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May
23
2025
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Posted 9 days ago ago by Admin
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In aviation maintenance, we live by the standard. Minimum Equipment Lists, standard torque values, standard practices. But somewhere along the way, “standard” started sounding like “average.” And that’s a mindset problem—one we can’t afford in this industry.
Let me be clear: the standard in aviation isn’t average—it’s excellence. The standard is the minimum acceptable, but that doesn’t mean it’s the maximum achievable. When we start to see compliance as the finish line instead of the starting block, we’re already coasting. And coasting leads to complacency. Complacency leads to mistakes.
I often tell young mechanics this: meeting the standard makes you legal—but going beyond it makes you professional.
You can torque a bolt to spec and log it correctly. That’s compliance. But did you double-check the surrounding area for FOD? Did you clean the surface afterward, so the next person sees pride in your work? That’s excellence. That’s ownership.
Somewhere between the FAA requirements and our internal procedures lies the space where character shows up. And character—especially in this line of work—isn’t just about doing things right when someone is watching. It’s about doing things right because someone might fly that aircraft tomorrow.
Excellence doesn’t require a bigger toolbox or better tools. It starts in the mindset of the technician. You don’t have to be perfect—you must be intentional. One standard-raising habit at a time.
So, the next time someone says, “just follow the standard,” don’t hear that as “do the least required.” Hear it as “honor the trust that comes with the job.”
Because in this industry, the standard is high. And it should be. But if we all commit to going a little further—cleaner work, clearer communication, better handoffs—we create a ripple effect that lifts the whole team, the whole operation, and the whole culture.
That’s how you get marked by excellence.
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