QF 380 Issues
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Little Napoleon deemed engineering non-core.
Rather amusingly, insurance and gym memberships are.
Scale reduction in maintenance capacity saw engineering made redundant as the fleet size made continued investment "unprofitable" With that exercise process control was lost.
Qantas became reliant on an outside party.
It is a regular occurrence that QF aircraft (and other competitor customer aircraft) slide down the priority list at maintenance providers offshore....Funny that.
When QF32 suffered the stub pipe fracture within the engine, the airline were not aware of the pending Rolls Royce modification, consequently grounding their A380 fleet until they could work out which aircraft were and were not modified. No doubt it saved them a fortune short term; all those engineers made redundant, a union reduced in power and the like.
It was not Rolls Royce and its logo that fell to Earth and was splashed all over the media, it was Qantas.
The reputational risk for Rolls Royce was limited to a "compensation" payment. A hull loss for an airline through lack of process control, reduction in corporate knowledge and spreadsheet management can have far longer reaching implication.
Rather amusingly, insurance and gym memberships are.
Scale reduction in maintenance capacity saw engineering made redundant as the fleet size made continued investment "unprofitable" With that exercise process control was lost.
Qantas became reliant on an outside party.
It is a regular occurrence that QF aircraft (and other competitor customer aircraft) slide down the priority list at maintenance providers offshore....Funny that.
When QF32 suffered the stub pipe fracture within the engine, the airline were not aware of the pending Rolls Royce modification, consequently grounding their A380 fleet until they could work out which aircraft were and were not modified. No doubt it saved them a fortune short term; all those engineers made redundant, a union reduced in power and the like.
It was not Rolls Royce and its logo that fell to Earth and was splashed all over the media, it was Qantas.
The reputational risk for Rolls Royce was limited to a "compensation" payment. A hull loss for an airline through lack of process control, reduction in corporate knowledge and spreadsheet management can have far longer reaching implication.
Last edited by Rated De; 29th Nov 2019 at 09:15.
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Dood, for a small period of time in Australia's history a political team had a vision of the 'clever' country. We were and are far from smart and have continued to be the 'lucky country.' That's about it and all it will ever be.
Personally I think the luck is running out.
That’s because you’re all now so frigging expensive that people the world over have no problem beating you in price
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Engineering is “non core” right up to the time when it isn’t. However by then the executives responsible will have taken their bonuses, shares and superannuation and retired.
I was offered this “bargain “ - think short term and be handsomely rewarded for it, by my first employer, Exxon. I quit when I realised that I was the patsy if there was an accident on my watch.
If the proverbial hits the fan, we have no engineering capacity in this country, just like 1939.
I was offered this “bargain “ - think short term and be handsomely rewarded for it, by my first employer, Exxon. I quit when I realised that I was the patsy if there was an accident on my watch.
If the proverbial hits the fan, we have no engineering capacity in this country, just like 1939.
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Engineering is “non core” right up to the time when it isn’t. However by then the executives responsible will have taken their bonuses, shares and superannuation and retired.
I was offered this “bargain “ - think short term and be handsomely rewarded for it, by my first employer, Exxon. I quit when I realised that I was the patsy if there was an accident on my watch.
If the proverbial hits the fan, we have no engineering capacity in this country, just like 1939.
I was offered this “bargain “ - think short term and be handsomely rewarded for it, by my first employer, Exxon. I quit when I realised that I was the patsy if there was an accident on my watch.
If the proverbial hits the fan, we have no engineering capacity in this country, just like 1939.
Precisely Sunfish.
A horribly unprepared Australia had practically zero heavy engineering capacity at the outbreak of World War two.
Time and geography allowed an escape. Talk to anyone in Darwin during the War to see how undefended it was north of the Brisbane line.
The reason Qantas had apprentice schools, heavy engineering and power plant facilities under government ownership, was in part, national interest.
The same applied to the car manufacturing industry, whereby production could be switched to producing military equipment with sufficient expertise to actually do so.
With 19 days of strategic fuel reserve and a privatised Qantas, national interest is only a flag of convenience.
It doesn’t seem financially sensible to have a dedicated engineering facility and a new build, specialty hangar, for small fleet of just 12 A380. BA have large facilities at Lhr and Cardiff for heavy maintenance on all their other types.
