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Last night, when I mentioned I worked for Boeing, someone said “they have a scandal now. The crashes are so scary.”
When it comes to flying, almost all crashes are fatal and tragic. I pray for the 346 souls lost in Lion Air 610 and Ethiopia Airlines flight 302 as well as extend my great sympathy for their families and loved ones.
There is no scandal for Boeing rather the tarnish to its reputation and the reduced public confidence in its products. Needless to say catastrophes like these make you question about aviation safety. Should we still fly? Should we still fly Boeing? What does it mean to you and me as an ordinary passenger?
Let me explain in the simplest layman’s term in what could have happened. Bear in mind that no final conclusion have drawn about the causes of the crashes at this moment.
The 737 MAX 8 is an upgrade version of 737-800 which is the best seller among all 737NGs (new generation). As it has a larger engine than the 737-800, Boeing installed a software acronymed as MCAS. It brings down the nose of the airplane when it hits a stall during a lift. In the Lion Air flight, MCAS sent false data to put the plane in a nose-down mode. The cockpit struggled to lift the plane. After a few failed attempts by both the captain and the first officer, MCAS set the plane at a maximum nose-down effect. The captain tried to pull back from full force but it was too late to reverse the dive.
There is one important philosophy of Boeing’s airplane design which we’d like to call “aviator in charge”. What it means is that when the buttons and machines in the cockpit fail to function, pilots can pull the gears and switches manually to take full control of the aircraft. Visualize the traditional image of a pilot in your head. That person would be strong, tall and fit. Physical requirements have been very important for a pilot. He has to be well fit to be able to pull the heavy gears of an aircraft in time of emergency. Unfortunately this feature has been disappearing due to the advancement of technology. Just like any modern machine. Automation is in charge. Imagine that you rely on an iphone or Huawei to shoot pictures instead of using a Nikon or Canon. Even if you use a camera, how many times do you set on P (programmed) as opposed to M (manual)? In short, our human beings are more reliant on computer programming and software to do work for us. For airplane design, it is more or less the same. The philosophy of automation is to reduce human errors and make flying easier. However if some of the programs go wrong, humans cannot do much about it. Just like your laptop suddenly got stuck while you are using it, you have to shut it down and restart. When it comes to airplanes, there is no such a chance for a comeback.
After the Ethiopian crash, especially in the US, pilots have been advocating to Boeing to make design changes to put back more “aviator in charge” features. Experienced pilots such as Captain Sullenberger are concerned that “the announced proposed fixes do not go far enough”. My opinion is that as far as planes are more controlled by computers and the human intervention is limited in overriding machine decisions, there will be risks of malfunctioning somewhere and sometime in the world.
That said, if you ever look at a satellite flight chart at any given time of the day before the crashes, especially the Ethiopian one, you would find there were a lot more 737 MAX 8 flying in the US, Europe and even in China. US airlines especially Southwest voluntarily endorsed the aircraft. One cannot help but wonder that why there was no such malfunction ever happened in the US? Are the US pilots better equipped with knowledge, skills and techniques to fly given its long aviation history? Some have raised the point that the two crashes both happened in the developing world. Statement like this is politically incorrect to say at least. However if you look into it, for the Ethiopian flight, the first officer had only 200 hours flight record, “a small fraction of the minimum in the US”. The captain and the first offer were 29 and 25 in age respectively. Lion Air is also a relatively new airline in Indonesia. I know I am pointing to something sensitive and very debatable. Design deficiencies are certainly there for Boeing and they underestimated the amount of training that is required for a regular pilot to master a new system. This is a great lesson learned for Boeing. On the other hand, I also had a clearer picture of what could happen with an airline cockpit and I would definitely go with airlines whose captains are masters of aircraft. Whether all this sounds reasonable to you or not, I definitely have no slightest wish that there will be future data verifying the point, right or wrong.
* Captain "Sully" (Sullenberger) is a renowned retired US pilot who landed his US Airways flight 1549 on the Hudson River in 2009 after two engines failed after a bird strike. All 155 passengers were survived. A movie of him named "Sully" depicted by Tom Hanks was released in 2016.
