Avionics News April 2018 - 4

Can you hear me now?
I

've written about it before. If we've met, I've probably
Photographing serial numbers, Hobbs time, or documenting the
complained about it in person. The cellphone thing has
way something was before you took it apart is a straightforward
gotten out of control. I constantly see people texting and driving,
thing to do with a smartphone camera. Most people, however,
young couples at dinner playing with their phones instead of
don't make full use of the camera/video app itself. The camera
paying attention to each other, and so on. As shop owners, we are
app without taking a photo can be an invaluable tool for looking
constantly having issues with some of our technicians glued to
around corners, or seeing what you're doing in a tight space
their phones. It's something I have little tolerance for, and I've
without a line of sight. Not enough light where you're working?
fired several people due to it.
Putting an iPhone into video mode allows you to turn the
I was going to spend the next few hundred
light on at the same time, even if you're not recording
words on my soapbox complaining how cellphones
video. Remember that RV-8 service bulletin for the
are leading to the downfall of society, but if you
missing bolts in the spar? I've done it without drilling
want that lecture, you must buy me a glass of
the access holes in the bottom of the airplane using this
whiskey and give up a few hours of your life.
technique as a view finder.
Instead, I'm going to share what I've learned about
These all may be good tips, but the best use of a
cellphones in the workplace.
cellphone for me has been as a new-hire evaluation tool,
I remember when smartphones were first
especially with millennials. (As a side note, readers
Pahan
Ranasingha
introduced. I didn't want one. Nope, not me. I
have emailed me to say I'm hard on millennials. I get to
wanted a phone that was a phone, and that's it. I
be as hard on them as I want. They're my peers. I'm a
wanted to make calls. I didn't want to text or take pictures. I didn't
millennial as are most of my techs.) In broad strokes, I've come to
want to instant message. I finally gave in and ended up with a
find new hires who are glued to their phones tend to have a shortBlackberry, then an iPhone. Today, I don't know how we got by
term outlook. They seek instant gratification and typically do not
without smartphones. Actually, I do: We got by less efficiently.
do well on long-term jobs, or work efficiently on jobs where they
Most of our shop's efficiency has been picked up by using
are unsupervised for long periods of time.
Dropbox. Everyone at the shop is on an account, and we all work
My star technicians are the ones who utilize their phones as
out of the same folders. We have a folder for every tail number
tools. They take photos, read manuals, track time on jobs, and so
we work on. One of the most-effective uses of smartphones at
on. Then they put their phones down and work. If they want to
my shop has been recording configurations. Removing a unit?
look at Instagram, post to Facebook, or text their friends, they do
A technician can photograph all the configuration pages and
it on a break or at lunch. Not only do they behave themselves,
upload them to the appropriate Dropbox folder. A different tech
but they've done this from day one without instruction, comment
installing the replacement unit? Photos of all the configurations
or criticism. Every new hire I've had to chase about using a
are in the appropriate folder, and they can be looked up on the
phone on company time hasn't made it past the three-month
installing technician's smartphone while sitting in the airplane
mark. You'll have to make your own decision on what that
- same with installation manuals. How much time do your
means, but it's one of my new yardsticks for hiring. q
technicians spend today running into the office to print the pinout
page they don't have? Or the configuration settings they didn't
think to grab for the cross-side LRU? The entire library is at their
fingertips on their phone. And don't forget, the Dropbox app
PAHAN RANASINGHA
allows you to search PDF files - something you can't do with a
Avionics Installations Inc.
paper manual.
Port Orange, Florida

avionics news

april

2018

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Avionics News April 2018