Mykalvballer

I will AGREE with you. I am an A & P and a pilot. I have worked with a few folks that should have been working at the 7-11 and not on aircraft.

jafo

That about sums it up. I've been working on corporate/private jets for over 25 years (A&P, IA), and have a commercial pilot's rating with types in Falcon and Lear. Currently, I am a self-employed technical consultant/contractor and trainer on Dassault FalconJet aircraft.
I will admit there plenty of decent technicians out there working on all types of equipment; what sets the good apart from the bad is the ablility to diagnose and troubleshoot complex problems. The best of the best are VERY proficient electrically. If you don't have the skills with schematics and can't make heads from tails with a Fluke in your hands, you don't have a shot at correctly repairing a Geo Metro.

There are more than a few A&P's out there that love to puff their chest up about working around machines that now cost up to $65 million. The fact is, the responsibility taken when signing off the simplest of tasks on a small single-engine piston-powered Cessna is no different than a sign-off on a $57 million Canadair Global Express, Falcon 7X, or Gulfstream G550. The Feds have your name, soc#, and your address. Any deviation from procedure that causes an incident or accident, and you're open to FEDERAL scrutiny as well as a slew of lawsuits. The regulations would fill all the open space in your home, and they have to be followed, as well as everything the manufacturer of the equipment requires. I have been the Director of Maintenance for several corporate and charter jet operators in my day, and have been held directly responsible for the airworthiness of those aircraft by the FAA (they have to have someone to point the finger at).
In the automotive or marine industry, you have no obligations or responsibility to do the job right to anyone but yourself, your boss, and the customer, and that's if you have your values in the correct place.
For all of you that appreciate all that beautiful rigging accomplished by the elite in the offshore industry; don't forget that it's copied from what is and has been practiced in aviation since the first regulations were written.

Trippin

Let me make a slight correction. Since I have been in the field (on & off since 1991), I have encountered many a technician. However as of lately I have had the pleasure to work with one technician who did come from the A&P side of the world. He is highly knowledgable and I can depend on him regardless of circumstance, he know's who he is and so do the rest of the you.

Chris Sunkin

I think the problems started about the time they stopped being mecanics and became technicians.

I spent half my day today on the phone with BMW service shops. First a dealer, then a widely regarded independent. Finally I got to talk to a mechanic. The problem is with my daughter's 528. She had a minor fender-bender and the body shop delivered it back with a check engine light. I returned it and they shipped it to the dealer. Dealer calls 3 days later and says it needs a VANOS (variable valve timing controller) I called and asked "how do you know" They say "that's the code in the computer" I called the body shop and explained why that wasn't the problem and it didn't need $1400 in repairs. They said "we'll take it to XYZ". OK. I get a conference call from the body shop and the guy from XYZ. It needs to be torn down- there's a VANOS problem. Trouble is, the guy assumed I didn't know anything and I caught him in a lie. Instead of looking at live data, he pulled the code and saw a payday. he tried to double-talk his way out of it and buried himself. Car is now off to a small independent that has so much work, he doesn't even have a sign on the building. Why? He's an old guy, a mechanic and he's honest. He connects his scanner, sees live data, sees no signal from the cam sensor and swaps one in. Problem solved and for under $100.

Trippin

Excellent, glad to hear that worked out for you. That's like replacing a PCM for an odd running condition problem without diagnosing the problem first.

therealdeal

I bet all of you are the loser of your shop. I know trippin is. You all need to get a life and stop posting about work when you get home.

GO4BROKE

iTrader: (1)

From what I find 5 % of the good techs can fix anything and do it right and have pride in their jobs, 5% are on the way to being the next top guy, 5 % need to stick to one field and do a good job by the book, another 10 % are good helpers and do what they are told, the rest need to sell their tools.[/QUOTE]

I think LOR's numbers apply to every industry. I have yet to hire a contractor, a lawyer, or see a doctor (except 1 dentist) that was truly good at what they do. I've worked with 1 military aircraft tech, one of the worst techs I've ever met.

Pesky Varmint

Correct diagnosis usually requires far more talent
than replacing/repairing.

Pesky Varmint

bouyhunter

Interesting first post.
Eh hem, welcome to the board...

29Firefox

At a $100 bucks an hour I ain't losing ****