If you live in China or travel to China often, perhaps you have flown a few Chinese airlines. How do you choose airlines in China? I was once active with Star Alliance and I tended to go with Air China. Once I relocated to Shanghai I began to fly China Eastern. After almost 10 years loyal with Chinese Eastern, most recently I made a switch. Now the lesser-known China Southern Airlines becomes my main carrier in China.
Despite its less-talked-about status, China Southern has emerged to be the biggest airline in China and the 4th largest in the world. Currently it operates a modern fleet consisting of 770 aircraft. What I like the most is that they use the newest twin-aisle aircraft on their key domestic routes. I like China Southern’s paring strategy, which also manifests they compete aggressively and they want to keep an edge on the product/journey they are offering. On my frequent travel in between Guangzhou, Shanghai and Beijing I fly 787 and 777-300ER often. I would definitely go for a 777-300ER if I come across one. Most airlines operate this aircraft for international flights. You barely find it on a domestic route. The cabin feels very bright and Spacious. Air is fresh. Seats are much more comfortable than those designed for domestic-only flights. China Southern has a three-class seating on their 777-300ER. On domestic routes, you can even get a free upgrade to the Premium Economy if you paid a full-fare or a member of their Sky Pearl Club. I have flown this aircraft often in between Shanghai and Guangzhou. Each time I enjoyed very much.
New and large aircraft often means better in-flight entertainment programs. In among the Chinese airlines, China Southern provides the most interesting and diverse selections. On my most recent flights, I watched a French movie La promesse de l’aube (Promise at Dawn) which I loved dearly. I also watched a Russian film Viking and two German comedies. All these movies came out in 2017. I feel I was able to catch up with the world cinema by flying China Southern. In addition to these international movies, it has a large selection of Hollywood recent releases, classics, Asian and Chinese movies. I can’t list them all. I can only say I was impressed and entertained.
One thing you might easily overlook but it is important to know is that you will always get a bridge to board your airplane if you fly China Southern. What it means is that you don’t have to walk a long distance to get to a basement-like area of the airport to hop on a shuttle bus in order to board your airplane. The shuttle bus is a pain at the Chinese airports. It can be very crowded and sometimes travels a long way. China Eastern is notorious for the shuttle bus ride. If you fly out of Hongqiao with China Eastern, 9 out 10 you will find yourself to be on a shuttle bus. In China airlines have to pay an extra fee to park at a gate with a bridge. Obviously China Southern is paying a higher price for its parking lots than its competitors. The extra they paid affords passengers with more convenience and comfort. This cannot be overlooked.
China Southern is based in Guangzhou. This is one of the reasons for many people living up-north are less familiar with the airline. In May 2018 Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport opened its 2nd Terminal which was dedicated to China Southern. This is the first time in China that a terminal is occupied by only one carrier. Not only is China Southern competing aggressively in the major cities, it also enjoys a niche in China’s wild west and runs flights in remote touristy regions. For instance, if you fly from Wulumuqi to Kashgar, most likely your flight is a Chinese Southern. Last year when my friend and I were traveling to Kanas Lake, an area bordering Russia and Mongolia, we decided to take a 50-munite flight from Wulumuqi rather than drive. Serendipitously we boarded a China Southern airplane.
In China we often encounter people to ask: why are there so few Chinese in global leadership positions? Especially in the Fortune 500 companies? Sometimes, people would even take one step further to ask: why are there more Indians making to the C-suite than Chinese?
We have observed many HR consultants or retired senior leaders giving the answer in an opaque manner. Many times we hear it is about communication skills. While it is partially true it is also the most convenient answer one can give. A few times I noticed the speaker rumbling on stage struggling to frame a direct answer. While in other occasions the consultant appears to be very careful and hoping to come across polite and politically correct.
A seasoned consultant is the one who is able to shed real insights and provide value-added advisory. At Sky Vision we maintain the highest professional standards with utmost respect for every individual and ethnic group. We take pride in our mastery of English and Chinese languages. Having spent a significant amount of time living and working across continents enables us to grasp the essence of issues and share thoughtful perspectives. For a question like this, the answer lies in several components which has to encompass social, historical and cultural contexts.
