Originally Posted by
WillowRun 6-3
In reviewing FAA orders on how oversight processes are to be conducted, it appears that there may be ways for manufacturers to avoid audit accountability. For example, FAA Order 8120.23A requires that, before performing a Quality System Audit, the Agency must provide 50 days advance notice. This generous notice period clears the way for manufacturers to correct noncompliant conditions prior to the audit, ensuring that non-compliant conditions are rarely if ever detected during an audit. In effect, manufacturers must only get their house in order once an audit is announced.
For all that this covers some formalised audits (and there's presumably nothing to prevent giving notice that you will be doing such an audit on the 1st Monday of every month), aircraft in production have always as standard had permanent on-site inspectors from the customer. Alaska Airlines will presumably have (one or more) fully qualified engineers in the Renton plant specifically to oversee assembly of their own aircraft. And far more, Boeing as customer will doubtless have staff at Spirit, overseeing the whole production process of the fuselages. I believe they even put someone on the train taking the fuselages from Wichita to Seattle.
Now these "client representative" staff will be looking absolutely at the manufacturing process in detail, compliance with procedures, seeing the daily work plan, walking round the aircraft for much of their time, etc. An interesting task, one or two who have had this role previously have even posted their experiences on here in the past. Engineers are sent from all over the world to Boeing to oversee what is being built for them - Alaska Airlines doubtless have the easiest time of all, given that their corporate HQ and principal maintenance base is just down the street from Renton.