From what I know of QF in terms of its engineers, with the exception of the old Heavy Maint nearly everyone is a LAME..That is regardless of whether you have one categaory ie Elec or Full EIR..With other airlines like EK,CX,BA,SQ etc, an LAE is a position which you have to apply for if one becomes available..its not a given right, ..and that my friends is where the problem lies.
Because there's never been a limited approval for AMEs ie CAT A, which would cover 21 items of Line Maint such as wheels and brakes, transit chks etc,(inspite of that sys being in Europe in the late 90's), the company under the CASA system, have to use a Licensed engineers, which becomes very expensive indeed, especially when some of those LAME's earn over $150k a year for topping up oil and doing a check 1!!...
The current system is not financially sustainable..If QF want to go down the EASA way of doing things ie few LAE's trained on all types, loads of AMEs trained on CAT A, how do they propose on doing it??..
Having worked for QF Eng for a few years, I constantly see wastage and systems which are making our job more and more admin than engineering..
Is it prudent to have LAMEs on $50/hr spend half there working day typing in tech log coupons or constantly towing around aircraft..Can we not get Data entry clerks on 40K a year to do that??..
How much does that cost the company?..And don't even get me started on the Maintenix System!!..
Instead its the poor LAME that has to pay for the grossly ineffiecent way Engineering has been run for years...and still is!!!!