Leading Edge
Ours is an industry full of interesting and pretty cool “stuff.” The machines are fascinating; the tools are fun to work with. We touch a lot of “stuff” through the course of every day. Whether we are dealing with tools, machines, parts, or aircraft, we often exhibit a tendency to focus on the “stuff” around us. The reality is that tools do not fix aircraft. Machines do not maintain our aircraft, and the aircraft themselves do nothing on their own. Everything we touch requires a person at some point of the process. As with any team, the people and their attitudes are critical. All of us have seen sports teams that are at the top of their games. They have the best equipment, the best infrastructure, and the best expertise. Then that day comes when a team with less brings more to the game – more heart, more desire, more drive – and the top team is no longer on top. History is full of examples where a team or an army appears lacking on paper, but in the real world, they find success in spite of overwhelming obstacles. It all boils down to the people. A few days ago, I was fortunate to sit down with the annual winners of our M&E Outstanding People Awards. Each quarter, this program recognizes employees who are nominated by their co-workers as representing out-standing achievement in the areas of Above and Beyond, Community Spirit, Customer Service, Innovation, Leader-ship, Safety, and Technical Excellence. The group that I sat down with had not only won their quarterly awards, but they were then selected as the best of the best for the year. I was proud of this group and humbled by the knowledge that they are representative of employees throughout our organization. This year we brought back the Golden Wrench Award. After an absence of almost ten years, we recognized that we were remiss in failing to recognize the expertise of American Airlines’ Aviation Maintenance Tech-nicians (AMTs) and M&E Support Personnel. We established this award in 1989. It is our highest honor for those recognized by their peers for having distinguished themselves as the best in the industry. Since its inception through 2001, we have awarded the Golden Wrench to approximately 275 AA technicians. I am glad that we brought the award back. Our people deserve that kind of tribute. This issue of Leading Edge recognizes the people of Maintenance and Engineering. The cover spotlights Al Blackman of New York. Al began his career with Ameri-can Airlines before most of us were even born. He continues to serve American at JFK as an aircraft maintenance crew chief. This will be our first edition to remind all of us of the efforts of co-workers and their families when someone leaves the security of home and goes out in service of our country. Each November, when the nation celebrates Veterans Day, we will tell the stories of our military families. In this issue, we will look at Women in AAviation, one of our inspection teams, and a thorough examination of the history of the men and women of MOC. I hope that you enjoy this recognition and celebration of the people of M&E. I hope that all of us are reminded that in spite of our differences, our frustrations, and our obstacles, we are all part of the same M&E team. Re-member that on the end of a long train of all the “stuff” is a person. That person has the same goal as you – put a safe, dependable product at the gate on time for our customers. Thank you for everything that you do. Work safe, work smart, and help us to get it right the first time. I will see you around the system. I hope that you enjoy this rec-ognition and celebration of the people of M&E. I hope that all of us are reminded that in spite of our differ-ences, our frustrations, and our obstacles, we are all part of the same M&E team.
LE