Dieting and Aircraft Maintenance

I am currently participating in a weight loss competition. This is a free competition put on by our community. Teams of four to six individuals are competing against other teams to see who can lose the most weight in three months. There are monetary prizes for the highest percentage of body weight lost for the top individuals and teams. I am in a team with my wife, son, and three other friends.

I have never been obese, but a few extra pounds have crept up around my waist over the years since I was a young buck running up and down the flight line launching and recovering T-34s and T-44s at NAS Corpus Christi. I figured signing up for this competition would be a good way to focus on my eating and exercise habits in order to lose those extra pounds.

The problem is there are a lot of different diets out there. Some say animal protein is good and carbs are bad. Some say animal protein is bad and grains and vegetables are good. Some say low-fat is good while others say that low-fat is bad. Some say cut calories. Others say worry about portions, not calories.

My friend Derek is a pilot for JetBlue. Derek and his wife have been on a certain diet for almost a year now, and they are doing great. They have lost weight by gaining muscle mass and losing fat. They watch what they eat and get plenty of exercise. Derek says he feels better than he has in a long time.

Every time I talked to Derek about this diet, he had plenty of information to share. I became curious, and started doing some research on my own. Some people who pick a diet (Atkins, Vegan, Mediterranean, Green Smoothie – the list goes on and on) choose to just follow the diet instructions. They only want to know what they can and can’t eat in order to lose weight.

That’s not me. If I am going to change my eating habits, I want to learn how and why this lifestyle change would be good for me. I want to know if there are any adverse side effects if I go on this diet.

I bought several books on the diet, and did plenty of research on the internet. I soaked up as much information as I could until I was able to make the educated decision to implement the diet.

I believe the desire to learn as much as I can when doing something new must come from my mechanic’s mentality. Like Mark Wilken shares in this month’s profile story, you can’t troubleshoot a system if you don’t understand how that system works. He says that he never spoon-feeds his employees. Because of his knowledge and experience, he could easily give them answers when they come to him with a discrepancy they are struggling with. Instead, he encourages them to dig in to the maintenance manuals to learn the system, providing a tip or two along the way if they get stuck. In the end, they are able to figure out the solution themselves, becoming better technicians in the long run.

Someone can successfully lose weight by just doing what others tell him or her to do. But for long-term success, it is probably better to understand the benefits and risks of the diet and how it will affect their body. If they do their research, they will be better prepared for long-term success.

So it is with aircraft maintenance. A mechanic may come to you asking you to tell them how to fix a problem on the airplane. You can tell him or her what to do, and the problem will be fixed. Or, you can encourage them to open the maintenance manuals and do some research. It may take a bit longer, but letting him or her find the solution on their own better prepares them for long-term success as an aircraft maintenance professional.

Thanks for reading, and we appreciate your feedback.  – Joe Escobar