The Death to Downtime
Podcast

One podcast to rule all aerospace and aviation tech ops professionals.

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Episode 4: Discussing Leadership by Accident and Other Aviation Tech Ops Challenges

Airlines spend millions fighting downtime, but what if the real bottleneck isn’t technical—it’s leadership? In this episode of The Death to Downtime Podcast, host Andy Hakes sits down with Oscar Roman, VP of Maintenance Ops at Saudia, to uncover aviation’s hidden leadership crisis. ✈️ How COVID permanently changed aviation strategy ⚙️ Why technical and commercial teams can’t afford to stay siloed 👨‍🔧 The dangers of “leadership by accident” 💡 Why airlines need two career paths: technical mastery & leadership 🚨 The true cost of bad leadership on culture, safety, and revenue 🤖 Can regulators and AI close the leadership gap? Whether you’re on the hangar floor or in the boardroom, this episode will challenge how you think about leadership in aviation.

October 3, 2025

min read