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Joined: Thu May 17, 2012 10:24 pm Posts: 21
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CID:
Surprisingly, I find myself agreeing , partially, with some of your statements. And others, as is usually the cae, I'm scratching my head.
I do, to a point agree that there are SOME things that can be transfered from a Mechanical ENgneering degree to Aircraft maintenance/mechanics, at least in theory. HAving said that, a lot of things can't be. Which is common in a lot of trades / degrees.
If you recall, back in the late 70's , early 80's we had a CT114 ( Tutor( have it's tail section depart while an airshow was being conducted over the water on Toronto. A pilot died in that accident if I recall correctly!
Anyways, long storey short, AETE ( Aerospace Engineering and Tes Establishment) was tasked with carrying out structural fatique testing on that aircraft model. Since I had all the civikian AME license, including strutures ( I was in the military at that time) I was tasked as the Lead project Technician for mechanical and sheet metal/structural activites. We had THREE degreed mil officiers assigned to that project. TWO with mechanical degrees, the Lead Engineer had a PhD as well as a Masters in Electrinics Engineering.
Basically the project involed removing the front right seat, and installing strain gauges all over the frickin aircraft, along with all the associated wiring, to run up to the computers now placed in the front right seat.
While looking over the schemetics, I noted a very distrubing modification. The LEAD engineer had included an additional hole to be made toroute the wiring from the after section of the aircraft TO the computers in the front seat. My concern was, the hole was to be made in the carry through spar. During a meeting, I noted the proposed hole and brought it to the attention of the Lead Engineer. I was told to go ahead and do it! AFTER showing his the load limits as designed by the aircraft designer, there was blow uo and I was ORDERED to put the hole through the spar. Of course I fefused and evetually we ended up with another LEad Ebgineer. My point? A degree simply means a person can study to the point of understanding thetheory. ( Not rtying to belittle anybody with that statement!) A degree does NOT mean a person is smarter then anybody else, nor that they actually know HOW to do something! It simply means that a person has the ability to study and retain the THEORY of how something SHOULD work. I know I have two degrees and I'm headed back to the U of C this fall.
I do believe that the point of some of the posts here, is that, in essence, a degree doesn't qualify you as a licensed mechanic of any typpe, nor does it absolve one of the liability of the work accomplished.
So, while I understand the Dude's goal, I also understand the position of many of the AME's who posted here. Whiners? I don't think so!
And in closing, there's always the guy from Nova Scotia, a licensed auto mechanic and former Service Shop manager for a large Canadian Tire dealership, who decided he wanted to be an AME. He was apprentuicing under me, in a fairly large AMO doing 737 C checks. He couldn't get the trunnion pin outa the NLG. So he headed over to the Facility Manger's shop and dragged out the Oxi torches, so he coul heat it up and cut it out!! The aircraft had OPEN fuel cells at the time!! My poiunt, both the individual's that I mentioned BOTH had the theoty aspects of mechanics down! Both had the desire, but BOTH lacked the liability for theri actions!!
So stating that , or ( and I may be wrong, if so I apologize) implying that a degree or ( in my inc ident) having an auto mechanics license does not necessarily meant that any person has transferable skills. Two completely different things!
The other point to consider is, there has been a long history of owners who want to do their own maintenace. As well as owners sitting in their Cadillac escalades, who pay auto mechanics 80.00 an hour to work on them, but whine at AME who charge 40 bucks an hour to work on theri aircraft! AND I haven't heard of ANY garage or professionakl mechanicw who will let an auto oner use their tools and THEIR vehicle mechanics license to carry out a vehicle safety innsepction. Personally, I can't see what any AME in his/her right mind would allow an owner to do his own maintenance ( I'm using "allow" quite freely) and but the AME's license adn his livlyhood on the line, to save an owner a 150.00 bucks!! NOT to mention the lifetime liability??
I mean really, do you not see that??
NO PERSONAL ATTACK intended nor implied to anybody who posted here!! |
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