Tech log misunderstandings

[Tom Sawyer]

Can't remember the actual defect, but I had another engineer write up a fault in FR8 bay. I read it as Frame 8 whereas he meant freight, and I spent 10 mins trying to fathom the actual defect until I heard myself saying FR8 in my head.

Also, had one where guys were writing "trash compactors removed for cleaning" until I pointed out that they weren't getting the compactors cleaned, but the stowage was being cleaned. So write up was then changed to "trash compactors removed for cleaning access".

[TURIN]

Plore

Although it might not be the same with other airlines but at EK a Tech Log entry can be prefixed with LI, LP or LL.
LI= info only, no action (necessarily) required
LP= PIREP
LL= Line maintenance entry

My understanding is that LI is only used for 'Nil Defects' or other 'non tech' entries. It is not a carte blanche prefix to 'avoid' investigation.


Speaking of Emirates, why do certain captains insist on using CM1 or CM2? What is wrong with P1/P2 or Capt/FO?

Took me another age to work it out.

[Krystal n chips]

Tech pilots are the worst offenders here.....more than once from one in particular....two pages of every single parameter possible ( irrespective of the relevance to the defect ! )

CDL..

"Fwd pax door grab handle needs to be relocated for cabin crew to get hold of " ( B737 ).....

"Can the refuel panel be put on the other wing as using it delays pax boarding " ( B767)......of course, can be done on a night stop....

"Catch broken in galley".....thus narrowing the location down at least..

"Boiler fails to fill with water. Boiler u/s"......Tap handle moved from "OFF" to "ON".

[419]

A few years ago, a pilot (very experienced on type) entered a defect into the tech log "PA no good". (It was on a Bell 212)

I went out and checked it and couldn't find anything wrong. The chime was working and the volume was more than sufficient for the passengers to hear what was being said to them.
When I informed the pilot of this he explained that he wasn't referring to the passenger address system, but he meant that the power assurance figures were too low!

[glhcarl]

GTE,

We had a similar problem some years on a production line. "Squawks" or minor defects/omissions were written up my the inspectors and the corrected by the mechanics. Many times the information on the "squawk" was so vague that the problem could not be found.

Situation, every inspector was sent to a short (two hour) class that explained the importance of correctly filling out the "squawk" and each student had to actually fill out several "squawks" which the instructor critiqued.

At the end of the class the student was given a small (shirt pocket size) card the showed what had to be included in each "squawk" written.

Same type of class could be held for the flight and cabin crew as cabin write ups can be just as confusing!

[ukv1145]

My personal favourite, to which I never worked out what the actual snag was.

CDL

'Toilet dark until light on'

Any ideas would be welcome, will bug me until I retire!!

UKV

[Plore]

TURIN

My understanding is that LI is only used for 'Nil Defects' or other 'non tech' entries. It is not a carte blanche prefix to 'avoid' investigation.

True to an extent TURIN. I don't think it's to avoid investigation, actually more to aid in it. An example of LI for a technical matter would be to either give more info (or if 'please report further' had been noted) on an already existing deferred defect. I heard a crew member note one day that they have been told to not use LI as often as it had been at a stage.

I have to agree though, there are very few LI items that does not require some form of action, even if only a few tests has to be carried out on the CMS.

Speaking of Emirates, why do certain captains insist on using CM1 or CM2? What is wrong with P1/P2 or Capt/FO?

No idea, quite frustrating if you have to jump around between types and CM1 is written in such a way that it looks like CMI. Then I usually sit there and wonder what the CMI stands for, where did I loose an accronym somewhere between types?

[Dodo56]

As far as misunderstandings go, I always use a continental style '7' with a line through it, seen 7s confused with 1s quite a lot; cue a defuel when that happens!

This can be a real pain sometimes as continental (mainland European, not the airline!) folk often use a "1" with a very large oblique that can look like a "7" without the line through.

My pet hate is finding aircraft that arrive with a raft of deferred defects that apparently only just happened on the leg before scheduled maintenance. Right, like those weren't there before and the crew not wanting to be stuck down route or lose sectors isn't a factor...

[matkat]

Working for a certain Icelandic airline in Madrid several years ago the A/C (B747-200) returned from Las Palmas, the Captain wrote up 'a fly in the cockpit' in between laughing I penned it off by saying 'cockpit door opened, fly no longer apparent' still makes me smile 10 years on.

