Bear...there is a guy called Page who I call a true vocational professional engineer....see:
Page
I see RR take total responsibility for these engines and Qantas pay money direct to RR per flight hour. The only thing Qantas engineers will know is how much turbine oil was being used when it returned home. They still don't know how much had to be added at destination ports.
Since 1995 I have watched how the unbiquitous MBA graduates have eaten away at engineering authority. When I was the tender age of 22 I could call a STOP at any stage until an issue was sorted.
My own is son is 22 and at university for his diploma. He was taught on the tools from the age of 15. He already has exercised the "STOP" option on his course much to the surprise of his tutors. Makes me, and I have to say his tutors, very happy!
The telemetry affixed to these machines really is a JOKE. All they are there for is to minimise RR costs. They ARE NOT there for the benefit of Qantas or the general public.
Yes Bear the T972 is much lighter than the GE equivalent and this is the reason Qantas bought it...so they get max revenue especially on the routes from California. They had no reason to doubt that RR knew WTF it was doing.
What i really want to know is WTF was done when this machine was up at the Lufthansa facility in Germany for the "C" check. I also want to know why SQ was changeing T970 engines like dirty underwear.
There is NO WAY that RR will meet Qantas in open litigation because we will see what a tin of worms RR has cultivated. For those of us who care about people more than our bonus this catastrophe has torn away our faith.
For those engineers who read this: if the company you work for is taking chances with anything then WALK AWAY. There are plenty of good companies around the world who DO care. Sell up and emigrate. The best guys I know all know work worldwide. Not always for the big players either.
Unlike avionics the mechanical engineering problems are often easily identified to a skilled engineer. Believe me there will be quite a few guys on the tools that knew this T972 was unhealthy. They had mortgages to pay and their supervisors should be no where near a commercial transport aircraft.
Qantas needs to employ a bunch of top notch mobile engineers to get maintenance in hand, rewrite the leasing contract and restructure the chain of command. The way 466 people were used as Guinea Pigs sickens me to the core.