Qantas Planes Now Falling Apart
 

I think most of us are a bit sick of reading about the smallest issue on Qantas aircraft such as a hydraulic leak casuing 2 hour delays. I do know that a number of newsworthy incidents have gone unnoticed and will post what I know. Start your investigations here journos.

Last night and just boarding now are 400 pax on the QF 31 bound for LHR after a 6 hour delay. An engine panel fell off overnight somewhere between Syd and Sin and a new temp panel has been manufactured to facilitate aircraft dept.

About 3 weeks ago VH-OEC landed at JFK. A trailing edge flap canoe was dropped on landing and later recovered from side of the runway. This panel is the covering over flap drive mechanisms and is not a small A4 size component. It is approximately 10 feet long and takes 2 or 3 men to lift in place.

You can call Mr Cox for more info.

????????????

CH7 news this morning "A Qantas aircraft was delayed 30min due to a technical problem and delay in paperwork"

Unbelievable really. It's quite sad that our media are so incapable of reporting actual factual newsworthy events. What is even sadder is that the media consider this type of reporting and journalism as the standard. These are pure scare tactics and it really is getting very boring. Journalists in their integrity and ethical standards have descended to the level of Used Car Salesman and Politicans.

Two thumbs up for the passenger who has CH7 on speed dial. Great work by reporting the dramatic breaking news of a 30min delay.

I guess the news is NOT that a small incident happened, BUT, that a longish list of small incidents are happening ... a portent of a greater malaise, perhaps ?

Also on Brisbane ABC Radio
 

Yes, I heard it at about 6:25 am today. The guy must have numbers in his mobile for all the networks. He must have called as soon as he could switch his mobile back on (if he actually turned it off after boarding !).

Any theories as to why the ABC and other media are trying to crucify Qantas ? Seems to me that most of the recent 'incidents' are just the result of people doing their job properly and taking the proper (safe) action.

Anyone here read Crikey?

Crikey - Qantas 737 saga a deadly dangerous farce - Qantas 737 saga a deadly dangerous farce

August 2007

Not wishing to re-kindle VH-OJK Oxygen bottle saga but I think it would be appropriate at this point to remember an incident that happened nearly 12 months to the day last year. This is the same place where repairs are going to be made to VH-OJK lets hope that once it gets airborne it makes it back to Aus.

Is it more likely that Boeing will do the VH-OJK repairs rather than the Manila facility ?

I saw a QF 747 parked on the maintenance ramp yesterday, in Manila, as we taxied past and the right side was taped up and covered with black plastic. Looks like it is waiting for some TLC.

To the Engineers who are releasing this rubbish, stop. It is becoming boring, and you know the old saying "To much of a good thing" The public are over it, it is yesterdays news, if you have anything serious to say go to your union, or (God help us) CASA. Otherwise you just might cook the golden egg. We all get the picture.:hmm:

All will be revealed (hopefully) within the next couple of weeks:

It will certainly be interesting if the findings are released or will QF be afforded the same protection as their overseas providers.

Foreign servicing of jets kept secret - World News - World - General - The Canberra Times

Peuse,
Thats my point.....how is a 30min delay due to a technical problem an 'incident'? Applying a MEL or getting an EA is not an incident. It is the crew acting professionally and applying SOPs to the daily operation of an aircraft.

No one is saying that QF's reaction to a technical delay is the issue, the issue is why are they having so many. I acknowledge that all airlines have daily incidents that never make the media headlines, but just the fact that the public and whistle blowers are reporting them does this mean that they are becoming frustrated and disillusioned with the national carrier.

Surely this must be worrying for the QF Directors who have a mandate to protect share holder investments. When are they going to start asking questions of QF maintenance management like WHY, HOW, WHO IS NOT DOING THEIR JOB, HAVE WE GOT A PROCESS TO CORRECT THE DOWN WARD SPIRAL, IS THEIR SOME ONE WE CAN SACRIFICE TO CALM THE BEASTS?

from nine msn poll




Vote: Do you think Qantas is becoming unsafe?
yes 34327 no 15128

Quick thread hijack here sorry ->
Does ANY pilot here take ANY faith in what Sandilands writes? The few articles I've see that hack spit out have been dross. He seems to have NFI what he's talking about half the time.

