Cancelled for Maintenance

Handbooks spell all the governing policies and procedures of a company, likewise what the expectations are. However, we’ve all seen those organization handbooks that are pages upon pages thick, and the sheer size of it discourages us from reading them. For this episode, we take a look at “the anti-handbook” handbook from the Tesla company, explore our thoughts on it, and give some tips on how to s...

We are joined by returning guests, Kora the aviation therapist and Jill the aviation dietitian, and are likewise joined by a new guest, Alexis with Fly High Nutrition. For this episode, we continue our conversation from our last episode about the connection between our moods (brain) and nutrition (guts), explore more about our microbiomes, dispel more myths about mental health therapy and nutritio...

In today’s world, business and technology are progressing at such a pace, that growth and development are mandatory traits. Mentorship programs and initiatives are meant to facilitate your aspirations and bridge the gap between you and your goals. For today’s episode, we go over why are mentorships important, what to expect from a mentor, and what is expected of you as a mentee.  Follow us on Face...

What’s the most frustrating thing about parts? Is it the agonizing waiting game? Is it receiving the wrong part or revision? OR how about when you’ve painstakingly waited for said part(s), the success of the maintenance task and ultimately the success of this high priority flight(s) hinged on the timely delivery of and install of said part, only to have it arrive and it arrives damaged? It sounds...

Today we are joined with three guests and fellow aviation content creators; Stig Aviation, Faith of How to Helicopter, and Elena of Fix-Fly-Travel! On this special episode, we explore some of the challenges aviation content creators face, the passions that drive them, how to deal with burnout, and what we all hope for with the stuff we create! To find out more about our guests, you can find them a...

We often hear “Lean” as the method that will streamline and make our aviation spaces better. On paper, the principles and methodologies of Lean sound amazing and promise valuable improvement, however the practice of it can be convoluted and misunderstood. Today we talk about one of the major tools of lean called “value stream mapping”, what it is, and how it can improve all levels of the workspace...

Picking up from our last behind the scenes episode; we expand more on how our mindsets have shifted throughout our time on the show, some thoughts about our comics, where we want to go, and what we hope to do. Follow us on Facebook- @cancelledformaintenance, Instagram- @canxformaintenancepodcast. Twitter- @cxmxpodcast Did you know we have a comic series? Check it out on the Tapas app or visit us a...

Modernization, industrialization, and digitalization have progressed most notably in three key movements. We may understand these as “revolutions”, seeing as how they’ve revolutionized the game for each facet of industry they have affected. With today’s advances, a new “fourth revolution” is upon us and on this episode, we go over what “aviation and everything 4.0” means, what it entails, and how...

Animosity and frustration exist between shifts of all industries. We’ve all seen examples of that, from inadequate turnovers to downright failure to accomplish assigned tasks. Today, we revisit a topic from a previous episode many moons ago, rehash some frustrations from shift to shift, discuss some reasons why it may exist, and discuss some solutions to mitigate them. Follow us on Facebook- @canc...

Total quality management (TQM) has a history that dates back to the 1920s, took root in Japan, and has been a driving framework for what we do today. It has led to the expansion of quality concepts and standards which have evolved to encompass virtually every industry. For today’s episode, we explore some of the principles and implications of the TQM philosophy, how some might need some reemphasis...

Whenever an aircraft needs parts for replacement or repair, there’s common avenues we use. That being: Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM), Parts Manufacturer Approval (PMA), or the salvage yard. For today’s episode, we focus on a fourth avenue that has some nuance and some shadiness tied to it, and that is Owner-Produced Parts (cue OPP song!). What are some of the pros and cons of owners produc...

The internet and our peer groups are full of diet and mental health advice, so much so that we can hardly tell what is true and what is false. Often times, we are led to believe that certain entities have the best credible advice, only to be busted and be profoundly false! For today’s episode, we are joined by Kora the aviation therapist (IG- @aviation.therapist) and Jill the pilot nutritionist (I...

Work trips can be fun and are fun most of the time, but it does have some significant challenges. Being away from a home station means some resources are either limited or non-existent. What do you do to face these challenges? For today’s episode, we explore some of the challenges you can face, and the adaptability you must have to be successful on a work trip! Follow us on Facebook- @cancelledfor...