If you count both the East India Company and the British Raj’s rule in India, the British occupied India for almost 200 years. Integration of the Indian society into the West happened much earlier than a few Chinese elites flirting with the Western ideas in the late Qing Dynasty. English became one of India's official languages and for people with higher education. By and large, an average Indian is more vocal and communicative than her Chinese counterpart. Due to the shared language and its related culture and value, Western people and Indians would often find more in common. Indian people working in corporations would naturally enjoy an advantage in communication and people skills. When it comes to career advancement and promotion, Indians would then have a better “shot” than other Asian nationalities. So it might be true that you would see more Indian-faces in corporate leadership than the Chinese. However the world is changing.
Providing an answer to this sensitive question is part one, but not the end game. Whatever the reason might be, it is only providing explanation to the status quo. What the speaker should do, as a senior leader or a people strategy consultant is to inspire people and guide people to envision a progressive future. In short the speaker must provide hope and act as a change agent herself.
To be continued.
Have you looked into how long your organization has not updated the training materials?
Given Project Management as an example, its content, techniques and managing approaches are evolving especially with the emergence and prevalence of Agile. If your existing content was developed 3 or even 5 years ago and has not been updated, it sets an alarm that certain part of the material has been out-of-date. The result can be that your customers, the trainees may not feel the training content closely relevant to their work and their satisfaction to the training trends down.
I have one particular customer in Project Management who I have suggested and even urged to update the training material for almost two years. They are a global organization whose projects come from Marketing, Supply Chain and Web Portal development etc. For many of the web and software development projects, Agile techniques and approaches are applicable and should be introduced. Unfortunately the knowledge is not included in the training content. Employees can get confused in the classroom to apply the traditional approach to their web portal development projects in real life.
One size does not fit all. Choosing the right project management techniques, and train people to learn and apply the new techniques are critically important for saving organizational resources and helping people gain competencies. I have conducted multiple workshops. The most successful ones are those that the trainer delivers exactly what the trainees expect to learn. In short, the customer gets exactly what they needed.
The Project Management Institute (PMI) will modify its exam content for the PMP designation at the end of 2019. The new content will integrate more Agile related best practices. This manifests that Agile has been gaining recognition in project management. While it does not say that traditional project management is out-of-fashion, it does say that your organization has to constantly innovate to keep pace with the new knowledge, new techniques and new demand.
For leadership training, project and program management best practices and techniques in Asia Pacific, contact Sky Vision.
October 2019
At Sky Vision we embrace six leadership attributes. They are:
Chart the course
Inspire others
Set high expectations
Find a way
Deliver results
Live with integrity
Throughout our career at multinational companies, we find that leaders possessing these attributes win the hearts and minds of people. These attributes also distinguish the characteristics between a leader and a manager. Most often individuals with these attributes stand out to be the organizational leaders. In many instances, exhibiting these attributes and exercising leadership does not need titles. At Sky Vision, we nurture and train people to grow these attributes along with their career so that they are naturally embedded in the behaviors.
Come to our next featured training session about Project Management for Product Managers co-organized with ChinaInno Co. Ltd. in Shanghai.
Success does not come to any of us easily. Here we refer less to the definition of success but more about our feelings of success.
Mindset – It is all about mindset. Our mindset programs our brain and determines our action. It is very important we keep a growth mindset and vision a successful outlook for ourselves. Many times our mindset is confined by factors such as past experience, family background and workplace environment etc. This requires us to constantly challenge ourselves to think out of the box so that our mindset helps us continuously grow as opposed to fix on things that are unchangeable.
Action – Action trumps everything. We have to put our thoughts and talking into action. No action no growth. No action no result. Only with action can we take ourselves to a journey to our dreams. Action is the reflection of mindset.
Environment – Environment is one of the critical factors to determine mindset, mood and feelings. Have you ever heard of "if you are not happy, change your environment"? People are the products of their environment. Do a no-nonsense evaluation of your current environment and ask if it is helping and motivating you. Questions can be like "is it sunny enough? does it make me feel motivated? do I meet worldly and open-minded people? do I have deep conversations with these people?