Isn't that the discourse of most of the media?

Is it just me or is this, The Dixon Plan in end play?
It would appear that what ever the Dixon Plan was, it ain't working too good anymore!
Do you think the Board ( who must have approved the plan) have dropped the ball?
What with Industrial Legislation not exactly going the way it was supposed to , ie Workchoices, the Liberal Government getting the boot, see Workchoices, delays in aircraft delivery, could that be the reason for delayed maintenence? These aircraft weren't even supposed to be here still.
The botched APA deal.
The travelling public not exactly taking to Jetstar as envisaged (see Japan loads)
List anymore as you see fit.
Might we see a few sacrifical lambs of the old guard soon ?
Would this then not allow the new guard to draw a line under the debarcle the Dixon Plan is becoming.
Maybe then the new guard could change tack and actually grow the company in order to make increased profits and how about allowing Qantas to once again offer a half decent product!

What do you think, after the release of the CASA audit, (I hear this is a "real" CASA audit this time )we might be hearing:
Big Brother has spoken, it's time to go ......?:}

Ask not for whom the bell tolls, it tolls for thee........... bye bye Muzza Cox

Qantas botched maintenance on 737s, claims engineers
Steve Creedy | August 15, 2008
QANTAS engineers say the airline's staffing problems are coming home to roost after management admitted this week that it failed to complete maintenance designed to prevent cracking in 737 forward pressure bulkheads.
Australian Licensed Aircraft Engineers Association President Paul Cousins said yesterday the work was not done because the airline's engineering services department had not issued the necessary paperwork. Mr Cousins blamed the airline's constant cost-cutting program for "getting rid of personnel who had the necessary experiences to make sure these things get done correctly". "Certainly the engineering services department is one of them. It's feeling the same as we are, and obviously the guys are overworked and have a multitude of stuff to go through," he said. "Unfortunately, when you don't have the resources, things get missed." Qantas admitted on Wednesday that it had failed to complete a maintenance procedure ordered eight years ago, that was designed to prevent an explosive decompression on six Boeing 737s now grounded until at least next week. A US Federal Aviation Administration directive was issued in 2000 after the regulator received reports of numerous cracks in critical areas of the forward pressure bulkhead. The airline voluntarily grounded the planes and informed Australia's Civil Aviation Safety Authority after an internal audit found problems with maintenance paperwork. It later admitted that a step in the maintenance -- understood to involve the installation of clips to strengthen the bulkhead -- had not been completed. CASA has stepped up an investigation of Qantas maintenance begun after a mid-air explosion blew a hole in the side of of Boeing 747-400 near Manila three weeks ago. Mr Cousins said the paperwork for this modification was complex and involved multiple engineering instructions and advisories. There were also different procedures for different planes. He said staff in engineering services had to sort through the paperwork and decide what went with what particular aircraft. "And it was during that process that certain things were missed," he said. The union has been highlighting problems with engineering for the past 18 months but its concerns had been dismissed as part of a pay campaign. With voting on a new enterprise agreement now under way, Mr Cousins said the airline was no longer able to apply that argument.
"We've been trying to highlight over the last couple of years that engineering management that's come into Qantas over the last five years and then changed again about three years ago, doesn't really have ... a full understanding of what engineering does," he said.


Oh my oh my

Oh please Mr Cusins would you like a tissue it sounds like your nothing more than a wanabe manager who had to settle for some pityful job in the union. Were do you think youd be if there was no qantas is that what you really want Cusins. I happen to know for a fact that the current team of managers came within a wisker of closing all heavy maintenance but decided not to to save you and your presous members. You should be grateful that every fortnight when you go to the Credit Union there is a nice big level 13 pay sitting there for you to feed on. Just get on with your lives and stop trying to destroy everyone elses lives.:mad::mad::mad:

So Paul points out the facts and Mr Qantas replies with a schoolyard insult.

