Having never yet been responsible for the maintenance on aircraft, I can't speak from personal experience. Previous posters have mentioned the poor rate of pay which the engineers get. But surely this is, at least partly, because we refuse to pay any more than we have to?
For example, I have heard lots of very good things about the engineering shop at White Waltham. I've certainly never had any complaints at all about the maintenance on the club aircraft. These are one of the few shops around who do know how to look after a wood+fabric aircraft. But I have heard numerous pilots complain about how expensive they are. I fear it's a simple case of "you get what you pay for."
On a lighter note: this weekend, I paid a deposit for my first aircraft - a 1/6th share in a Europa. (Balance payable once I complete differences training, and a conversion course - so I'm not an aircraft owner just yet!) I wanted the plane looked over by someone who knows what they're looking for before I parted with my hard-earned cash, and since it's a PFA aircraft, that meant finding a PFA inspector. A quick e-mail to the PFA, and 2 days later I received a huge list of inspectors all over the south of England.
It was almost a case of putting a pin on the paper, and using whoever the pin pointed to. In the end, though, the decision was made for me - I picked a handful of inspectors in my area, and none of them answered their phones. I left them all messages, and only one returned my call.
What a nice guy! We chatted for a while before the owner arrived with the keys. He spent a fair while looking over the aircraft, got down on his hands and knees to check underneath (quiet an achievement for a gentleman of his age, but it didn't seem to bother him too much!) and then told me he couldn't find any problems, and I should buy it (not a surprise - the plane has less than 50 hours total time, so it's only recently come out of it's final pre-first-flight inspection - but good to hear it confirmed anyway).
The total cost for this service? Nothing! Of course I insisted on giving him enough money for more than a couple of brandys. But it's so rare to find someone who's prepared to share his expertise for no other reason than that he loves aeroplanes. A very rare breed, and someone I will make sure I say Hello to whenever I see him at the airfield bar in future.
FFF
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