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Old 31st Aug 2010, 02:21
  #7 (permalink)  
Robbovic
 
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: Melbourne, Vic
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OK guys, before we all run around with our aprons over our heads and acting like Bob Nutter and calling for full investigations, a few facts.

Although most of the elements of the ILS are COTS items and come ready to install, it is most definately NOT a plug-and-play system.
The civil works associated with the installation need to be completed to strict standards.
The tech certing for installers is very stringent. There are only a few techs that are competent to do this work.
The cabling installation is critical - the lengths have to be calculated and cut to a fraction of a millimeter.
The whole system has to undergo a stringent series of alignments and ground testing folowed by flight testing.
It is not a process to be short circuited.

On top of all this, the installation was planned to take place at the driest part of the year to prevent exactly the disruptions that have taken place.
Of course Murphy has intervened and unseasonal rain has come at exactly the moment calculated to cause the most disruption to the project.

It is a slur on the guys working on this to compare them to third world countries. They do their work with the utmost skill and pride in what they do. They are working under a lot of schedule pressure already - there are no shortcuts in doing this properly.
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