LAEs Replaced By RMA "technicians" and matters arising.
I am new to this forum and I have only just started reading it, I am an LAE with the major UK airline. Some of my LAE friends have left my work area for pastures new and it raises several concerns I would like to air. Firstly, they are not being replaced and the young recently qualified LAE's can see this so they have left too. Second concern, this leaves the airline I work for filling the gap with RMA (Ramp Maintenance Authorisation) staff who were initially only signing for their own work on standard nil defects turnrounds, the odd wheel change or nav light filament. These guys are being leant on to get JAR66 licences by extending their cover to 2 aircraft types, doing more complex ramp checks and initial parts of duplicate inspections. Most are doing this not more pay, but the threat that they will lose their currently enhanced pay in May 2001 if they do not .As the workload of the remaining LAE's increases, it is increasingly more difficult to monitor the standard of work carried out by the RMA staff, at the same time the QA dept is delegating its responsibility for the standard of the RMA staff to the LAE's. Is this happening anywhere else?
Last point, those who leave, usually due to frustrated ambition or the lure of more money report back that the companies they join are no better than the one they left. They've gone to some well respected airlines only to find the engineering section is a shambles.
Some of the items in the forum suggest that this is the case. Are there any good ones?
Has anyone tried to get into the airline related forum, which is mainly there for the benefit of flight crew? Has anyone suceeded? If so is it worthwhile? I maintain that flight crew have little or no idea about how the engineering staff struggle to produce a good product despite bad management , the bead counters and the submissive attitude of the CAA.
I don't see much evidence of flight crew contributing to this forum, so perhaps we should be able to contribute to their forum at the same time keeping the discussions in the company.
Any thoughts?