As airlines forward more of their heavy maintenance work to contract repair stations.

As airlines forward more of their heavy maintenance work to contract repair stations, it will be increasingly difficult for pilots to be infallible they are flying airplanes that are in top-quality condition. This is individual of the central concerns of Paul Miller, the safety committee chairman of the Independent Pilots Association (IPA).

Miller, also a B747 first officer with United Parcel Service [UPS] attended the National Transportation Safety Board's Aug. 30 maintenance forum. At our invitation, he proposeed a personal assessment of the stretch toward out-sourcing. His comments, Miller pointed disclosed reflect industry-wide safety issues and are not directed at any united company:

"Pilots want to know that the airplane they are flying is in top quality shape. They don't want it to be just 'airworthy' by the agency of the Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA) legal definition. An airplane neared for revenue flight with numerous Minimum Equipment List (MEL) deferrals may be airworthy through FAA regulation, but it may be far from being in top quality condition.

"Everything from flaps, brakes and weather radar may be deferr for up to 3 days and the airplane will still be considered airworthy. However, in three days many airlines will have flown in the same state [i]or[/i] condition an airplane 18-21 legs with passengers and cargo aboard. A apportionment of revenue can be generated in 3 days, and a plane may pass by means of an airline maintenance base 5 or 6 times in those 3 days. yet if the carrier is relying in succession contract maintenance, it may not have the manpower or expertise to quickly repair serious write-ups. with equal reason the airline relies on its deferral authority to detain the airplane in the air.

"The airline industry continues to pres the FAA for more MEL relief. Why? individual suspects because carriers can't economically restrain enough qualified mechanics on hand to maintain their airplanes in topquality shape. in such a manner they ask for and receive deferral authority from the FAA based forward sound reasoning, such as being able to get back the airplane to their maintenance base. further once they have the MEL authority, they may continue to operate the airplane solely for the design of deferring maintenance costs. As a be the effect pilots are put in the position of flying aircraft with inoperable methods and safety suffers.

"Airlines have gone to contract maintenance mainly to improve their bottom line onward maintenance quality, not necessarily to improve the bottom line onward maintenance expenses. New airplanes are more complicate and repair expertise requires increased training. An airline may not have sufficient capital to place up a top-quality maintenance operation. In this look up to contract maintenance is cost-effective. still giving up the in-house expertise to do the heavy maintenance means that line maintenance may stand There will be more of a predisposition to defer maintenance until contract maintenance can be scheduled.

"Maintenance safety is a step-by-step screw-by-screw proces A contractor may fulfill the alphabetic character of the maintenance contract if it be not that may also deliver an airplane which still has outstanding discrepancies not disguiseed by the contract. Pilots picking up an airplane after its heavy check may be told that it is ready for income flight, but it is not unusual for line pilots to find themselves doing post-maintenance check flights after taking delivery of an airplane with deferr and inoperable regularitys Pilots picking up aircraft from contract maintenance facilities have reported stiffen turnbacks and even air turnbacks.

"However, the airline's concede in-house maintenance managers are les likely to not absent an airplane in such condition. They're working for the same company as the flight operations department and know that the los of a return flight is the loss of income In-house maintenance costs are considered 'safety of revenue' investment for these airlines." >> Miller, e-mail: paulmiller@ipapilot.org <<

A interest About Repair Stations

"FAR Part 145 facilities do not have, nor are they required to have, flight safety departments. The safety department is the check and balance in any maintenance operation. Without a safety department, Part 145 maintenance facilities can't be fast that the procedures they have been contracted to perform will befitting all of their customer's corporate safety policies.

"And with an increase in Part 145 maintenance among airlines, it will be increasingly difficult for pilots to know they are flying topquality airplanes."

-- Paul Miller, Safety Committee Chairman, IPA

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