By Florin Necula, PhD | Accountable Manager & Licensed Aircraft Engineer Sep 13th, 2026 We trust numbers in aviation and usually for good reason. We need accurate calculations to operate aircraft and reliable data to understand recurring problems. But I wonder whether that trust sometimes extends too far when we assess people, organisations and operational
Why access to a procedure should not be mistaken for training, learning or competence By Florin Necula, PhD | Accountable Manager & Licensed Aircraft Engineer Aug 18th, 2026 A signature proves that a document reached a person. It does not prove what that person can do afterwards. One hundred pages of procedures. Personnel asked to
By Florin Necula, PhD | Accountable Manager & Licensed Aircraft Engineer Jul 29th, 2026 Every occurrence has a history. That does not mean it has one final, fully discoverable cause. 1. There Must Be a Cause Following an aviation occurrence, one question inevitably arises: What was the root cause? The question appears objective and scientific.
By Florin Necula, PhD | Accountable Manager & Licensed Aircraft Engineer Jun 26th, 2026 Some time ago, I became aware of a case where a person was assessed for a limited certifying staff authorisation. The scope was not excessive. The expectations were clear. The person had been exposed to practical work for a significant period
By Florin Necula, PhD | Accountable Manager & Licensed Aircraft Engineer Jun 15th, 2026 Introduction In aviation, we like to believe that safety is controlled by regulations, procedures, training, audits and checklists. And to a large extent, it is. Aviation would not be safe without them. But there is an uncomfortable truth: procedures do not
How risk perception shapes judgment, behaviour and safe performance in aviation and beyond By Florin Necula, PhD | Accountable Manager & Licensed Aircraft Engineer April 15th, 2026 In aviation, we often describe safety through systems, procedures, compliance, reporting, audits, training and culture. All of these matter. They are important. But in real operations, safety often
By Florin Necula, PhD | Accountable Manager & Licensed Aircraft EngineerFeb 22th, 2026 INTRODUCTION Aviation is rightly proud of its procedures. We standardise, we document, we train, we audit and we do it because we believe standardisation is one of the strongest defences we have against error. Yet every aviation professional also knows a quieter
Reflections on Compliance, Human Factors and the Cost of Non–Risk-Based Audits By Florin Necula, PhD | Accountable Manager & Licensed Aircraft EngineerFeb 26th, 2026 When Oversight Consumes the Resources Needed for Safety Aviation is, by design, a highly regulated industry. Oversight by competent authorities is not only necessary, it is essential for managing risk in
By Florin Necula, PhD | CAMO NP & Licensed Aircraft EngineerJan 6th, 2026 1. INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND The Airworthiness Review Certificate (ARC) is a foundational element within the European continuing airworthiness regulatory framework. Established under Regulation (EU) No. 1321/2014, the ARC represents an independent attestation that an aircraft continues to conform to its approved type
Completing the Safety Model in Aircraft Maintenance By Florin Necula, PhD | Maintenance Manager & Licensed Aircraft EngineerDec 14th, 2025 Introduction The evolution of aviation safety has been characterized by successive conceptual shifts in how risk, error and responsibility are understood. Each shift has been driven by improved scientific insight and operational experience and each