People - You are who you are close to. You may have heard of that we are the average of the first five people we spend most time with. Make sure you are surrounded by people who are positive, who motivate and inspire you, who challenge you, who not only care about you but are compassionate in helping and contributing to a larger community.
Risk - We cannot grow without taking risks. Life is an adventure. Adventure means risk. Security provides us stability but flat stability means little growth. Our personal journey should be comprised of both the desire of seeking security as well as the guts of taking risks. The latter yields a much better result than staying put.
China has a film called No Man's Land in which the protagonist, an ambitious and haughty attorney goes into a remote desert town to defend his client and ultimately wins the case. However his victory is also his demise. On his way back he is trapped with a web of convoluted intricacies that are meant to ruin his journey and destroy his life.
The metaphor of the film can very much apply to where China is headed to build its ingenuous commercial aircraft. China has been seeking advanced technologies from the world for decades. Methods from direct purchasing, joint venture to acquisition of firms etc.. Yet none has rendered satisfactory results. Under the tight export control environment especially the US ITAR, any collaboration in advanced technology with a Western firm is almost impossible. China has no where to go but Russia, its old big brother, but also a historical disappointment and bully. The fall-out of China and the USSR in mid-1960 during the Great Leap Forward (GLF) where Krushchev suddenly withdrew all Soviet technicians together with their blueprints is still in many Chinese memories. The CR929 program binds the two countries again. Do they trust each other this time? History says receiving Russia (USSR)'s help comes with a price later. In the current quagmire of cooperation, can they work well together? Sky Vision posits that in the end China is still on its own and needs more industry participation from the West.
Through digital modeling, model-based systems engineering, data analytics, and simulation can enhance communication and collaboration across functions and throughout the system life cycle.
A digital twin is a virtual representation of real-world entities and processes, synchronized at a specified frequency and fidelity.
The result of using machine learning and artificial intelligence across the development process is increased reliability, testing environments that uncover new insights with greater speed and the ability to improve outcomes over time.
Lean-Agile and digital engineering are complementary solutions that promote a cohesive collaboration between development, security and operations working towards continuous and rapid integration and deliver.
Autonomy is a critical technology that will lead customers into the future. As technology moves beyond automation, autonomy and autonomous systems bring efficiencies to bear in many areas.
Advanced manufacturing seamlessly integrates digital technologies at the speed of relevancy. Additive manufacturing is a specific 3D printing process. This process builds parts layer by layer by depositing material according to digital 3D design data.
When you purchase an air ticket, you entrust that airline with your travel. You board the plane and pass onto your personal property, your luggage as check-in baggage. In the summer of 2022 in Europe, your check-in baggage can turn your trip entirely upside down.
Here I was. I bought an Austrian Airlines (OS) ticket for a journey from Innsbruck to London on July 30. I packed literally everything into my luggage as OS only allowed 8kg on hand-carry and mine already felt heavy with the laptop. I love to travel, especially in Europe. To stay away from constant lockdowns in Shanghai and better connect the world, I scheduled 3 months working as a digital nomad in Europe between July and September. I brought both summer and early autumn clothing with me, as well as handbags, shoes, toiletries, necessary electronic devices, keys to my apartments, gifts purchased along the way etcetera, etcetera.
A trip from Innsbruck to London Heathrow takes approximately four hours including an hour of transit in Vienna. I would've never imagined that things could go wrong on such a simple journey. It was very unnerving to hear that OS failed to load my baggage on time for the flight to London. It then transpired that it went missing at Vienna Airport. It further irritated and angered me that no one from OS ever contacted me for status update and financial compensation. I lived on two T-shirts and a jean without my own toiletries for a few days and hoped that it would magically arrive. It did not. The lack of communication from OS is appalling.
