eight or more hours working for those we leave at home. Those we care about, our family. Working to make their lives better and improve our own standing in our profession.
Those are good things to pursue. They are things we should have in our mind as we do our jobs.
Have you ever considered we will spend more of our waking hours on the job and with other employees than we will spend with our families. We are “trading” that time with our families to have a better life for them and ourselves. We are working to build a career, to be a better professional, to serve the greater community.
The tragedy is a reminder of how quickly that can change. Don’t forget to be there for your family. Be there for the little league game, the dance recital or the walk in a park. We give a lot in the aviation industry. Don’t forget why we are so invested in our career. Don’t forget who we are doing all this for.
Yes, we are saving lives as we do our jobs, that is part of what happens in aviation. Don’t forget about the other lives we impact as we grow our careers. Those we leave at home in the morning are our greatest treasure. They want you to come back home and be part of their lives after you have completed eight or more hours. Don’t let them be an afterthought. Be there for them. You need them and they need you.
When you’re on the job, safety, focus and professionalism are key to coming home to them and for them. The next time you are with them, tell them how proud you are of them and how much they mean to you. Sometimes we don’t get a second chance.
Be safe, Be strong and Stay Professional,
Jeffery N. Howard
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