Not a good look if you are representative of management, Mr Qantas.

What is your point exactly? Anything constructive to add?

I'm not a manager just a member of the public that cares about our airline but I was a Foreman and very grateful that qantas gave me the oportunities that I got over many years. My point is what I said in case you cant read. Cusins and his mates in what was once a fine union are on a payback campain because they want to run the airline but cant. They just need to understand that the best managers got picked and him and his mates arent them. I have worked with many good people like John Vincent and Murray Harris and what the workers has to do is just embrace the ideas and put some trust in the leadership that is there. Thats just the way it is you cant just buck the system because you are jelous.

First time I've seen Creedy write something decent perhaps he's not the the airline puppet many make him out to be..........Mr Qantas it's more than obvious that you're still working at QF or have very close ties........you let the cat out of the bag and then ran over it with your car

Mr Qantas is he the same John Vincent that was leading Ansett Engineering when they crashed and burned.???? Ah... Now I understand what's happening.

I believe his position then was 'Executive General Manager of Engineering'.

Same problems same management, when will they ever learn. Obviously a man that lives in denial.

Mate ..... a hydraulic leak is not a small issue and it could be catastrophic if it happened in the air. I actually think the media are doing fantastic job and good on them for keeping us all informed of the slackness of Qantas. By the looks of things, there is an accident just waiting to happen with Qantas, so thanks to the media I am staying well away from Qantas as a PAX. The way Qantas are treating there aircraft and staff lately they don’t deserve to be in the air at all.

Archangel7.....the correct word is 'their' as opposed to there.

Do you work for Qantas? DO you have any idea of what is actually going on apart from what is written on this site and in the newspapers (and we all know how accurate that is)???

Virgin do 2 rejects in Melbourne this week with no media coverage and QF make the news due a Tech delay on the gate!!!!!!

Mahatmacoat...

The only part of that statement which is accurate is QF 31 bound for LHR...:rolleyes:

Hard hitting stuff :ugh:

Our Airline
 

Why keep referring to Qantas as 'our airline'? It has been flogged off; just like Telstra and the Commonwealth Bank. It is just another money generating concern for shareholders both local and foreign. The name of the game is Profit. Qantas will only stand proud again if it has management that cares about the brand name for the long term and shareholders who have realistic expectations of earnings. Any fool can turn a profit by fleecing an established organization. (Anyone seen Ansett lately?) Not riding the company into the ground while turning that profit is the long term challenge. Despite any rhetoric about the future from Qantas management, the Dixon era is about profits now. You can't ensure the future of an airline when it's staff are viewed just as expenses or where technical people and their expertise rates lower than the boardroom carpet.

I believe that will be the case too complex a rebuild to leave in the hands of an MRO. Like VH-OJH no matter how much or how long,the bill paid for by insurance company. Big plus for QANTAS they wanted to put some A/C up against the fence for awhile any way, this time they are getting paid lost revenue money from the Insurance.

Also hear that rebuild want start 'til at least November, waiting for hangar space. ( It might be quicker to build their own hangar, heaven knows they will probably want to use it again, and again, and again.....

Not entirely correct 'Qantas spokes person' If it wasn't that important it would have been covered buy a CDL and there would have been no delay.
The area behind that panel requires it to be a containment area for fire extinguishing. So with out this panel in place (if) a fire had started on that engine there would not have been effective containment.

I would certainly think this was a safety implication.

Once upon a time it would have been QF's own AOG team. Alas but most of them came from SYD Heavy Maintenance and overwhelming majority of them have been either forced into redundancy or taken it voluntarily. One of the lead engineers with OJH in BKK took a great package but is now back consulting from time to time. He indicated that we just don't have the capacity to do this work ourselves now. Of course the Boeing repairs will cost a truck load more than it would have had we done the work ourselves but that never factors into the planning.

Nope, this leaves us desperately short of capacity. The aircraft that QF keeps talking about pushing up against the fence were always going in the time frame mentioned. Now what we have is 767s going back to SIN and HKG over the next few months to make up for A330s and classics being re-deployed to cover for OJK being in the repair shop.

