04-22-2008
11:04 PM
16 Loves
Everyone's entitled to believe what they want. However, if you're going to beilive the MEDIA you need to think twice. They give the "facts" of whoever pays them the most. I'm a veteran of the war in Iraq. I spent two years there, and many times remember different things happening and the news report being completely different. They only report what sells. Who's going to be interested in a story on an airline doing the right thing?
Now, i'm an aircraft mechanic for an airline, but not Southwest unfortunately.
I would rather fly Southwest than any other. Everyone needs to realize that if you're not a mechanic, aeronautical engineer, or anything along these lines having to do with building and maintaining aircraft, you're "knowledge" of the situation is backed by absolutely nothing but media reports.
AD's often reference a manufacturer service bulletin (SB) for processes to perform the inspection and limitations. If you google 737 skin cracking AD's you will find a few different ones. READ THEM! You don't need to know what it all means, but you'll see what it consits of. On the topic of SB's, they are writtn by the manufacturer's engineers. These are people that are paid a lot of money to know what they're talking about. Being that the maintenance manual issued by the manufacturer is FAA approved, the engineers can also issue documents to aid in calling something "good or bad" on an aircraft, and assist maintenance in this way often.
I'm not saying anything wasn't missed. But they did report it on their own. Which is far above what many would do. If you don't have a background in aircraft maintenance or engineering, nothing against any of you, think about it a little before you call something "unsafe". Being a frequent flier doesn't make you a mechanic.
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01-10-2008
01:25 AM
1 Love
I read through a few of these comments, namely John's, who is also a mechanic. From the many A&P's I know and work with, Southwest seems to be the oasis in the desert. at least for those that want to stay with airline work. The big thing that catches my eye is the attitude and atmosphere I hear so much about. I've been with a regional carrier for just over 18 months ( 7 years on helicopters in the Army) and realize the number of mechanics with much more experience that send resumes in must be great. I love working on aircraft because I learn something new almost every day and am constantly looking for a place where people have the same attitude. Mainly, i'm writing this looking for insight not only from the People Dept, but any other A&Ps that see this as well.
Also notice that in the last few months some of the requirements for mechanics changed. Like 2 years minimum on 737s changed to 2 years on aircraft 12,500 lbs or more. What was the reasoning for that? I wouldn't think there's a shortage of mechanics with 737 experience.
Take care
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