Respecting the aircraft mechanic and shedding the grease monkey image
It took me about 1/2 a second to click on the link when I received an email notification that the Examiner.com had a new article titled "Respecting the aircraft mechanic and shedding the grease monkey image" (article link). The article was written by Michael Spinks. His Examiner bio says Michael " is an aviation maintenance professional with 30 years experience in the airline industry. He’s a former Human Factors (HF) Specialist for a major U.S. airline. As an authority in FAA regulatory policy he’s presently a Program Manager in Quality Assurance &Safety for an international air carrier in Asia."
Anyone in the industry knows we are the Rodney Dangerfield of the industry, getting "No Respect". We have trade association working for us and other initiatives to promote our trade and it was nice to see an article in the media with the same message. In his short article Michael makes a good attempt to illustrate the advanced skill required including these two paragraphs:
"How many different skill sets must we posses to be proficient in our craft? There’s electrician, plumber, heavy equipment operator, computer expert, interior decorator, painter, seamstress, carpenter, welder, machinist, HVAC, metal sculptor and fabricator, creative writer, legal expert, negotiator, draftsman, radio operator, acrobat and contortionist are some that come quickly to mind.
How many different environments do we have to perform these skills in, all without making a mistake? Rain, ice, snow, heat, cold, darkness, blazing sun, confined spaces, toxic environments and high altitudes are just the “normal” environments we work in."
He further challenges us to respect ourself and do all we can to elevate the profession. He closes by saying; "There is no other profession that requires proficiency in so many different skill sets with the level of awesome responsibility that mechanics have."
Thanks Michael for promoting our craft with your article.
What do you think? How can we get the respect we deserve?
Email this pageVery Good points highlighted.An AME/AMT has the skills of so many trades.
I'll repeat my comments from Michael's original story posted on AskBob.
I can't argue with your message but I disagree with some subject matter. First, the term "grease monkey" does refer to a mechanic but DOES NOT reference 'especially one who works on aircraft.' The term was originally coined during the Industrial Revolution.
In the early phases of the Industrial Revolution, machinery was often large, crude, and dangerous. Child labor was also quite common, and employed at usurious wages to perform difficult and dangerous tasks. One of the tasks bestowed upon these children (predominantly males) was that of climbing along the beams, catwalks, and difficult to reach portions of factory-sized machines. Their purpose was to perform minor repairs and to grease the gears. Their scampering about the machines resembled the behavior of monkeys climbing about. Their primary purpose was to grease the machines; hence, they were commonly called grease monkeys. They were readily identified by the grease streaked and soaked clothing they wore. So when anyone wearing grease streaked and soaked clothing, it was presumed that they worked as a grease monkey. It was a derogatory and denigrating term.
When automobiles made their appearance on the industrial scene, the term was already well entrenched in American society. Those who did the mechanical repairs, greased the autmobiles, and wore the evidence of their labors on their clothing were also called grease monkeys. I'll chalk this up to literary license...
I strongly disagree with the inference that the majority of A&P/IAs have a lack of self-respect. Quite the contrary, I find an overwhelming number of my brothers and sisters to have an appreciation for art, strong emotions, a feel for adventure, unusual ideas, above average curiosity, and variety of experiences. We show self-discipline, act dutifully, and aim for achievement with planned rather than spontaneous behavior. We show high energy, positive emotions, surgency, and the tendency to seek stimulation in the company of others. Our mindset is to be compassionate and cooperative rather than suspicious and antagonistic towards others.
These traits are not limited to aircraft technicians but are common to well-educated, highly trained, experienced professionals of which I proudly claim to be a part. I do agree that we're in a high-risk industry and respect does stat within but the majority of respect must be earned! And personally, I think we do a pretty damned good job of that! As the Bard once said, "a rose by any other name..." which translates to what matters is what something is, not what it is called.
Respectfully,
Bob Pasch
A ten year NTSB study reports that during the last several decades, improvements in aviation safety have made commercial flying in the United States the safest form of transportation. General Aviation (GA), however, has not enjoyed the same safety record. Although GA aircraft log almost twice as many flight hours as do the airlines, the accident rate per 100,000 flight hours for GA aircraft in 2000 is over twenty times greater than the rate for commercial aircraft. From 1988-1997 commercial airline accidents resulted in 1,493 fatalities while GA accidents accounted for 7,446 fatalities.
The report indicates that 20% of all GA maintenance-related accidents are caused by improper maintenance installation. Categories of installation error included wrong part, reversed installation, incorrect attachment, omission, and incorrect connection.
So what can the mechanic do to mitigate these types of installation errors?
A practical tool needs to be put into the hands of the mechanic that can be used immediately.
That tool is the Maintenance “Personal Minimums” Checklist. This checklist was developed by mechanics as an error prevention strategy to be utilized by mechanics in the management of human error in maintenance. This will not only help reduce errors, but will help capture and contain errors, assuming one was made, before the aircraft departs.
Maintenance "Personal Minimums" Checklist
Before the Task:
• Do I have the knowledge to perform the task?
• Do I have the technical data to perform the task?
• Have I performed the task previously?
• Do I have the proper tools and equipment to perform the task?
• Have I had the proper training to support the job task?
• Am I mentally prepared to perform the job task?
• Am I physically prepared to perform the task?
• Have I taken the proper safety precautions to perform the task?
• Do I have the resources available to perform the task?
• Have I researched the FARs to ensure compliance?
After the Task:
• Did I perform the task to the best of my abilities?
• Was the job task performed to be equal to the original?
• Was the job task performed in accordance with appropriate data?
• Did I use all the methods, techniques and practices acceptable to the industry?
• Did I perform the job task without pressures, stress and distractions?
• Did I re-inspect my work or have someone inspect my work before return to service?
• Did I make the proper record entries for the work performed?
• Did I perform the operational checks after the work was completed?
• Am I willing to sign on the bottom line for the work performed?
• Am I willing to fly in the aircraft once it is approved for the return to service?
Using this checklist may take a few extra minutes of your time, but it is time well spent when you consider the consequences of an error if it’s not identified and corrected prior to flight.