RIP Richard P.

[avionic type]

In days of yore when the old B.E.A. did the turn rounds of Olympic Airways Comets It used to leave L.H.R. defect free .fly to Athens ,do a load of local East Med flights completly snag free and on its return to L.H.R have 2 or more pages of defects . we called it "The white cliffs of Dover Syndrome "

[MATMAX]

CM does not stand for Coffee Maker ?
you told it yourself , crew member !
you are so clever ... some more "world leading airline" Engineers pfff ...

[Kuchan]

Here are some actual maintenance complaints submitted by UPS pilots (marked with a "P") and the solutions recorded by the maintenance engineers (marked with an "S").

P: Left inside main tire almost needs replacement.
S: Almost replaced left inside main tire.
*
P: Test flight OK, except auto-land very rough.
S: Auto-land not installed on this aircraft.
*
P: Something loose in cockpit
S: Something tightened in cockpit
*
P: Dead bugs on windshield.
S: Live bugs on back-order.
*
P: Autopilot in altitude-hold mode produces a 200 feet per minute descent
S: Cannot reproduce problem on ground.
*
P: Evidence of leak on right main landing gear.
S: Evidence removed.
*
P: DME volume unbelievably loud.
S: DME volume set to more believable level.
*
P: Friction locks cause throttle levers to stick.
S: That's what friction locks are for.
*
P: IFF inoperative in OFF mode.
S: IFF always inoperative in OFF mode.
*
P: Suspected crack in windshield.
S: Suspect you're right.
*
P: Number 3 engine missing.
S: Engine found on right wing after brief search
*
P: Aircraft handles funny. (I love this one!)
S: Aircraft warned to straighten up, fly right and be serious.
*
P: Target radar hums.
S: Reprogrammed target radar with lyrics.
*
P: Mouse in cockpit.
S: Cat installed.
*
And the best one for last
*
P: Noise coming from under instrument panel. Sounds like a midget pounding on something with a hammer.
S: Took hammer away from midget.

[HOVIS]

CM does not stand for Coffee Maker ?
you told it yourself , crew member !
you are so clever ... some more "world leading airline" Engineers pfff ...

Nope. I've read that a dozen times and still it don't make sense.

Anyone?

Kuchan, that lot have been around so long I thing Orville and Wilbur wrote them.

[Genghis the Engineer]

So Kuchan, what are your sources for the "genuine" nature of those, and what are your views with respect to English language useage?

G

[Kuchan]

Jokes

It was post to me years ago with no solid proof.

Just thought it was really cool (Americano) instead of it was really great (Anglo English.

It does make me laugh.

[EW73]

(post #26) ukv1145....My personal favourite, to which I never worked out what the actual snag was.
'Toilet dark until light on'
Any ideas would be welcome, will bug me until I retire!!

What that means is that, at least in the Classic 747...
1/ with ext pwr or APU power supplying the ship, the toilet light(s) (the ones above the mirror) will be bright (fluro), whether the internal toilet door lock is latched or not.
2/ with normal engine driven generators powering the ship, the toilet lights (the ones above the mirror) will be dim (separate low wattage light bulb) until the toilet door is latched closed, then the 'normal' fluro light will illuminate.

What the guy was trying to tell you was that the low wattage bulb had blown, and the toilet internal (fluro) light only worked when the door was locked closed, whilst the airplane was in flight.

I believe it's the same in the 737NG, and probably in most Boeings!

Cheers.....EW73

[SeldomFixit]

Ground handling BUS ?

[WillDAQ]

'Toilet dark until light on'

Well the cubicles are always partially lit, but the bright lighting only comes on when you close the door. So presumably the 'mood' lighting was U/S?

[T.R Haychemu]

EW73 - That defect is a regular one on the 737s! Less enthusiastic engineers go to check it out on the ground "unable to fault", yet the crew only go on to report it again the next flight Often caused by a sticky relay behind the mirror in the lav!

Ghengis, I can't think of any examples of techlog reporting that have caused problems due to the English. Only as stated by others usually a complete lack of concise information provided in the log by the flight and/or cabin crew. "Boiler Leaking in Galley" etc.

[Plore]

@ HOVIS

Nope. I've read that a dozen times and still it don't make sense.

Anyone?

I've stopped trying HOVIS, think it was aimed at me but couldn't care less.
Be glad it's not him making the entries!