The 3 yearly heavy maintenance for the 12 strong fleet is carried out at present in Manila, by Lufthansa Technik. The planned aircraft is positioned there after scheduled service into Singapore. The aircraft previous off maintenance ex Manila ,then operates the service Sin Lhr. Seems to work well.( An after maintenance test flight having taken place the day before)
Unscheduled engine changes, just ferry a replacement on site by large Russian freighter!!
I don’t think the A380 cleared for 3 engine ferry as we did with the B747 if required.
The 3 yearly heavy maintenance for the 12 strong fleet is carried out at present in Manila, by Lufthansa Technik. The planned aircraft is positioned there after scheduled service into Singapore. The aircraft previous off maintenance ex Manila ,then operates the service Sin Lhr. Seems to work well.( An after maintenance test flight having taken place the day before)
Unscheduled engine changes, just ferry a replacement on site by large Russian freighter!!
I don’t think the A380 cleared for 3 engine ferry as we did with the B747 if required.
Last edited by cessnapete; 1st Dec 2019 at 09:46.
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It doesn’t seem financially sensible to have a dedicated engineering facility and a new build, specialty hangar, for small fleet of just 12 A380. BA have large facilities at Lhr and Cardiff for heavy maintenance on all their other types.
The 3 yearly heavy maintenance for the 12 strong fleet is carried out at present in Manila, by Lufthansa Technik. The planned aircraft is positioned there after scheduled service into Singapore. The aircraft previous off maintenance ex Manila ,then operates the service Sin Lhr. Seems to work well.( An after maintenance test flight having taken place the day before)
Unscheduled engine changes, just ferry a replacement on site by large Russian freighter!!
I don’t think the A380 cleared for 3 engine ferry as we did with the B747 if required.
The 3 yearly heavy maintenance for the 12 strong fleet is carried out at present in Manila, by Lufthansa Technik. The planned aircraft is positioned there after scheduled service into Singapore. The aircraft previous off maintenance ex Manila ,then operates the service Sin Lhr. Seems to work well.( An after maintenance test flight having taken place the day before)
Unscheduled engine changes, just ferry a replacement on site by large Russian freighter!!
I don’t think the A380 cleared for 3 engine ferry as we did with the B747 if required.
Heavy maintenance is in Abu Dhabi, refurbishment (config) is done in Germany.
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Just because something is legal (3 eng ferry is in the A380 FCOM) doesn't make it safe...2 engine inoperative on the same side would be exciting I think...or Maybe it's cheaper to rent hangar space, freight the engine and complete the engine change there rather than ferry it home.
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It doesn’t seem financially sensible to have a dedicated engineering facility and a new build, specialty hangar, for small fleet of just 12 A380. BA have large facilities at Lhr and Cardiff for heavy maintenance on all their other types.
The 3 yearly heavy maintenance for the 12 strong fleet is carried out at present in Manila, by Lufthansa Technik. The planned aircraft is positioned there after scheduled service into Singapore. The aircraft previous off maintenance ex Manila ,then operates the service Sin Lhr. Seems to work well.( An after maintenance test flight having taken place the day before)
Unscheduled engine changes, just ferry a replacement on site by large Russian freighter!!
I don’t think the A380 cleared for 3 engine ferry as we did with the B747 if required.
The 3 yearly heavy maintenance for the 12 strong fleet is carried out at present in Manila, by Lufthansa Technik. The planned aircraft is positioned there after scheduled service into Singapore. The aircraft previous off maintenance ex Manila ,then operates the service Sin Lhr. Seems to work well.( An after maintenance test flight having taken place the day before)
Unscheduled engine changes, just ferry a replacement on site by large Russian freighter!!
I don’t think the A380 cleared for 3 engine ferry as we did with the B747 if required.
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I was referring to British Airways Manila Maintainence for their 12 strong fleet. Def a maintenance flight before enters service. Pos to Clark AB the day before pax service ex Sin.
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It doesn’t seem financially sensible to have a dedicated engineering facility and a new build, specialty hangar, for small fleet of just 12 A380
Firstly, Fort Fumble "competitively tendered" engineering between itself and John Holland. Strangely convicted felon and then QF CFO Gregg was simultaneously on the board of the Leighton Holdings..No conflict there.
Having lost the "tender" QF engineering lost a few people, then of course Fort Fumble undertook said fleet reduction.
Said fleet is never again to be a scale that would economically justify (let alone national interest) a heavy engineering structure.