Funny that how I am seeing an awful lot of ex engineers doing anything other than aircraft........

and also its soon going to going to be the ex sac-techs out there and anyone else that the contractors can employ for peanuts!

interesting reading
 

The comments on this tread are interesting to me as I ran an AMF type unit for many a year. Heres what I noticed about the Serviceman vs Civvy thing. If our crews got an aircraft out on time they would get a day off and if it was early they would get more days off until the next jet/helo came in. On the jet line (all servicemen) many a day off was had but on the Helo lines (some lines service some civvy) the service crews would get their time off but the civvies usually ran over because they weren't interested in time off as much as they were at getting the extra pay from overtime. They even resorted to saving up defects that would emerge during the latter engine runs and test flights forcing us to allow late work and Sat/Sun work and hence attract a lot of overtime pay. What do you expect when the pay wasn't so good. These were all ex service folks but don't it change when you are on the other side.:ugh:

Notwithstanding late emergent work (that found during the engine run and test flight phase) I don't understand why today's emergent work should cause such delays. Its called planning. After about half a dozen aircraft through the system you should know what the average is as a percentage of the known planned package. Then you add it to the planned package and you have your program. Then add the right level of manpower to fit in the available days. Usually worked for me and my exceptionally good team.:ok:

Sharmine

Sharmine

If only someone had thought of that - staring us in the face the whole time as well - guess we could have done with a little guidance in our planning huh?

The days of getting away with adding some fat to the TRT to allow for average slippage/ac have long gone. You get total time for all tasks divided by hours/day into a final TRT. Any emergent work is overtime - be it blue suit (generally paid in TOIL) or civvy in £.

So thats how you do it
 

I see why you are always on time and always on budget then:ugh: and of course your civvies have no incentive to entice overtime. Or do they:}

Its that engine change on the day before handover that gets you every time. Might also be why tight TRT never work, your on a loser from day one.

Sharmine

yes the tornado fleet is aging and each airframe is individual in character.
Emergent work / snags used to run along these line. 1. identify snag (eg crack in panel) 2. chat to cpl then stop drill crack if required , do paper work. job done.

Now because of a pulse line where one team of riggers hands over to another at each pulse new system employed via lean. 1. identify snag. 2 raise papwerwork for someone in the review cell to sort out. 3. review cell then tell you to change panel ( sometimes without leaving thier warm office to look at said snag physicaly. 4 demand new item if available 5 on reciept of item find out if it fits is dressed properly, 6 if not work item to said size and dress with correct fittings 7 send item to paint. 8 on reciept of item from paint fit.
Now can anyone see why snag take longer?
Snags have risen for the simple fact that a servicing team no longer has ownership of A/C during servicing and connot make engineering decissions anymore. The civvis do that.
All in all more snags ( no witchunts) more time taken to do a simple task, increas TRT. cost effective or what? factor in manpower shortages and spares and it all makes for a fun day in the office.
I just wish someone would get off their arse and get along to a servicing team without the station hanger on'rs and ask questions when not in earshot of managment with career captions flashing.

when are we goig to wake up and lift our heads above the account ledger....

If it was down to saving money, scrape the tornado, eurofighter, and hire US A/C from lockhead No maintenance teams no special tooling, No planning for servicing required (that should get rid of 'orrible engineers and desk jockys)just throw them away and hire new ones when required.


rant off
spelling mistakes due to dyslexia