Originally Posted by
70 Mustang
What has happened to what used to be the best aircraft manufacturer?
Pre 2000 Job Interviews had a practical exercise to help employers select the right candidate for the job.
Now days employers are more interested in qualifications over technical hand skills.
I once witnessed a chap had passed his Part 66 licence and needed to fill out his practical experience in his experience logbook, he filled up his experience logbook in a matter of 3 days as per the requirements of the CAA.
His experience was fabricated.
This I find as a common problem in aviation today, engineers that are very clever with studying and exams but lack handskill and technical ability.
The Charlton whistle blowers were probably long term Boeing employees with a very rare skillset of seeing problems before they present themselves,through years of experience.
I have worked at many different companies UK based, where complacency is an every day norm, tasks are signed off without been done to meet costing and schedules.
With approved maintenance data not being used but signed off in accordance with that approved data.
When the issues are raised one finds themselves being set up to fail and end up being fired with excuses that it is not economically viable for the company to follow approved maintenance data due to cost and downtime.
The customer is non the wiser.
Boeing's biggest problem was their competition with Airbus. The B787 was the beginning of their downfall, due to getting the B787 certified before the Airbus A350. Boeing had a good relationship with the FAA and the FAA trusted Boeing ASB's and SB's were being approved in record time. Boeing took took advantage of this relationship with the FAA and that is when safety started to slide downhill.
The CAA are more interested in making money than safety, I have seen CAA conducting audits whereby they don't know what they are looking for and this comes from qualifications over technical ability ie hands on experience.
Recall the incident whereby the pilots windshield blew out due to the incorrect thread pitch bolts being used to secure the windshield, those bolts were taken from a bin on the hangar floor.
Following this incident the authority decided that quick access parts in bins whereby a requisition is not needed were to be eliminated. But over the years these have reappeared and the CAA walk passed them on audits. Toolboxes are rarely checked and toolbox check sheets are signed off by mates.
No control and we wonder why airplanes fall out the sky.