We often hear the phrase “excellence in the basics”, but is that always in practice? It seems like a recurring theme were someone or some group try to reinvent the wheel, and either incidentally or intentionally forsake the basic fundamentals in favor of speed. Today we are joined by returning guest, Stig Aviation, and we cover the topics of focusing on the basics, building that solid confident fo...

Have you ever been told that your eating habits are leading down a dark path and receive an ultimatum of sorts because of it? It’s not a big stretch to say that aircraft mechanics probably have some of the worst diets in the world. On today’s episode, we open up about our past eating habits, what led us to today, and what are some things that we all can do about it.  Follow us on Facebook- @cancel...

Have you ever worked in a humid/moisture heavy environment? If you have, you’d know that corrosion is one of the most constant, ongoing battles you face every day. Corrosion is one of those aspects that can get away from you very fast if you don’t exercise proper treatment and preventative measures.  If it shines, it has a high chance of corrosion. On this episode we explore some the instances tha...

If you were able to choose your ideal work schedule, what would it be? 5/8s? 9/80s? 4/10s? Why would you pick it? On this episode, we address a Patreon request as to the pros and cons of different work schedules, and what factors that could come into play that would help you decide.  Follow us on Facebook- @cancelledformaintenance, Instagram- @canxformaintenancepodcast. Twitter- @cxmxpodcast Did y...

Today we go behind the scenes of our show, “resetting the room” if you will. We talk about the show’s origin story, how we got started, how the show got its name, and share some of our “why nots”. What’s stopping you from taking that next step? Follow us on Facebook- @cancelledformaintenance, Instagram- @canxformaintenancepodcast. Twitter- @cxmxpodcast Did you know we have a comic series? Check it...

We are living in a digital world, but is it all that it is cracked up to be? There’s definitely a plethora of pros that come with going fully digital, but there are some areas in aviation that are still, for lack of better words, lagging behind in the transition. Today we talk about what are some of the positives of going fully digital, and some of the abrasions of why it’s not so great.  Follow u...

Change is both inevitable and unstoppable. We see changes happening everywhere; from new policies, changes of leadership, new tools, parts shortages, and so forth. We also hear the phrase, “continuous improvement”, with many people calling themselves “experts”. Today we discuss why change management initiatives fail, and what we can do to help make this a success. Follow us on Facebook- @cancelled...

Have you ever wondered as a kid, “what would happen if you put a jet engine inside a racecar”? Today, we’re talking about just that, blending aviation with drag racing! We are joined with two guests; Chris Larsen, co-founder and CEO of Larsen Motorsports, and Josette Roach, development officer and Jet Dragster Driver of Larsen Motorsports; who along with their team of professionals, have merged th...

Welcome back everyone, we’ve said our goodbyes for 2022, and we welcome you to 2023! We hope you all had a safe and happy holiday! Today we share some experiences with holiday hangover, goals we have for ourselves, AND some goals we have for you! It's not just about us, it is about us (or rather, WE) in 2023! Follow us on Facebook- @cancelledformaintenance, Instagram- @canxformaintenancepodcast. T...

It’s about that time we wrap up and say adieu to 2022, what a year it has been! We have exceeded many of expectations, set new goals for ourselves, had more collaborations, and had many technical difficulties. This episode, we recap the highlights, both good and bad, and talk about some of the goals we look forward to for 2023! We can’t thank you all enough for your listenership and support; we co...

Winter is here, which means the end of the year is upon us, AND it means end of year review time! This is where you find out if you’ve met all your goals for the year, where managers get to pine for hours on performance evaluations, and when bean counters crunch the numbers to see what bonuses can be doled out. End-of-year reviews can sometimes be very uninformative, disappointing, or downright in...

The holidays season is a time for family, quality time, and travel. It is also a time when Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) really takes hold of you. For us aviation specialists, this puts additional pressure on us because demands increase, but often personnel availability (along with resource availability) significantly decreases. What this translates to is longer turnaround/processing times bet...