QANTAS and Lazy Journalist's Plane Story Generator

[OceansEdge]

(with a shout to Billzilla)

Lazy Journalist's Plane Story Generator
(source code is easy to modify if someone wanted to customize that)

In other news - hot off the presses (Flight Tracker is still showing it in the air and on time)...

For the second time in a few days QANTAS has had yet another engine problem - a 747 bound for LA had to divert to Fiji when they experienced valve pressure problems
QANTAS Flight 107 Sydney to LA Diverts to Fiji

Probably a bleed valve stuck or something, no big deal but depending on what it was the policy would be to land at the nearest suitable airport. Nadi will take a 747 no probs.

A few days ago. QF11 Sydney to LA had a 747 turbine 'disintegrate' during preparations for take off
More 747 Engine Problems
Flight Delayed 4 Hours Due Turbine Failure

OK so tell me again how QANTAS outsourcing their maintenance is NOT having a negative affect on passengers, crew, aircraft serviceability?

[Troubleshot]

While I totally disagree with companies out-sourcing heavy maintenance, it is a pretty standard practice with most airlines. Most of the Canadian companies at least use canadian AMO's for airframe heavy maintenance. However almost all airlines out source engine overhauls due to logistics/process of engine teardowns. Doing engine overhauls yourself require special tooling, Facilities, test-cells, jigs, lifts, etc...not to mention a whole other engineering department, it makes a lot of sense to out-source this specialized work, not only from a cost point of view but from a production point of view as well.

[OceansEdge]

I'm sorry - you're right of course - I should have been more specific, but the whole business of QANTAS maintenance really irks me

The problem in my mind isn't so much the outsourcing of engine maintenance, so much as the where and how and why it's outsourced. Moving all mtce offshore to Singapore to take advantage of much lower wage costs, and results in far less oversight, and much less quality control by the company. Sharing the work and saving money - is, as always, a good thing - but not at the compromise of quality standards,

[Beefitarian]

For me it's quite sad that it's finally happening to Quantas.

I can't blame anyone, I bought a fender squire strat, it plays great and it was $130 + tax made in china. Of course it's not as good as a custom shop for $3000.

[Panama Jack]

OceansEdge,

Even when an airline outsources maintenance, as is common practice, the airline maintains responsibility for quality and oversight.

SIA Engineering Company offers top-notch third-party maintenance to numerous other airlines. As always, they will maintain an aircraft according to the standards requested by the customer. If the customer says “don’t fix that” then they won’t.