Shortage......We told you so !!
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I think that all of this is slightly off the mark. I am in line maintenace and as far as i see it the issue is not the lack of qualified persons(BCAR Licences) but the lowering of qualifications required - JAR66 Cat A for example, and also the fact that Airlines are cutting down on their line work - how many crews carry defects unreported to the main base or the end of days flying? This will actually help drive down our wages and reduce the need for the LAE. Sorry to sound full of gloom, but for line work that is how I see it.
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Just as an extra bit of thought on this subject. I am presently a fairly senior engineering manager with a well known "British" oil company insofar as I work on their oil tankers at sea. I am an engineer who has ten years experience but as no recruitment has been done in the last five years or so, there is a huge shortage of good engineers. These jobs are now going to third world staff because they are cheap to employ. These crews seem to know a lot about the theory but putting it into practice is a different thing entirely. The companies only seem to listen to the accountants and won't train anyone anymore or pay a wage which is attractive. Just like with aircraft, if the engineers don't keep the ships operational, then the ship don't move. I recently qualified as a flying instructor on helicopters. (please don't groan) but I wanted a change from the stress I get in my present position. It seems that it isn't just airlines suffering from shortages.
Cunning Artificer
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Paulf,
At least under JAR 66 there will still be licenced staff on Line Maintenance. In Majors JAR 66 only requires one licence holder, a cat C to sign off the whole check. No-one else needs to be licenced at all! There are those who dream that Cat B1 and B2 people will still be in attendance. I say 'dream' because the reality is that if the regulations don't require them, companies won't pay for them. Will you spend money, time and effort on getting a licence that you don't need? That's right, "No money, no honey." The LAE is going to disappear from Base Maintenance. Air travel will not only become cheap, it will become just like the railways. Dirty, unreliable and inefficient.
Did Amtrack do anything to improve rail travel in the USA? Did privatisation do anything to improve the railways in UK? Will de-regulation do anything to improve air transport? Get the picture yet? What does the future hold?...
...The A380 taxis to the gate, only 14 hours late this time. 1,000 weary passengers fight to get out of the filthy stinking cabin (the toilets gave up 9 hours into the flight) to join the gang warfare around the baggage belts in the arrival hall. It will only take another three hours for them to clear immigration and collect the bags then the ordeal will be over. Ambulances wait on the tarmac for the 2 passengers who cannot walk after sitting in the 28 inch pitch economy seats for 14 hours. There is also a hearse for the elderly cabin attendant who passed away in one of the galleys during meal preparation. The pilot and his assistant hide in the crew toilet to avoid the angry customers. On the Tarmac is George Brownfag the engineer. He has four A380s to attend to right now so he is only there to "pen-off" any defects. There will be no trouble from the JAA; the company accountants have paid the necessary bribes, that's cheaper than doing any actual maintenance. The oncoming 'assistant to the pilot' is doing a walkround. "Hey, greaseball!" he yells at George "what's with this tyre then?" pointing to the canvas strips showing through the treads. "There's another three landings in that bugger!" replies George "so f*ck off back where you came from mate"....
Aaahhh aviation was so romantic once
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Through difficulties to the cinema
At least under JAR 66 there will still be licenced staff on Line Maintenance. In Majors JAR 66 only requires one licence holder, a cat C to sign off the whole check. No-one else needs to be licenced at all! There are those who dream that Cat B1 and B2 people will still be in attendance. I say 'dream' because the reality is that if the regulations don't require them, companies won't pay for them. Will you spend money, time and effort on getting a licence that you don't need? That's right, "No money, no honey." The LAE is going to disappear from Base Maintenance. Air travel will not only become cheap, it will become just like the railways. Dirty, unreliable and inefficient.
Did Amtrack do anything to improve rail travel in the USA? Did privatisation do anything to improve the railways in UK? Will de-regulation do anything to improve air transport? Get the picture yet? What does the future hold?...
