Northwest Maintenance

I was responding to the general idea that somehow everything would have been different if the cleaners were not included. I pushed for Amfa when the card drive was on but heard the remarks how title 2 "ruined" it. The majority of the aircraft guys are good guys, but there are always the jerks. Title 2 has plenty as well so apologies to all for letting emotion enter a post.
I haven't ever heard my co-works state "title 2 ruined it". The industrial unions love to plant the seeds of hate: "the AMFA guys don't want you" and "they think you guys are ....." (fill in the blank).

Not saying it didn't happen, I just never heard it personally.

No need to apologize Bag.
 
Today was not a good day for NWA Scab Maintenance. The morning started out fine till about eight o'clock then the shet hit the fan. Hub Work Control lit up with ACARS Messages and MCO orders. This is usually no big deal till we got reports of three possible lightning strikes all coming to the same zone. I didn't think that was a big deal either till I pulled the AMM. That is one extensive inspection to perform. We buckled down for a hectic morning. The first bird went really smooth, we found the strike right off and there were weather radar issues that were related to the strike. We called plane change and sent the aircraft off to the hanger. The next two were a different story. We couldn't find any evidence at all of a strike nor were there any status messages that we could point the finger at as a result of a strike. Called MC to tell them the aircraft were fine but that we were unable to inspect the upper fuselage and the vertical stab. They wanted these areas checked but the problem was we didn't have any equipment that would reach that high. A call to the hangar resulted in a contraption I learned was called a SkyWalker and three additional men. They managed to bring the thing to us but none had a clue as how to operate it. This is where things really got interesting and very slow. Keep in mind that these aircraft are now boarded. This SkyWalker contraption is the clumsiest most ridiculous looking and operating piece of equipment I have ever seen, to do such a simple function as lift a man in the air. I don’t know who NWA's procurement officer is that thought this would be a nice piece of equipment for NWA to own but he really does need to be fired. It is a piece of junk. Have you guys ever operated an unfamiliar piece of equipment in freezing rain and close proximity to an aircraft? It’s very very spooky. Needless to say we took some very serious delays today. Not just on those three aircraft but others as well. This has probably been our worst day since around October. NWA should really consider investing in some Genie 60 or 80 ft. manlifts. These inspections would have gone off without a hitch.

:D ....This is what the passengers looked like looking out the window.. :shock: :shock: :eek: :shock: :shock: :eek: :shock: ...How embarrassing ..Da what does dis lever do?

We laugh about it now but it wasn't funny at all at the time.
 
Today was not a good day for NWA Scab Maintenance.

What's new?



... This is usually no big deal till we got reports of three possible lightning strikes all coming to the same zone.

Welcome to the upper midwest. Just wait 'til summer...


Called MC to tell them the aircraft were fine but that we were unable to inspect the upper fuselage and the vertical stab. They wanted these areas checked but the problem was we didn't have any equipment that would reach that high.

Why not use a De-icing truck (with an open bucket to be able to get up close)? They certainly go high enough. Didn't anyone think of that?



We laugh about it now but it wasn't funny at all at the time.

It's never a laughing matter for any of the rest of us....
 
Today was not a good day for NWA Scab Maintenance. The morning started out fine till about eight o'clock then the shet hit the fan. Hub Work Control lit up with ACARS Messages and MCO orders. This is usually no big deal till we got reports of three possible lightning strikes all coming to the same zone. I didn't think that was a big deal either till I pulled the AMM. That is one extensive inspection to perform. We buckled down for a hectic morning. The first bird went really smooth, we found the strike right off and there were weather radar issues that were related to the strike. We called plane change and sent the aircraft off to the hanger. The next two were a different story. We couldn't find any evidence at all of a strike nor were there any status messages that we could point the finger at as a result of a strike. Called MC to tell them the aircraft were fine but that we were unable to inspect the upper fuselage and the vertical stab. They wanted these areas checked but the problem was we didn't have any equipment that would reach that high. A call to the hangar resulted in a contraption I learned was called a SkyWalker and three additional men. They managed to bring the thing to us but none had a clue as how to operate it. This is where things really got interesting and very slow. Keep in mind that these aircraft are now boarded. This SkyWalker contraption is the clumsiest most ridiculous looking and operating piece of equipment I have ever seen, to do such a simple function as lift a man in the air. I don’t know who NWA's procurement officer is that thought this would be a nice piece of equipment for NWA to own but he really does need to be fired. It is a piece of junk. Have you guys ever operated an unfamiliar piece of equipment in freezing rain and close proximity to an aircraft? It’s very very spooky. Needless to say we took some very serious delays today. Not just on those three aircraft but others as well. This has probably been our worst day since around October. NWA should really consider investing in some Genie 60 or 80 ft. manlifts. These inspections would have gone off without a hitch.

