July 15, 2013
What are Certified Aviation Managers (CAMs), and those who aspire to be certified, reading this summer?
A great start is the CAM Study Guide, a compendium of current sources on aviation management, according to NBAA Project Manager for Professional Development Sarah Wolf.
“The CAM Exam Committee has researched a variety of documents and texts, and used that research to develop test questions for the exam,” she said. “The CAM Study Guide contains a number of documents from the NBAA website, but formatted in such a way that you can easily carry it around with you.”
Available on CD-ROM, the CAM Study Guide includes the NBAA Management Guide, safety material, and a variety of articles on aviation taxation and regulation. Wolf pointed out that the study guide is not solely for aviation managers.
”Anybody working in a flight department will find the CAM Study Guide extremely useful. You’ll find information on noise abatement and how to develop job descriptions. It’s everyday material, as well as a great study guide for the CAM exam,” said Wolf.
New Releases by Experienced Aviation Managers
Also of interest to CAMs this summer is industry veteran John Sheehan’s new book, Business and Corporate Aviation Management, Second Edition.
“This book grew out of more than 20 years of auditing aviation operations,” said Sheehan, president of Professional Aviation. “One day, the light bulb came on – I’ve gathered a lot of knowledge from my clients. Wouldn’t it be nice to feed some of that back to the business aviation industry?”
Ten years to the day from its original release in 2003, Sheehan said his publisher asked him to create a second edition.
“Every chapter, every reference, every appendix has been revised. But in my opinion, the two chapters where you’ll find the most new information are on operations and safety,” said Sheehan. “The biggest change, I think, has been the advent of safety management systems [SMS] between 2010 and now, so I started that chapter with a clean sheet of paper.”
Another book CAMs may find interesting is Practical Applications in Business Aviation Management, released in January 2012 by Jim Cannon, a 40-year business aviation pilot and manager.
“I’ve tried to organize the book in a way that covers the basic principles of business aviation management,” Cannon said. “I tried to put a lot into it about the people you’ll encounter as a manager. What should, say, a pilot know about managing a flight department when it comes to working with technicians, administrative personnel, outside vendors and corporate executives?”
The chapter on standard operating procedures covers the professional expectations for how a crew should plan, organize, conduct and review a flight. It also contains useful templates like sample personnel evaluation forms.
What are the authors themselves reading this summer? Cannon pointed to a book by James Reason written in 2008 entitled The Human Contribution.
“Reason is considered by many to be the father of SMS,” said Cannon. “This one focuses on people. It’s an excellent read.”
International Business Aviation Council Ltd.