Alcoa Signs Agreement With American Air

Simple answer: Because the last set of eyes to see an aircraft depart from the gate should be a trained, skilled AMT. Why? Again, the answer is simple. The AMT knows what is wrong and what is right. Is that hydraulic fluid leaking? Fuel leaking? Lav. juice leaking? Or is it just water from the airconditioning bay?

Like Hopeful states, having a mechanic on the headset also saves time and money in the event of a discrepancy in the cockpit. No slam against FSCs but if the pilot said that he had a flickering HSI or "Off Flag" or high EGT would the FSC be able to rectify the fault? No. He wouldn't. Why? Simply because he isn't trained to do so.

Also, I have seen a AA FSC push an AA MD 80 tail into a RENO Air MD 80 tail and try and disconnect the tug like nothing happened. How about the recent Alaska Air MD 80 that had an emergency landing because a FSC put a hole in the a/c with a belt loader and said nothing about it?

My point is that trained, skilled eyes are needed with machines that travel with 100+ people just below Mach 1. I do not mean to imply that ALL FSCs are like the two examples I mentioned above. They are not. But they are also not like AMTs.

Well Ken, I certainly agree that some AA FSCs have made mistakes. On the other hand, so do mechanics. Although aircraft mechanics get it right 99.999999% of the time I can clearly remember an instance at EAL where they royally screwed up. They forgot to put the O-rings on the chip detectors on the 3 RB-211s (these are engines on the L-10-11s). During it's flight, the oil in ALL 3 engines was lost and the aircraft barely made it back to MIA on one engine. Not knocking aircraft mechanics, but they are not absolutely perfect either. I and other FSCs have spotted lav leaks, water leaks, hydraulic leaks when the system is pressurized just before pushback, and other items. I AM NOT SAYING I AM AN AMT OR TRYING TO DO HIS JOB but if I see anything on my pre push walk around I report it and they call the AMT. If the cockpit has a problem during a push, which is very very rare considering how many pushes I have done, the plane goes back to the gate and mx is called. As for the Alaska incident, they hire contractor people for rock bottom wages and the one who put the belt loader in the side of the plane either didn't know of the possible consequences or didn't care. Also, the end of the belt should not have been that high in the first place.
 
aafsc:
You are correct! No one is perfect. NO one!
Except the executives in this company , according to the pro management supoorters here.

It's all the unions' fault and they simply had to rape us with concessions because union workers have been overpaid and underworked for decades.

What do you when an mechanical failure occurs and forces an emergency landing or, worse, an accident happens?


According to Oneflyer and ModerAAtor, the mechanics should be more concerned with "bettering" themselves in new careers. So "incidents" are going to happen!
 
"Not knocking aircraft mechanics, but they are not absolutely perfect either."

aafsc, you are correct and I believe that you understood that I was not implying that AMTs are indeed perfect. Yes, a FSC can notice a leak, or a belching cloud of white smoke from an engine's exhaust. But having a TRAINED eye looking at an a/c when it leaves should be the M.O. of any airline. I'm not knocking FSCs. Many here in SAN are very observant and inform the flight crew of any percieved "abnormalty".

As for oneflyer's question I do not believe he would care who did his push back. Even the guy who ran away when the engine had a tail fire. But that is the flying public's level of understanding of what takes place in the airline business. Hopefully through education the public will become better aware of the AMTs responsibilities and actually care about who worked on and who last looked at their aircraft.
 
I have read on the FedEx forum that they are aquiring 90 757-200 aircraft. Will these planes be converted to freighters by FedEx, or third-party naintenance? The article I read was non-specific...
 
I have read on the FedEx forum that they are aquiring 90 757-200 aircraft. Will these planes be converted to freighters by FedEx, or third-party naintenance? The article I read was non-specific...

Fed Ex does not have the capability to do the conversions so it will be going to a third party.
 
I have read on the FedEx forum that they are aquiring 90 757-200 aircraft. Will these planes be converted to freighters by FedEx, or third-party naintenance? The article I read was non-specific...
I would imagine it would be going third-party, with MCI as a potential candidate. Of course that might require proper manning and could be an issue as seen on the Saab line.
 
