Airplanes flying daily across the sky is truly impressive. It is impressive not only because it is a heavy object soaring gracefully through the air, but also because of the diversified coordination that goes into creating and successfully getting and keeping it off the ground. It takes significant planning and great precision to engineer a plane and even more to properly maintain it. If you are in the business of building, servicing, or using airplanes for transport, then you must think about the following five factors.
Quality
Every part of any aircraft should be of high quality. Airplanes enter parts of the atmosphere that human beings and many types of cargo cannot survive in without assistance. Planes are used to cross great distances at great speeds, and they must be equipped to do so without issue. In order to withstand the literal and figurative pressures of flying, every piece of the airplane must be able to be counted on.
You also want the highest quality service in regards to aviation logistics, the movement and procurement of all the pieces of the airplane. The various parts of a plane are all highly specialized and regulated so each piece must be specific and accurate. The numerous and particular segments all come from different sources located all around the world. This takes a lot of planning to do right and requires the highest quality locating and shipping services as well. If the parts are damaged or incorrect in any way the plane will not function properly and might even crash, which of course would be horrible.
Safety
Airplane malfunctions are frustrating at best and devastating at worst. If even one small portion of a plane does not work correctly then the entire vehicle might just fall out of the sky. There are a great many regulations to try to keep this from happening of course, but it is still important to keep safety as a priority when dealing with airplanes. Every aircraft should be regularly and fully serviced before taking to the air. It is also especially important to inspect all the individual elements of every device that is aboard and forms the plane before every flight.
Not only is it important to be safe when it comes to the actual craft itself, but also when considering airplane cargo. Planes are used to transport goods of all sorts. People are one of the most common goods they transport and the safety of people is paramount. Following the proper procedures and teaching the occupants of the plane how to stay safe aboard a plane, especially during an emergency, is of the utmost importance. Keeping good onboard and maintenance staff can greatly assist in this endeavor. The type of cargo, particularly hazardous, flammable, or explosive material, is another safety consideration. Having the proper measures to take care of any potential issues with any and all cargo is key to keeping the aircraft and all its contents, human and otherwise, safe and secure.
Timing
Coordinating the take-offs, flights, landings, and maintenance of airplanes is a monumental task. It is such a complex undertaking that every airport and airplane is required to communicate and file flight plans with ground units of individuals known as air traffic controllers. Airplanes have to follow very strict flight paths and timelines to avoid collisions and to get their passengers and cargo to connecting flights and specific places at specific times. Delays for one plane almost always mean delays for other planes, other cargo, and/or other people. Postponements or mistakes in timing can also mean ruined cargo, angry individuals, and costly repairs. In some cases, this can be truly detrimental, such as in a plane-on-plane collision or a fire that starts because of an expired part that breaks mid-flight.
Cost
The final factor to consider is cost. Airplanes are expensive machines to build and to keep. It is important therefore to mitigate these costs as often as you can. Scheduled maintenance and inspection are key, as repairs to different parts of a plane can be even more costly in both time and money than the original build was. For example, if a plane engine malfunctions while in the sky and the airplane is forced to perform an emergency landing at an unscheduled place and time, then it can be very costly to get the right replacement parts to the plane in an efficient fashion and it can cause significant time and route changes for cargo and people alike. It is usually more pricey to have to manage an emergency problem like this than to catch and fix the issue during a routine engine inspection before flight ever occurs.
Of course, there is much more than the monetary cost at stake as well. Lives, property, and reputation are also at stake for the airline, the airplane, and its occupants. Plane crashes are often fatal and mean total destruction to all the contents. They can be so catastrophic, that it is almost impossible to recognize what the charred flaming mass on the ground used to be. Plane crashes are also normally big news, and if the crash was due to maintenance or management error of any kind then often the company responsible gets destroyed along with their airplane. These costs are much too great, so these should be in the forefront of your mind when managing aircraft.
Consider carefully the above concepts if you are doing anything with airplanes. Planes can be one of the safest and most efficient means of transport that exists, but it takes a lot of thought, strategy, people, and care to make them fly high and stay in the sky.
