AMTonline Blogs

I am writing today’s blog from Virginia Beach where I am attending the “Future of Aviation Maintenance” symposium.

The conference is being held to discuss the gap between what skills the industry feels an ideal aircraft mechanic should possess and what skills Part 147 schools are instructing. There are individuals from different alphabet associations, the FAA, Part 147 schools and industry.

There are many speakers lined up to discuss the gap between the skills mechanics have coming out of school and the skills necessary to step into a job maintaining today’s advanced aircraft. There are other issues on the table such as how to attract today’s youth to a career in aviation when they could take the career path of least resistance pursuing other careers such as computer technology where they would be able to get an entry-level job making more money than an A&P out of school.

So, what are your thoughts? What does industry need to do to close the gap between the skills A&Ps have right out of school and the skills they need in the “real world”? If you could change the curriculum at the schools, what would you change? What courses would you concentrate more on? What would you concentrate less on? What would you delete or add? How can training evolve to meet tomorrow’s needs?

But the bigger question - what can we do to help recruit more youth to pursue aircraft maintenance as a career? What can we do as aircraft maintenance professionals to help raise the interest level in aircraft maintenance?

We look forward to your feedback.

Joe Escobar
A&P/IA

Recently, Greg and I were in the airport security line at Las Vegas returning home from a trade show. The line was long, and we spent quite a bit of time weaving back and forth through the cattle herding lines. We noticed that the guys behind us had Delta Airlines uniforms. We asked them what they were doing in Vegas. It turns out they were there to get their security clearances. Greg asked them if they were mechanics. They replied that they were ground handlers.

We told them that we were both A&P mechanics. “Oh, the glory boys,” one of them said.

“That’s funny, most mechanics think that pilots are the glory boys,” Greg said.

“Well, that’s a given,” he replied. “But to us ramp workers, the mechanics are also glory boys, too good to do the dirty jobs.”

That reminded me of joke I heard a while back. It compared employee attitudes at some companies to a tree full of monkeys. The monkeys at the top of the tree look down and see a bunch of smiling faces. The monkeys at the bottom of the tree look up and see a bunch of assholes.

  Unfortunately, employees often look at others in their own organization the same way the monkeys in the tree do.

Thanks for reading!

Joe Escobar

My publisher Greg Napert and I were on our way back from a trade show in Las Vegas last Friday. We were on the aircraft and taxiing to the runway, and the flight attendants were making their final checks before strapping into their jump seats. It was quite warm in the plane, and the gaspers above our seats were not working. As one of the flight attendants walked by, Greg asked, “Could you turn the air on? It’s quite warm in here.”

The flight attendant replied, “Sorry, we don’t have any control over the air and besides, it doesn’t work until the engines are running.”

“So, you mean the airplane’s engines aren’t running right now?” Greg asked as we continued to taxi.

“No,” she promptly replied.

The flight attendant continued down the aisle to strap herself into her jumpseat. Greg and I laughed as we jokingly tried to imagine how the aircraft was taxiing. “Maybe the aircraft has some sort of new motor-driven wheels with jet-engine noise simulators at the rear of the aircraft?” I jokingly said to him.

After takeoff we still had no air flow. Greg asked, “Do you think I should ring the flight attendant call button and ask her ‘Are the engines running yet?’”

“I don’t think so!” I replied. “I don’t want to be escorted off the plane in handcuffs when we land in Milwaukee because some flight attendant thinks we are disruptive.”

So Greg resisted pushing the call button and kept trying to adjust the gasper, hoping in vain for some some cool air to come out.

As the flight attendants got to our row for their food and beverage service, Greg calmly asked, “Do you think you can turn the air on? It is very warm in here.”

A different flight attendant answered, “I’m sorry sir; the air is on, but the air gaspers on your row aren’t working. They were written up on a previous flight. We can have the temperature lowered a bit to make it more comfortable.”

“Thank you,” Greg replied.

The flight attendant immediately went to the front of the aircraft to have the temperature adjusted. Sure enough, in a few minutes the temperature started to cool down to a more comfortable level.

I must say that I am amazed that the first flight attendant did not have the basic aircraft knowledge to know that an aircraft taxis under engine power. I can understand her not knowing specifically how the air-conditioning system on a 717 works, but there should be no reason to tell a passenger that the engines weren’t running as the aricraft is taxiing for takeoff.

Thanks for reading.

Joe Escobar