:D ....This is what the passengers looked like looking out the window.. :shock: :shock: :eek: :shock: :shock: :eek: :shock: ...How embarrassing ..Da what does dis lever do?

We laugh about it now but it wasn't funny at all at the time.
And you wonder why this airline scares me?
 
And you wonder why this airline scares me?
PhxMama, There is no reason for you or anyone else to be scared of this airline. These aircraft are in the best shape and hands than they have ever been in. The way the lines are run now are phenomenal. If there is a problem with an aircraft instead of one mechanic struggling to fix the problem if he doesn't know what the problem is additional manpower is instantly dispatched to address the issue. There is no "That’s not my gate." attitude here. There has been a few instances of that but the problem was quickly resolved. We hit the gate when the aircraft hits the gate to perform our own walk arounds and service the aircraft instead of sitting in the breakroom waiting for the pilots to call in problems. AOS aircraft are at a all time low and MEL's are at an all time low. I don't see what your problem is. I really do not believe that you are as ignorant as a certain poster on this board and honestly believe that being union makes you a good mechanic.

Ask Hackman how NWA is doing in the stats. I see that he refuses to comment on them here lately.

NWA is setting a new standard for line maintenance, you watch, soon other airlines will be following suit. I have a feeling that they are overstaffed like NWA was and are actually getting very little for their money due to union work rule constraints. They will soon break the union bonds that restrain them.
 
Y-A-W-N


More tired union cliches and rhetorical nonsense.


What you can't seem to grasp is the fact that it isn't a "union" mechanic vs "replacement" mechanic question.


If Delta Tech ops suddenly up and decided to layoff their thousands of AMTs and bring in replacements, they simply aren't going to be as good.

You CAN NOT replace an entire maintenance dept and expect them to be as productive in a year or two for that matter.Oh they may be cheaper to employ, but not more productive.

While I've never worked for NWA I suspect those that were left when AMFA went out on strike held in excess of 15 years seniority. Thats 15+ years of interaction with co-workers, 15+ years of training and real time experience on NWA aircraft, learning their particular quirks and types of problems. When I worked the line at UAL, I knew who the best door rigger was, who was the best with fuel problems, or avionics, I knew UALs aircraft from front to back, because thats what I had been trained and experienced on. Replacements DO NOT posess that type of experience. As for those AMFA mechs that crossed the line, from all reports I've received they were mostly from back shops or check lines which would make them just about as lost as a new replacement.

These are just some of the intangibles that seperate the real NWA AMTs from the replacements. Union/non-union has very very little to do with it.
 
PhxMama, There is no reason for you or anyone else to be scared of this airline. These aircraft are in the best shape and hands than they have ever been in. The way the lines are run now are phenomenal. If there is a problem with an aircraft instead of one mechanic struggling to fix the problem if he doesn't know what the problem is additional manpower is instantly dispatched to address the issue. There is no "That’s not my gate." attitude here. There has been a few instances of that but the problem was quickly resolved. We hit the gate when the aircraft hits the gate to perform our own walk arounds and service the aircraft instead of sitting in the breakroom waiting for the pilots to call in problems. AOS aircraft are at a all time low and MEL's are at an all time low. I don't see what your problem is. I really do not believe that you are as ignorant as a certain poster on this board and honestly believe that being union makes you a good mechanic.

Ask Hackman how NWA is doing in the stats. I see that he refuses to comment on them here lately.

NWA is setting a new standard for line maintenance, you watch, soon other airlines will be following suit. I have a feeling that they are overstaffed like NWA was and are actually getting very little for their money due to union work rule constraints. They will soon break the union bonds that restrain them.
"There is no reason for you or anyone else to be scared of this airline."
I wouldnt put a pet rattler snake on a NWA plane. Since NWA allowed scabs to work the planes, the planes have become much more dangerous just tryin to land or takeoff.
Lets see, an engine fire on take off. several main gear blowouts on landing, and oh yes let see numerous emergence landings due to MTX MAINTAINCE--and grounding four planes in one day. Man that is a scary record to have just since last August. That makes it only 7 months and NWA has a bad record for an unsafe and unreliable airline
 
NWA AMT's I work for AWA AS A TEAMSTER 104 MEMBER (America West Airlines)I Need A SCAB LIST OF ALL IAM MEMBERS TO SHOW MY POINT THAT THE IAM IS A SCAB UNION. Can someone help me? Or GO TO The USAIR POSTS AND HELP A BROTHER.

