By Shannon Steffke Every September, mental health shows up on the industry calendar. It is National Suicide Prevention Month, and for a few weeks the skilled trades talk openly about a subject they usually keep quiet. The posters go up and a hotline number gets shared. But by the time October rolls around, the topic… Read more »
By Samuel Allen, C.M., ACE Airport Operations Manager and AOA Safety Consultant Whether personally or professionally, everyone needs a little help sometimes. Unlike personal help, professional help on the AOA often comes in the form of certified and qualified contractors. For high-stakes projects, particularly on the airfield, correct selection of a contractor is often just… Read more »
By Shannon Steffke, Staff Writer Gas station coffee that’s been on the burner since three. The top of a Mountain Dew bottle twisted off in the truck on the way in. A Monster in the door of every third pickup on the property. Somebody brewed a pot at home at 3:45 and filled a thermos… Read more »
By Shannon Steffke Writer Airports live in a blinding spotlight. They move millions of people safely every year, but the moment something goes wrong the image of their quiet competence disappears. A minor runway incursion—even one that ends without damage or injury—can put a director’s name in headlines. And these days, headlines travel fast. That… Read more »
By Shannon Steffke Staff writer Ask an airport director what keeps them up at night, and the answer rarely starts with runways or regulations. More often it starts with people—or the persistent lack of them. Staffing has become one of the most pervasive and persistent challenges in airport operations today. Finding qualified personnel is difficult… Read more »
About the series: In the fast-paced AOA environment, the teams in charge of clear communication and constant situational awareness are essential to maintaining operational safety. At Alder, these workers include our professionally trained flaggers, escorts, Resident Project Representatives and barricaders, all who have a deep knowledge of runway construction and maintenance. Together, these key personnel… Read more »
By Lonna Whiting For airports large and small, leaders spend a lot of time prioritizing capital work, advancing strategic initiatives, and maintaining regulatory requirements. It’s a constant challenge, and anytime you bring a runway construction project into the mix, it doesn’t take long for overwhelm, deadline stress, and budget anxiety to follow. Like many airport… Read more »
By Samuel Allen, C.M., ACE Airport Operations Manager and AOA Safety Consultant In any safety-oriented company culture, frontline employees play a pivotal role and are often underappreciated. While leadership may define policies and procedures, it is the daily actions, decisions, and observations of these employees that ultimately determine whether a workplace remains safe or becomes… Read more »
Editor’s note: At La Guardia Airport on March 22, 2026, two pilots were killed, and 43 passengers and crew were injured when the Air Canada plane operated by Jazz Aviation collided with a fire truck upon landing. Since then, safety experts have cautioned against jumping to conclusions about the causes of the incident until investigators… Read more »
Written for Alder by Airport Operations Consultant Samuel Allen, C.M., ACE, this special blog series focuses on hazardous behavioral attitudes that deter safety on the AOA. From overly confident macho men and women to the flaggers who seem to have no fear, Sam defines the most common characteristics of hazardous attitudes in aviation construction work.… Read more »