AMTonline Blogs

It is with a sad heart that I share that AMT’s former associate publisher Deanna Haraldson passed away on Saturday, April 28 after a seven-year battle with cancer. She was 39.

Deanna was passionate about the aircraft maintenance industry and commited to the customers she worked with. As associate publisher, she helped manage the business aspect of AMT. She was a mentor, and helped teach me the publishing business.  She helped make my transition from aircraft inspector to magazine editor a little easier. Her drive and professionalism were a significant part of our AMT team.

When Deanna’s cancer (which had been remission) came back in 2002, she left the magazine in order to seek treatment and spend more time concentrating on the things that mattered most — her friends and family. She also became more involved in the American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life, an annual fundraiser to help fund cancer research.

It was Deanna’s constant cheerful spirit that everyone who ever met her remembers. Even when dealing with the intense physical and emotional challenges she faced during her seven-year cancer battle, Deanna always maintained a positive attitude. And though we will miss her, I know that she is in a better place.

Thanks for reading,

Joe

Is I mentioned in my last blog, Danny Faupel (AMT associate publisher) and I were in Friedrichshafen, Germany last week attending the AERO 2007 general aviation trade show. I am now back in Wisconsin and have re-adjusted to central standard time.

The show was definitely a success. With more than 45,000 attendees walking around, the exhibitors had plenty of customers to talk to. And with attendees from 40 different countries, it was truly an international trade show.

As I hinted to last week, I did get a chance to visit the Zeppelin museum there in Friedrichshafen. It was well worth the visit! Although there weren’t any Jimmy Paige guitars on display, there was definitely plenty to see. There were sections of airships re-constructed to give visitors an idea of how it was to travel by airship. There was even a Daihmler V-16 engine on display that produced a whopping 1,006 hp.

One of the things that stood out as I walked around with the goofy “I’m a tourist” audio guide held to my ear like an oversized cell phone was the part of the tour that discussed the construction of the ships. You see, all of the framework was constructed of aluminum alloy channels, and all of it was riveted by hand. The museum had a display of the many different rivet squeezers that were used to assemble the frame. The audio guide mentioned that there were more than 5.5 million rivets installed on the average zeppelin.

At supper that evening, I thought about that number. 5.5 million rivets. That is a lot. I pulled out my cell phone and used the calculator tool to punch a few numbers. If a mechanic was able to drill, deburr and install one rivet every 10 seconds without taking a break or a lunch, in an eight-hour day he or she could install 2,880 rivets. Working seven days a week with no holidays, vacation, or sick time, the mechanic would complete the framework in around 1,909 days. So, in roughly 5.2 years, all the riveting would be done.

Then it would be time to go back to the starting point and begin treating the corrosion.

To put it in perspective, the Boeing 747-400 LCF Large Cargo Freighter is held together by roughly 850,000 rivets.

Thanks for reading!

Joe

Greetings from Friedrichshafen, Germany. Our associate publisher Danny Faupel and I are attending AERO Friedrichshafen, the largest general aviation trade show in Europe. We have adjusted to the time change and are getting ready for an exciting day of meeting with exhibitors and talking to attendees. Be sure to check the news section of AMTonline.com for news updates from the show.

Yesterday evening, we met with the media relations person for EASA. He shared some news about upcoming changes to EASA regulations that are aimed at simplifying GA pilot and mechanic oversight as well as operations. We are looking forward to a new column in AMT in the near future discussing some of these changes as well as other EASA regulations of importance to maintenance professionals in both Europe and North America.

By the way, Friedrichshafen is home to the Zeppelin museum. I’m hoping to get a few minutes to tour the museum this afternoon. Who knows, maybe they will have a Jimmy Page guitar on display.

Thanks for reading,

Joe Escobar

Forrest Gump would often say, “Stupid is as stupid does.” Well, thanks to the stupid actions of a couple of former Comair employees, all airport employees, including mechanics, that work in secure areas of airports are in the sights of the government for security screening.

Tulsa World reported on April 11 in its article “Watching Workers: More Checkpoints Possible: Airport screening debated” that Congress, the TSA and airline representatives are debating on whether or not security screening should be expanded to include all employees who work within secure areas of airports.

What started the debate? A couple of STUPID airline employees. In March of this year, a baggage handler in Orlando used his employee uniform and airport identification badge to bypass security and deposit a duffel bag in a restricted area. The next morning, a Comair employee boarded an airplane bound for Puerto Rico with the bag. Thanks to the assistance of an anonymous tip, police in Puerto Rico arrested him as he got off the plane.

So what was in the duffel bag? Believe it or not, 13 handguns, an assault rifle and eight pounds of marijuana!

Both employees have been fired, and are being charged in Puerto Rico with smuggling.

And Thanks to the actions of these stupid employees, all airline employees could be drastically affected if the government passes stricter security screening rules.

Common sense would say that there is no way mechanics can be held to the same security standards as the general public. What will airplanes get fixed with, fingernail clippers?

But then again, bureaucrats in Washington are seldom accused of having too much common sense.

You can click here to read the entire article.

What are your thoughts?

Joe Escobar

The issue of outsourcing is not going away. The trend of airlines outsourcing maintenance work to third-party repair facilities is growing.

I talk about outsourcing in my upcoming May editorial column in AMT (arriving in your mailbox next month). I discuss this trend, and more specifically the trend of sending more work to foreign repair stations (and the FAA oversight challenges that go along with them).

Obviously the key driver to outsourcing is money. But can it be stopped? Is there a way that airlines can keep their maintenance in house and still remain competitive?

Here’s another thought. In the past I have heard many mechanics say that if the traveling public was willing to pay higher (reasonable) rates for airline tickets, this wouldn’t be an issue. Airlines have kept ticket prices at un-realistic low levels to avoid losing customers to their competitors. But if money is the issue, and airlines are saving money by outsourcing maintenance, if ticket prices do happen to go up, do you honestly think the airlines will bring the work back in-house? I don’t think so! I believe the outsourcing that has happened is irreversible. If ticket prices do rise, the airlines will take their profits and run.

We welcome your comments!

Joe Escobar