Are you an aircraft maintenance AvGeek? Do you want to be great at what you do? 

You went to school but it doesn’t stop there. Whether you’re in engineering, supply, material, maintenance, VP, or the hundreds of other important roles, reading and developing your skills is crucial to your success. 

Educating yourself through books is the lowest cost and highest ROI you'll ever achieve. If you want to pass the rank and file and be great at what you do...read more. 

We’ve compiled a list of 5 must read books to help you become an aircraft maintenance rock star. 

1. Lean Supply Chain Management: A Handbook for Strategic Procurement

Undoubtedly, a huge contributor to the success of any maintenance operation is supply chain. Without it, you find yourself not having what you need, poor quality, or overstocking. In Jeffrey Wincel's book, Lean Supply Chain Management, he considers your operation's business condition as a factor in the development of a strategic procurement strategy. As we’ve said it countless times here, each operation is different and so is this book. The author understands this and that’s why we’ve put it on this list. 

Here’s what you’ll get from it: methods for developing and tracking strategic procurement initiatives, planning in the “standard” and “crisis” environments, coordinating supply chain management and lean manufacturing, and performance measurement tools.

Lean Supply Chain Management provides purchasers and supplier development professionals with the tools needed to transform procurement from a mere cost center to a profit generator.

2. Human Reliability, Error, and Human Factors in Engineering Maintenance

Written by Dr. Balbir Dhillon, Human Reliability, Error, and Human Factors in Engineering Maintenance is a got to read for any maintenance professional. It doesn’t matter what areas you’re in. 

“Of the billions of dollars spent on plant management and operation annually, an estimated 80% of the total amount is spent to rectify the chronic failure of systems, machines, and humans.” 

There’s no single go to resource that covers all topics within a maintenance safety framework. This is your guide.  “Drawing on a myriad of sources, the book provides quick and easy access to information that can then be immediately applied to actual problems in the field. It includes examples and their solutions to illustrate engineering safety management at work and gives readers a view of the intensity of developments in the area.”

3. Analytical & Strategic Troubleshooting System in Aircraft Maintenance

AOG! These three letters insight panic. An instant scramble to resolve a problem. What James Dors writes about in the book Analytical & Strategic Troubleshooting System in Aircraft Maintenance, is a description of how we can develop troubleshooting processes to not only ensure safety, but to also to reduce operator costs and increase reliability and utilization. 

“The defined stepped process sets a foundation to ensure efficient and effective troubleshooting while identifying benefits both technically and commercially."

4. Aviation Maintenance Management 

Maintenance without a sound management plan is like a ship without a helm. In this book, two Embry Riddle Aeronautical instructors have created a detailed reference guide, Aviation Maintenance Management, that will walk you through how to establish and run an efficient maintenance program. 

A few key takeaways are providing material support for maintenance and engineering, managing line and hangar maintenance, documenting activities, minimizing interruptions, and much more. 

5. Commercial Aviation Safety, Fifth Edition 

The aviation environment is always changing. There are millions of variables we all must know and understand and putting the pieces together can be difficult, cumbersome, and overwhelming. 

"Commercial Aviation Safety, delivers authoritative information on today's security concerns on the ground and in the air, changes in systems and regulations, new maintenance and flight technologies, and recent accident statistics. This is the most comprehensive, current, and systematic reference on the principles and practices of commercial aviation safety and security.”

Which book have you read and what did you learn? What other books would you recommend?  Let us know in the comments below...