Wayne Sanderson

It’s tradeshow season!

waynesanderson — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 14:48:19 +0000

Just returned last week from my company’s first trade show of 2012, Heli-Expo, held in Dallas. Lots of people stopped by our booth to talk about our new products. Lots of walking around the convention center – probably a mile a day at least – to visit with our dealers, customers, business partners and friends, not counting the trips to and from the parking garage every day. Now, a few weeks pause until the Aircraft Electronics Association convention in Washington, D. C. in early April. The shows are always worthwhile. We find out what’s really happening in our aviation industry, renew friendships and meet new people. Conventions are the best places to accomplish a lot of things with a lot of people in a three or four day period, so we’ll add another two conventions next year and more the following year as we roll out our family of automatic flight control system products.

Predictions about the future may not be entirely accurate

waynesanderson — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 15:36:53 +0000

Today’s blog entry from Seth Godin includes a final statement that should be kept and read every so often: “As soon as you accept that just about everything in our created world is only a few generations old, it makes it a lot easier to deal with the fact that the assumptions we make about the future are generally wrong, and that the stress we have over change is completely wasted.”

The Drought has changed our part of the world

waynesanderson — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 14:27:26 +0000

I was just looking out our dining room’s bay windows at the morning sunrise. I can clearly see the hillside details on the far side of the small woods behind our fenced back yard. Two years ago, that would have been impossible. The trees and undergrowth completely blocked that view, even in the middle of winter. The photo above shows what it looked like in summer just a few years ago. We have lost more than a dozen large trees and virtually all of the underbrush in that area. It will take years to grow all of it back, and much of it may never recover.

Where has 2011 gone???

waynesanderson — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 20:28:22 +0000

It’s already Thursday…the eighth of December…the last month of the year. Where has the year gone? It seems every year really does go by faster than the previous one. I guess it’s because every day is so full…more to do than is possible in the time available. And, it seems someone is regularly calling to add something to my task list….but, no way can I take more on, even though they usually have worthwhile projects. Looking forward to 2012; lots of interesting projects already on my to-do list.

Getting ready for 2012 trade shows

waynesanderson — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 19:13:00 +0000

Well, it’s finally that time of the year when I begin working on my company’s trade show preparation activities for next year’s shows. We’re exhibiting at the Dallas Convention Center in February at Heli-Expo, the primary show for the US helicopter industry. Then, in April, we will be at the Aircraft Electronics Association convention in Washington, D.C., which is attended by many of our dealers. It’s always worthwhile to attend both. Our team gets to meet lots of prospective customers, as well as our dealers. And, we have a chance to find out what is happening in the aviation electronics (avionics) industry. Even though they are expensive to attend, trade shows and conventions are the least expensive way to talk face-to-face with our dealers, customers and prospective customers.

Looks like Fall is finally here!

waynesanderson — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 14:32:05 +0000

Summer has been really hanging on this year. Temperatures in the high 70s up until a few days ago. Then, a cold front dropped in to establish a more normal temperature range and added a little, much needed, rain here and there. Drought is still a problem around here and in most of Texas and it will be a while before things return to normal.

Why do we not prosecute people who leak or broadcast classified documents?

waynesanderson — Wed, 09 Nov 2011 16:42:09 +0000

Many times in recent years, someone in the government leaked classified documents to the media, sometimes even Top Secret items. Why are these people not prosecuted? Why is the person who receives the document and releases the information not prosecuted? What good is it to employ a classification system that can be ignored at will?

Lifelong education is no longer an option.

waynesanderson — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 18:27:33 +0000

I’ve seen several articles in e-newsletters lately talking about employers’ difficulty in finding qualified people to hire. They are convinced that our system of education is not preparing students for work in today’s environment. But, even more important is the observation that new graduates are not continuing their education. Employers are no longer hiring “trainees” that require several months to a year or more to begin to contribute significantly to their company. Somehow, employees must be made to understand that they alone are responsible for their knowledge base and realize they must continually update their skill set if they wish to remain employable in their industry.

Best baseball game I ever watched!

waynesanderson — Fri, 28 Oct 2011 13:32:12 +0000

The 6th game of the 2011 World Series – what a great game! Of course, I expected the Rangers to win it, but their bullpen just couldn’t handle St. Louis. At least, they have another chance to win the series tonight! Go Rangers!

Courage is an emotional muscle.

waynesanderson — Fri, 21 Oct 2011 14:19:11 +0000

I was just reading a short article on exercise (I still think about working out from time to time) by Doug Kelsey, a physical therapist and performance consultant in Austin, TX. He talks about the need to make exercise a habit, but says, “Without courage, there are no new habits. Some people think you either have courage or you don’t. But that’s not true. Courage is an emotional muscle. Your build your courage ‘muscle’ a lot like you build any muscle. You use it and exercise it. A little at first, then try a little more, and repeat.” That was an interesting idea…building your courage ‘habit’ by repeatedly acting with courage. The more I thought about it, the more I agreed with him. How about you?