Saving up the snags

[EGT Redline]

Being mil we obviously can take larger faults than civvy airlines, and sometimes operate the aircraft with major faults just to get them back to a safe service centre.

K-130

It’s actually the other way round. Airlines cannot afford to have their aeroplanes sitting on the ground, it costs them lots of money. If a dispatch is allowable iaw the MEL then it will fly, you will be surprised what snags they can and do carry. Aircraft are also released with major faults to get them back to main base, an example being un-pressurised flight due to structural damage.

I remember the good old days on the TriStar in the mob. You’d regularly get a load of blokes dithering around wondering what to do about the EPR gauge that had just gone U/S or the aircrew demanding it to be fixed before they flew. Delays were commonplace because some EngO was frightened of putting his name to a snag that was perfectible acceptable.

Unlike the MOD F700, civvies do not complicate matters with load of separate sections in their Tech Logs. A simple ADD (Acceptable Deferred Defect) log suffices for all deferred defects, including the ones that impose limitations on the aircraft.