You need Aviation Facts and Figures? - Here's where to go
Information is everywhere. You can google pretty-much anything and it most likely will be there on some server in PDF format. But there are Aviation Libraries that can deliver with just a few clicks.
Listen, we know the score. We know there’s sites out there where you can access documents for free and that’s none of our business. But at the very least you should be visiting the correct sites for the right books and documents, even if its just to make sure they are what you need.
And you never know, maybe you can get it for free!, or at the right place or you can pay a subscription where you might get a whole lot more for a small cost. Imagine you spent two years writing a book that was made available for free.
Be true to your Tribe
But we know our audience, and our audience are good, thoughtful people who know how to reward the demanding work of others by paying their commonsense fee. Just make sure you shop around!
Anyhow! You work in Aviation. At the Airport. In an Airline. With a Leasing company. Even in Air Traffic Control or hopefully in ESG. Then you need to find resources or a document on a given subject. You might be doing a course, a diploma or even a Masters and now you need the right academic resources or technical manual.
Look no further
Number one on the list for a reason. This is epicentre of explanations, resources and documents. Wildly comprehensive covering almost anything related to Aerospace and an awful lot of it is free.
If you are seeking things like accident reports, air traffic data reports or just want to know why the window on your B737 doesn’t crack – then head on over to the Skybrary. Here at WT Towers, we always implore you to look closely at the source of your information or training provider. For example, are they accredited?
Are they approved by the associations or just your local authorities? Are they even a reliable source? Skybrary has a list of partners and academic sources that are unmatched; Such as;
600 textbooks, 2,250 full text journals and magazines that cover a wide range of technical aspects and fields of all parts of aviation. Now access is for members only, but that membership could already be held by your organization especially if they are of a technical nature. What’s great about the RAS e-library is that you can go in, get what you need and download that chapter, or diagram or spec and leave the rest behind
No wasting money or time buying whole books or papers when all you need is one question answered. The RAS website is also the manager of the Royal Aerospace Library where you can do an online look up and even have books sent to you by post. The website is also chock full of articles and magazine pieces on all thing’s aviation and aerospace.
ICAO is the source of regulations and guidelines worldwide. On everything. From how to manage an airport, to how to train your pilots. To Security. These regulations waterfall down to your authority (EASA, FAA, UK CAA) and are then used to create the training or operational safety documents we use every day.
There is everything here you could ask for, and in every language in the world not just English. And you can read most of these documents online without paying for them. So if you are not sure a certain book has the practical information you need for say, managing Wildlife at your Aerodrome, you can check the ICAO Manual for that task and check to make sure its got what you need.
IATA is the Airline Associations where all the Airlines tools and training are shared amongst each other and anyone else who needs them. These resources are mostly centered around the Airline operations, Cargo, and Ticketing areas.
The commercial aspects of aviation are their key area of expertise, but there are also standards, manuals, and guideline documents galore. Everything from Dangerous Goods to live animal transportation, to the carriage of the Covid Vaccines. IATA Manuals and publications are not cheap, and you can get them at the IATA Store.
But think about what you’re getting… 50+ years of combined experience across hundreds of Airlines. If you’re looking to learn how to make money in this business we call aviation. You need to look first at IATA.
The United Kingdom Civil Aviation authority (along with the US FAA) have done the best job in recent memory in one thing. Bringing their regulatory and resources into the 20th Century. Their websites and document availability in something incredible.
Not only that, but they understand the challenges faced by their audience, those very people who need to implement regulations or design training. They create simple, easy to understand guides that are complementary to the stern, wordy manuals they must police. And this is for everything!
Airlines, Drones, the public consumer all the way down to the UAS market. But they are also aware that this is a revenue stream and so they have a training and consulting arm that can help you create or modify anything you might be doing.
And again an awful lot of this is free. They gladly post everything free to download or direct you to tools and toolkits that might help you on your journey. Marvelous stuff.