...The A380 taxis to the gate, only 14 hours late this time. 1,000 weary passengers fight to get out of the filthy stinking cabin (the toilets gave up 9 hours into the flight) to join the gang warfare around the baggage belts in the arrival hall. It will only take another three hours for them to clear immigration and collect the bags then the ordeal will be over. Ambulances wait on the tarmac for the 2 passengers who cannot walk after sitting in the 28 inch pitch economy seats for 14 hours. There is also a hearse for the elderly cabin attendant who passed away in one of the galleys during meal preparation. The pilot and his assistant hide in the crew toilet to avoid the angry customers. On the Tarmac is George Brownfag the engineer. He has four A380s to attend to right now so he is only there to "pen-off" any defects. There will be no trouble from the JAA; the company accountants have paid the necessary bribes, that's cheaper than doing any actual maintenance. The oncoming 'assistant to the pilot' is doing a walkround. "Hey, greaseball!" he yells at George "what's with this tyre then?" pointing to the canvas strips showing through the treads. "There's another three landings in that bugger!" replies George "so f*ck off back where you came from mate"....
Aaahhh aviation was so romantic once
**********************************
Through difficulties to the cinema
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With respect to one 'C' licensed engineer certifying a whole 'C' check, consider what a current Level 2 approval holder is certifying. He is stating that a job has been carried out in accordance with the correct instructions, that the team or individual carrying out the task has been properly briefed and instructed, and finally, the inspection of finished work. So how many Certifying Engineers reading this have rejected work on inspection this year alone? I have, so there is a start. One person to certify a whole 'C' check? Are they dreaming? One person to carry out all the inspection of the finished product in all trade disciplines? I don't think so. The, no doubt highly paid and overworked individual would spend as much, if not more time checking the aeroplane before release to service as the blokes spent working on it. Think about it for a minute; on a string of complex tasks one person couldn't be expected to sholder all the responsiblity; it would be too much. So how long would it be before there was a hull loss? Not very. There would be the fiasco that the rail companies have faced recently with track not being properly maintained, and the recruitment of people who were made redundant not too many years ago to try to make amends to the situation. Too little too late. Vehicle maintenance, be it plane, train or car is about safety AND SHOULDN'T BE TREATED AS A SOLE MEANS TO MAKE A PROFIT. I hope that poeple who are convinced by Change Philosophy read this and take note.
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Some good points made there!
With just a few months remaining to the JAR66 introduction, the confusion out here is worse than ever.
The 66 licence is being doled out to all and sundry in europe, especially France it seems, while, as per usual, we here in the UK are being f**ked about by the CAA in that we have to do practically impossible electrical theory to get...if we pass...even less authorisation , oh yes, we also have to pay a small fortune for this 'privilege'!!!
Will somebody please explain what is going to be the official policy re JAR66 licence?
Mr. A.
With just a few months remaining to the JAR66 introduction, the confusion out here is worse than ever.
The 66 licence is being doled out to all and sundry in europe, especially France it seems, while, as per usual, we here in the UK are being f**ked about by the CAA in that we have to do practically impossible electrical theory to get...if we pass...even less authorisation , oh yes, we also have to pay a small fortune for this 'privilege'!!!
Will somebody please explain what is going to be the official policy re JAR66 licence?
Mr. A.
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Mister Angry,
What do you mean by policy for the JAR 66? I may be able to help!
In reply to the rest of y'all. I know many people studying for the JAR 66 licence, with VERY few passing exams. It seems that the shortage is never going to go away while it is so difficult to get a licence!
Another factor is also the low pay which is inherent in the industry. This acts as no incentive for young people to WANT to come into aviation when computing, in this day and age, is a much for financially preferable option!
What do you mean by policy for the JAR 66? I may be able to help!
In reply to the rest of y'all. I know many people studying for the JAR 66 licence, with VERY few passing exams. It seems that the shortage is never going to go away while it is so difficult to get a licence!
Another factor is also the low pay which is inherent in the industry. This acts as no incentive for young people to WANT to come into aviation when computing, in this day and age, is a much for financially preferable option!
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One way of attempting to promote our cause is to always maintain our integrity as professionals. Commercial pressure affects us all, indirectly as well as in our faces at work but we must not succome. I know it's easier said than done at times. We really DO have the power to make a/c fly, but we must do it safely; we have to make sure we dot the Is and cross the Ts and if that means the a/c is late then so be it. I have experienced a company who were happy encouraging the "short" way to get the job done, expecting that as the norm, but if it went wrong they were the first to distance themselves and deny all knowledge saying that as far as they were concerned approved procedures had been followed. Don't compromise yourself and your colleagues, do it right all the time. When management realise we can't be manipulated to produce a/c, the accountants might just realise that that we are pivotal in the company's ability to make money. If we don't behave in a professional manner then we will always be treated as a disposable semi skilled manual workforce instead of a necessary dedicated professional asset.
