ALEA Fed. Sec.:
Just posting to remind readers what sort of a management team we are dealing with here and where their priorities lie.
We (ALAEA) currently have 6 Qantas group LAMEs stood down from duty subject to a disciplinary investigation because they reported defects on aircraft in an area that they weren't asked to look. Relates to Dash 8 aircraft and the cockpit doors that coud be opened with paddle pop sticks.
Yes, yesterdays incident has nothing to do with cockpit doors but what kind of a message does it send to Engineers who can be disciplined for reporting aircraft defects if it was just something they happened to notice in the course of their duties.
I'm getting sick of this safety is our number one priority thing. I suspect the 380's have been grounded because they are still under warranty.
...So if a LAME is working away at some hydraulics, and notices that One or Two fuselage frames appear to be cracked and a pressurization valve is black and smoking and he decided to follow QF's instructions and ignore it?
What would CASA make of that? Obviously the manager who penalised LAMES for reporting defects outside their direct work sheet requirements, thus setting up a culture of deliberate ignorance would be held blameless by CASA.
What would CASA do:
(a) If it was a Qantas LAME?
(b) If it was a GA LAME working for a Charter operator?
Will Qantas get the CASA letter at 4.30pm on a Friday night, suspending its AOC, like a charter operator?
..Or will their be unctuous Tut tutting by CASA about how this incident is perfectly understandable.
Does anyone else see the slow march to death and destruction caused by a combination of toxic corporate culture and toxic regulatory culture?
Then, isn't QF angling to reduce the pay and experience levels required of its pilots? What happens if a similar incident happens with a 1500 hour Twenty something in the left seat and a 300 hour Twenty something in the right seat?