A business flightplan

But getting pilots back into ‘touch’ with their aircraft is only part of the safety and drift management equation.

Pilots also have to switch on all of their intelligence gathering powers to ensure they have crystal clear situational awareness. What are the risks associated with the chemical I am using? What susceptible crops are downwind? Do I know where all the powerlines are? Do I have a well-practised technique to remember powerlines even if I am mentally overloaded or distracted? And the operators themselves must shoulder the significant challenge of actively managing their pilots, rather than simply relying on their professionalism, training and good sense.

It is often this challenge that is the most daunting to operators, most of whom started out in business as an ag pilot themselves and simply grew from there, generally with little additional training in ‘management’.

Management is not something that just ‘happens’ – it is something that the owner of the company has to actively pursue. It is something they may need to train for, get advice on when necessary and study to work out what is relevant for their aviation business.

Too often we make the mistake of assuming that because someone is a sound pilot they will automatically grow into a good manager with no further learning required. True, some of the skills are already there – decision making, risk management, knowledge of the job and aircraft – but often in aviation, a lot is also missing.

We wouldn’t put a novice into an aircraft without appropriate training. We shouldn’t be scared to seek more information and skills as our businesses grow.

A key challenge to aerial ag is the need for operators to document how they do things – to systemise their business so they can get the same quality job every time.

Anyone involved in securing government contracts is already experiencing this.

While ag operators already struggle with a significant paperwork load from CASA and especially the chemical regulators, the need to systemise our businesses is not all bad news.

A business that: • knows what its reason for existence (the owner’s goals and business plan) is probably more focused than their ‘we’ll take what comes’ competitor; • has a system for getting a quality job every time will also have a far better legal defence of ‘due diligence’ should something go wrong; • has systems and management manuals is likely to be better placed to win government contracts and more easily meet the demands of government regulators – especially CASA, OH&S and DPI/EPA; • has spent a little time to think and write things down so that everyone knows where they stand will be more likely to attract and keep quality employees; • knows how to financially monitor their business using various analysis ratios and other tools will be better placed to respond to changes in the market and fluctuations in costs, to raise capital and improve their return on investment; • has a marketing strategy is more likely to create and convert opportunities than one who waits to see who comes through the door; and • has assessed the risks that could bite them, has a system in place to manage those risks and regularly trains against those risks is more likely to enjoy lower insurance premiums, fewer accidents, less costs and less trauma in the long run.

Despite the cynic’s view that our aircraft will not fly until we have equal its weight in paperwork, there are clear advantages to having a system-based business with supporting documents.

AAAA continues to work on developing a comprehensive business system for members and in providing relevant training from leading business speakers, but the first step rests with the owner of the business – it is their choice to bury their head in the sand or to rise to the simple challenge of making their businesses more resilient.

As Gerber points out in The E-Myth– it is time we started working on our businesses instead of just in them.

So go on, get the back of that envelope, pick up the pen and write down what you want out of your business – that is the first step in every business management system. o Australian Aviation is proud to be the official supporting journal of the Aerial Agricultural Association of Australia. The views in this column are those of the AAAA, and not necessarily Australian Aviation’s.