The Disturbing Truth About How Airplanes Are Maintained Today

[BlueCollar]

42. as a thirty year commercial airline mechanic here in the U.S.

I will just say this...

"Using the checklist is statistically safer than thinking"

That is as true on the ground as it is in the cockpit...or to be politically correct now...the flightdeck.

It matters not where your aircraft is maintained or who is flying it...it only matters that the individuals who are in charge of those functions give a damn about the job they are doing.

I cut my teeth in Naval Aviation where "...Attention to detail..." was the mantra...and after leaving the service I worked for an MRO where I was fortunate enough to apprentice under old school mechanics for several years before I wound up working for a regional carrier that was absorbed by a major.

Today, unfortunately, the mantra is..."Do we have to fix that or can we placard it?" meaning...Does the item have to be fixed or can we fly without it?

These days there are a lot more placards in logbooks than there used to be...but that doesn't necessarily translate to an unsafe aircraft.

In an example given above the issue was apparently a malfunctioning thrust reverser. It sounds like it was decided to placard the reverser and fly without it being operational which is considered acceptable as long as certain conditions are met. (e.g .Altitude, takeoff weight, runway length etc.)

Some items cannot be placarded and are definitely no-go...others are nice to have but not flight essential.

The real decision is up to the individual who is using the checklist. Can that individual be held to account?

It is a lot easier to question that individual if he works here in the USA.

I can cite plenty of enforcement actions by the FAA here in the USA but I know of none against overseas contractors.

Fortunately, Boeing, AirBus et al build a better product every time they design a new one.

Your safety on an airplane is much more dependent on human factors than mechanical reliability.

My advice...avoid flying on airlines with disgruntled employees.