HAS I KNOW WE DID NOT CROSS ANY LINE AS IBT AMT's. :up:
AND I WILL NEVER. :up:
The Old Saying You Want It When?????????? :up:
They never called back. LOL
Best Of Luck (A AMT BROTHER). :up:
 
If there is a problem with an aircraft instead of one mechanic struggling to fix the problem if he doesn't know what the problem is additional manpower is instantly dispatched to address the issue.
Hey PTO,

I have a question, you have stated before that NWA has no outstations any longer and MTC is performed in only 3 or 4 main line stations. I realize you guys are doing a tremendous job but I have a question? Does the aircraft ever break at a non maintenance station and how is it fixed? Does MTC control call out a fleet of farmers? Don't hear of that many roadtrips going out. I doubt a farmer would have much specialized tooling and they usually don't travel with a partner. Just curious with your statement of the fleet being in such stellar condition. :huh: Your pilots are not flying around junk, putting off write-ups till the hit MTC are they?
 
Hey PTO,

I have a question, you have stated before that NWA has no outstations any longer and MTC is performed in only 3 or 4 main line stations. I realize you guys are doing a tremendous job but I have a question? Does the aircraft ever break at a non maintenance station and how is it fixed? Does MTC control call out a fleet of farmers? Don't hear of that many roadtrips going out. I doubt a farmer would have much specialized tooling and they usually don't travel with a partner. Just curious with your statement of the fleet being in such stellar condition. :huh: Your pilots are not flying around junk, putting off write-ups till the hit MTC are they?
When Have You Seen The Pilots Support The AMT's. :angry:
 
Hey PTO,
Does the aircraft ever break at a non maintenance station and how is it fixed?
Of course they break at the out stations. It is not at all unusual to have an MC Order to pull a log page and enter it in sceptre when maintenance was performed at an outstation. The maintenance is performed by a variety of local maintenance facilities that are local to that particular airport. Most items that I have seen repaired were minor items or simply deferred. I do not know what they do if there is a major problem with an aircraft. That is why I think they should track their non-rev mechanics. For example there was a DC-9 flight cancelled at an out station because of a tire. There was a non-rev mechanic there that could have deferred the tire had he known of the situation and the flight could have continued on. There are glitches in the system that need to be worked out to prevent this from happening.

Does MTC control call out a fleet of farmers? Don't hear of that many roadtrips going out. I doubt a farmer would have much specialized tooling and they usually don't travel with a partner.
I am not exactly sure what you mean by farmers but there are contract houses to perform line maintenance at the more heavily flown outstations but it is apparent that there is no overnight work being performed.
Just curious with your statement of the fleet being in such stellar condition. :huh: Your pilots are not flying around junk, putting off write-ups till the hit MTC are they?
No they are not. As far as I know the pilots and F/A's make their log entries as soon as a problem arises. I have seen nothing that would indicate otherwise. I did conduct a little experiment where I put the parts required to clear an MEL in the AOG boxes of the aircraft. None were cleared at any of the outstations during their RONs there. All MELs were cleared at DTW or MSP. I might add that they were cleared well within their time constraints. I am sure it is tough for planning to keep up with the aircraft with MELs and make sure they have sufficient time at the maintenance facilities for repair.
 
A "farmer" is what we in the business call a contract maintenence person, usually someone who does it on the side for all the carriers on the field. Drives around in a van during business hours and is paid to move metal!! Small airport it may be someone from the local FBO who usually works at the local FBO on the field. If he is not called out, he is not paid.

With regards to contract MTC clearing MEL's, number 1, I expect they are not called unless the aircraft breaks and they do nothing other that what is requested, because as I stated before, they get paid to move metal, if not they are replaced.

Great idea with regards to non rev mechanics!!! The company should go a little further though, find out where they live or are traveling, i.e. Atlanta, Dallas, Charlotte, ect....if they plane breaks at a station with no maintenence, require them to be on call and go out and fix it!!!!

A great cost saver, when Cohen starts an Employee Suggestion Program, be sure and send it in!!! :up:
 
Great idea with regards to non rev mechanics!!! The company should go a little further though, find out where they live or are traveling, i.e. Atlanta, Dallas, Charlotte, ect....if they plane breaks at a station with no maintenence, require them to be on call and go out and fix it!!!!
A great cost saver, when Cohen starts an Employee Suggestion Program, be sure and send it in!!! :up:
You are taking what I said out of context. I do not think that the mechanic should be required to repair anything on his days off. However a simple call and request with a few perks wouldn't hurt anything. For example a four hour minimum pay with a confirmed flight back would get my attention real quick.

BTW Kev yes they are. Lets get with the program.
 

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