So much for the Fed-ex work. I wonder what happened?

http://www.atwonline.com/news/story.html?storyID=7650

ST Aero nabs FedEx 757 freighter conversion business
Friday January 19, 2007
Singapore Technologies Aerospace announced a massive freighter conversion deal with FedEx Express yesterday covering 87 757s, with ST Aero President Tay Kok Khiang putting the value of the contract at $450-$470 million over the seven-year life of the program.

Work will be done at ST Mobile Aerospace Engineering in Mobile, Ala., using an STC developed and owned by ST Aero based on data licensed from Boeing, including design and certification data from a previous 757 passenger-to-freighter conversion, according to Boeing VP-Technical Services Tim Copes.

The first aircraft will enter the conversion process in May with redelivery expected at the end of December. Future conversions are expected to take fewer than 120 days, Tay said. Mobile Aerospace will run three nose-to-tail conversion lines, "if not more," he added.

FedEx VP-Engineering Mark Blair said the carrier has commitments, firm contracts and/or letters of intent for just under 90 757s, with the first to be delivered this month. He declined to identify sellers of the aircraft. Last September, FedEx announced $2.6 billion program to transition its narrowbody freighter fleet from 727Fs to 757Fs (ATWOnline, Sept. 27, 2006).


by Perry Flint
 
<_< ----- Thanks for the Info. AMFAMAN! The ALCOA thing has been way too quite lately! This may explain quit a bet on what's been going on! But it seems we'll be kept busy with the C.I.P. program for quite a while. So far hasn't brought as many people back off the street as we hoped! We have three exTWA757s on the ground. I wonder if they're slated to go to FedEx?---- ;)
 
<_< ----- Thanks for the Info. AMFAMAN! The ALCOA thing has been way too quite lately! This may explain quit a bet on what's been going on! But it seems we'll be kept busy with the C.I.P. program for quite a while. So far hasn't brought as many people back off the street as we hoped! We have three exTWA757s on the ground. I wonder if they're slated to go to FedEx?---- ;)
Well I just looked into this more and I'm told that we bid a lower price but would not do more than one line at a time. This compares to:

The first aircraft will enter the conversion process in May with redelivery expected at the end of December. Future conversions are expected to take fewer than 120 days, Tay said. Mobile Aerospace will run three nose-to-tail conversion lines, "if not more," he added.


I guess that would of resulted in recalls. :eek:
 
Isn't ST Aero the outfit that Bronner wanted to use to overhaul the US airplanes during that short time he played Airline Executive with Alabama state employee retirement fund money?

No doubt they could bid less; I wouldn't be surprised if Cods the SuperScab used to work there.
 
Well I just looked into this more and I'm told that we bid a lower price but would not do more than one line at a time. This compares to:
I guess that would of resulted in recalls. :eek:
;) ------ I can't believe it! Another case of "Penny wise, Dollar Foolish!!!!"---- :angry: :down:
 
Isn't ST Aero the outfit that Bronner wanted to use to overhaul the US airplanes during that short time he played Airline Executive with Alabama state employee retirement fund money?

No doubt they could bid less; I wouldn't be surprised if Cods the SuperScab used to work there.
I'm pretty sure you are correct. I have read in ATW (I'll try and find it tonight) and believe I posted this past summer that Alcoa was charging between $4.5 and $5.5 million per plane with AA getting around $1.5 million for the labor. If that the case, the bid would be in line with Superscab shop, but the lack of lines is what killed it. That is the same story I'm hearing from those in the know. I would hate to see this loss pinned on the refusal to recall the manpower, it doesn't hold much hope for future thrid party major contracts.
 
Does MCI even have the space to support three more lines?
<_< ----- For 757's, space is not the problem! They'll fit in any of our Docks! We have at least five open! Finding the people to do the job? Now that's another story! ;) Good metal people just don't grow on trees! And now I'll assume that more of our layed off people may be headed south! So if needed, aa may not get them back as easily as they think! :shock: And with aa's present policy of no growth, it simply couldn't happen!
 
<_< ----- Thanks for the Info. AMFAMAN! The ALCOA thing has been way too quite lately! This may explain quit a bet on what's been going on! But it seems we'll be kept busy with the C.I.P. program for quite a while. So far hasn't brought as many people back off the street as we hoped! We have three exTWA757s on the ground. I wonder if they're slated to go to FedEx?---- ;)


Sounds like ALCOA is D.O.A. at MCI