Three distinctive problems with OS exposed through my experience:
1. Chaotic and incompetent operations
Despite the fact that baggage loss is not eliminated, it is quite impossible for an airline to lose a baggage within its own networks. For OS, it was a feat to miss my luggage in its home base - Vienna Airport on a 4-hour journey. Don't blame the summer travel crowds either. It was OS's own initiative to sell the tickets and solicit travelers.
2. Staff lie and maltreatment of passengers
1) When I was at the gate of Vienna Airport boarding the flight to London, I particularly asked the OS staff if my luggage had also arrived. My sensibility nurtured out of 25-year industry experience casted doubt on my luggage's whereabout. Two of them answered "Yes it arrived. Don't worry about it." OS CEO needs to be personally responsible for her staff to lie. Obviously OS's practice is to "grab the passenger and deal with their stuff later". Such behavior shows the airline's deep disrespect and unconcern for passenger's property. It is abuse of power and a rampant violation of consumer rights.
2) On the apology letter for delaying baggage, OS stated that the delays could be resolved in 24 hours. Speaking with their agent in London, it became 48 hours. Then it went to 5 days, then 5+9, and finally 21 days. During these benchmarking days not on a single occasion did OS reach me to explain what I could do, what a passenger's rights were, and how much financial compensation I was entitled to. They disappeared as if nothing had happened. I felt nothing but this airline had no sense of obligation for taking responsibility. Its stance of ignorance, unprofessionalism and lack of customer service were something I've not seen in aviation.
3. Poorly-designed and dysfunctional online systems and errors
On the luggage receipt shown in the picture, the letter OS typed as "0S", an error of typing a numeric zero instead of the letter O. When I was reporting a missing luggage online, the address for delivery could not be edited even that it showed an editing icon on the page. The feedback email could not be sent after I filed a claim quoting "technical problems" but did not show where the problems were. While I was inputting the mileage numbers that OS solicited, the system said the numbers were too short to be correct for both UA Mileage Plus and CA Phoenix. In fact both were correct. Such ill-designed and dysfunctional systems are bound to generating errors and mistakes. I gather there must have been many lost baggages by OS. When I was talking to a staff member about the missing luggage at London Heathrow, he responded with a sneer saying "Well, that's Austrian Airlines." I only regretted that I knew its reputation too late.
Despite Austria being a beautiful country to visit, Austrian Airlines are untrustworthy and incompetent. As an aviation consultant, I believe while we praise and promote the good, we also have to disclose the bad. It is our professional duty to equip people with information and knowledge so that they can make better choices and decisions and do not fall into victims easily. Don't overlook the matter of missing luggage. It is your luggage. Your things. You paid for its travel. The airlines have no right nor excuse of losing it.
According to Chinese media, the domestic commercial aviation market has been steadily recovering since the government eased the covid restriction on June 1. Daily operating flights reached 8,141 on June 19, the highest since March 7. However Shanghai is dropped out of the game in the overall recovery.
Flight data shows that only 64 and 65 domestic flights took off in Hongqiao and Pudong Airports respectively on June 22, representing some mere 5.37% and 6.64% operating volumes compared with their normal daily average rates. From June 1 up until 10am on June 23, Pudong Airport canceled 985 flights whereas Hongqiao canceled 257.5 flights, an overall 90% cancelation rate.
Why are planes still not taking off in Shanghai? What are at play?
First, it is still the zero-covid policy. Given Shanghai is still experiencing sporadic cases, other cities are reluctant in taking Shanghai passengers. However the most important reason is the politics around the "Shanghai Issue". The Central in Beijing is putting Shanghai "in probation" as punishment due to its disobedience in executing the zero-policy. Mandated quarantine days for international travelers have reduced to 7+7 in Beijing and Nanjing, but ironically not Shanghai. The Central is doubling down its efforts in Shanghai as a way to show its teeth and get the city know who the boss is.
Sky Vision's overall on-the-ground observation is that China has been gradually relaxing covid restrictions. The 2nd half of the year will show a continuing emphasis in economic development. There will be no city-wide lockdowns however the government will not change its zero-covid rhetoric. Amid the encouraging signs for the rest of the country, when will Shanghai finally get on its feet and run as before the lockdown? We'd like to hear your opinions.