This shows your ignorance. Repair bill for OJH came in at about $90mill USD. The cost of a used 744 in '99 of the quality of OJH (prior to the prang obviously) was significantly more than that. The cost of a new 744 was about $180mill. Those that claim the aircraft was repaired to save face simply don't know the facts.

Perfect response from MR QANTAS!

A fantastic and realistic display of QANTAS management attitude.

What you fail to realise MR QANTAS is that the vast majority of Qantas Engineering employees know that what is being said is based on fact.

Yes, every airline has technical issues and unserviceabilities daily, but "Sustainable Futures" has meant that everyone is trying to do their best without the necessary resources to be able to complete the task.

A complete lack of spares, a disfunctional IT system, replacement of centuries of LAME experience with unlicensed AMEs who through no fault of their own have infinitely less hands on experience, basically eliminating any on-going training, more aircraft and a lack of hangar space all combine to give a glimpse of the reality. One could add all those OH&S programs but what is the point.

Any unbiased analysis of QE would suggest that management has deliberately set out to destroy a once functional and effective world leading organisation, into what? I guess the future will tell!!!!

Keg thanks for the clarification but I notice you didn't dispute the fact below.

So pax loads for a 744 on the kangaroo route for 5 months ??? is a good little earn. Everyone always likes to get back a little insurance at times it helps relieve the pain of paying through the nose for many years.

To the news media:

I would pay attention to what you were saying if you only reported on things that WERE dangerous. A plane delayed for an hour or so while a new part is installed to replace one that was found broken is, no matter how much you would like it to be, NOT a safety incident. Something needed to be fixed, and instead of just going anyway, it was replaced. Where is the problem? Are you saying that everytime you take your car to the mechanic, that nothing is ever found to be broken?

Don't know about this particular incident, so holding off on judgement there, but F:mad:k I'm sick of delays being reported as emergencies.:ugh:

vortsa, my lack of comment on that particular issue should not be interpreted as agreeance. I simply have no information on that issue and therefore made no comment. It could well be that QF 'self insure' in this area- as they do for a number of others- but I really have no idea.

Therefore you may be right but you may be wrong.

Mr Qantas are you one of the Newport aviation scabs working in LA now, on less money now the LAME PIA is over as management know you cant get a job anywhere else in the aviation world. And also to say that MH and JV are upstanding people is obsurd. Do I sense a lisp in your speech with your speech slops.

I do believe it true that Qantas do "self insure". The money that would have been spent on premiums for an entire fleet is "wisely"invested for a rainy day!!! $90m for repairs would be less than a single years insurance costs for the company, one would think. typically 1percent of hull value??1.8 mil per 747!!! How many Aircraft do the qantas group own?JS

jamsquat, have a re-read of Keg's post. It appears that you have misunderstood what he was saying.

At the time of the BKK incident, OJH was insured for $187m and the repair was $96m. These facts don't stop people maliciously posting that Qantas would spend whatever it takes to avoid a hull write-off. :ugh:

OJK is insured and will be repaired as the aircraft is desperately needed back in service. There are international flights cancelled everyday because there is no spare capacity to replace it - eg the QF2 LHR-BKK-SYD on Mon 25 Aug (and obviously a northbound service) has been cancelled. This is at a time of the year when bookings are heavy with holiday makers as well as business travellers.

Another Cancellation due lack of aircraft
 

QF8 ex LAX next Thursday.21/08/2008

G'day all,

Can someone please email me with some info related to these comments out of CASA. We are just a little concerned with the info that seems to be fed to the Senior CASA people from the so called CASA engineers. First example of this was when Peter Gibson declared the stapled wiring safe because it was in a 12 volt system (it is 115). I need to know if there is MEL or CDL relief for missing rb211 oil service door. Also interested in how CASA have already determined that a door was not locked down properly.

It's nice to see that CASA are fully supportive of pre-flight checks, we will now be asking them why they allow other Domestic carriers to transit aircraft without these checks.


Please email any technical info to my address as linked from alaea website.

cheers