Here we go again. An entire fleet grounded and a thousand flights cancelled because required maintenance was never performed. Just goes to show you how corrupt the entire inspection process is and how corrupt the FAA management has become.

It also clearly demonstrates just how the arilines are cutting corners on mandatory maintenance procedures to cut costs. Ten years ago, this would be unheard of. The FAA provided proper oversight and the airlines still possessed some limited form of integrity. Now look at them. Southwest was bad enough, but American? The largest carrier in the US? This entire sequence of groundings for maintenance that wasn't pulled makes me very uneasy.

We need an alternate form of mass transit in this country. The railroads need to gear up and provide acceptable alternatives to climbing on some bucket that hasn't been properly maintined because some corporate puke wants to get himself a bonus by cutting inspections and likely bribing FAA officials. Wonder how many Feds have numbered accounts in Luxembourg or Switzerland or Aruba? It certainly wouldn't surprise me a bit.

quote:

Originally posted by jetdrvr:
Here we go again. An entire fleet grounded and a thousand flights cancelled because required maintenance was never performed. Just goes to show you how corrupt the entire inspection process is and how corrupt the FAA management has become.

It also clearly demonstrates just how the arilines are cutting corners on mandatory maintenance procedures to cut costs. Ten years ago, this would be unheard of. The FAA provided proper oversight and the airlines still possessed some limited form of integrity. Now look at them. Southwest was bad enough, but American? The largest carrier in the US? This entire sequence of groundings for maintenance that wasn't pulled makes me very uneasy.

We need an alternate form of mass transit in this country. The railroads need to gear up and provide acceptable alternatives to climbing on some bucket that hasn't been properly maintined because some corporate puke wants to get himself a bonus by cutting inspections and likely bribing FAA officials. Wonder how many Feds have numbered accounts in Luxembourg or Switzerland or Aruba? It certainly wouldn't surprise me a bit.

Jetdrvr, you are both right and wrong here. Sched mtc is a real bugaboo at the moment. I'm sure you all familiar with the term "On Condition?" Well, a small problem arises when you debate who calls the ‘condition.’ 'nuf said?
And as for the FAA, they are, IMHO, still trying to impress and make points after the SouthWest episode left them with no small amount of egg on their face.
Now, if you want to set a time for the death knell of the airline industry in the US of A, go back to one James Earl Carter and de-regulation of the airlines. He not only totally ruined the lives of a lot of employees but this act destroyed the integrity of the industry - it just took a number of years for the throes to cease. I hear the arguments made "Oh, travel is wonderful and has never been cheaper - why, I flew from ATL to SEA for only $178 round trip!" While this may well be true, try flying from ATL to PUK and tell me what you pay to fly. Or try flying into Keene, NH or the like and see what 'bargain fares' you find. Plus, and I will surely get jabbed hard here, we fly cattle cars now compared to what it used to be. My last flight on a B767 with a full bus and the only 'dressed' passenger spoke no English [I know that because the F/A's were trying to find someone that could translate for him] My wife flew 3 1/2 years for the old Eastern and I still marvel each time she tells me how she was required to wear white gloves when working the door at boarding or deplaning PNR's. Things have changed, and I don't think they have gotten better!
I did not intend for this to become a book but I could write volumes on the subject and never tire of telling you how great it USED to be when working for an airline. And you could well sound a note here: strike the bell for Eastern, Braniff, Ozark, Western, Frontier (the REAL one), for North East, for Mohawk, for North Central (remember Herman the Duck?), for TransTexas, for TWA, for Pan Am, for National - I think I have said enough for you to get my drift.
Maybe, just maybe, when Jim-mie makes his next trip abroad, we could find someway to leave him where ever?

I couldn't agree more, particularly about Carter. He screwed up almost everything he touched, from airlines to Panama to Rhodesia to Nicaragua, to the Middle East to curing inflation by killing the patient. He was likely the most inept, pathetic president we've ever had.

And I remember all the lines you mentioned and flew on several of them over the years. Pan Am was one of the best jump seats in the business. Wanna go to Nairobi or Rio? Show up at the counter with your uniform or a suit on and your baggge and you were on your way.

The Feds are doing what they do best: covering their asses after they got hung out to dry by the whistleblowers. Classic Fed overkill and classic mismanagement by the airlines for not having pulled the inspections.

And you forgot Piedmont, another one of the best jumpseats that ever existed.

sounds just like a repeat for george w bush. noone has screwed up more lives than this man, and HE thinks he is great.

quote:

Originally posted by ztreh:
sounds just like a repeat for george w bush. noone has screwed up more lives than this man, and HE thinks he is great.

BUSH DERANGEMENT SYNDROME

Ztreh: I bet you believe Al Gore's "theory" on global warming too.

The problems go deeper than just the airframes. I work at the last GE facility that performs overhauls on the CFM56 in the USA. The rest are going offshore to Brazil, Malaysia, and China.


Anybody want to take a guess why?

It's not quicker turn times, or better EGT margins.

Friend of mine just got a maintenance job in Guayaquil, Ecuador. New facility opened up there, looking for large airframe work. They'll get it. And there's always that heavy check facility in Tijuana, doing 747 work.

Trapper's absolutely correct about Carter. He really opened the floodgates to greed and ineptness. Now, everything's getting outsourced. So what if an engine falls off a 747. It flies just fine on three...

And it continues: Frontier filed for bankruptcy today - states they will continue operations but for how long or at what scale, no one knows. Pity.

The really sad part about this whole state of affairs is that our airlines play a large part moving troops around the world fighting terror. It would really suck if these contractors wanted to throw a wrench in things.

At least Europe had the good sense to develop a viable rail system. The US decided years go to put all its eggs in the aviation basket. As fuel prices climb and the economy slows, ticket prices will also climb and people won't be able to travel. The entire house of cards is trembling.

We need a rail system worth the name. I remember when we had one. Sure was fun traveling on the L&N, eating in an elegant dining car and hanging out in the club car and meeting other travelers.

I think that it was on CNN that they showed a tech pulling a PM in the wheel well. He was measuring a cable with a tape measure. Boy we all know that was really precise!

jetdrvr The FAA grounded the MD80s because the string ties on a wire bundle located in the w/well were more than 1 inch apart.This was all about the FAA showing they were in charge after the Southwest debacle ,anyone remember the Aloha 737 that lost the front top section?That is what those inspections were intent on preventing.Back to the MD80s, the AD in question had been done .The wires were placed in a protective snake skin clamped and then tied in place.I did not read this particular AD, but I have never worked an AD that stated string ties have to be one inch apart.

I just hope the FAA watches the work done out of this country as closely

I fervently hope so, too.

Figgers the Feds would do something to get some ink. That's what Feds do. As long as they're shown in the media to be doing their jobs, then we must assume they are. Grounding the country's biggest carrier demonstrates efficiency. Right.

quote:

Originally posted by jetdrvr:
I fervently hope so, too.

Figgers the Feds would do something to get some ink. That's what Feds do. As long as they're shown in the media to be doing their jobs, then we must assume they are. Grounding the country's biggest carrier demonstrates efficiency. Right.

The scariest statement in Aviation history: “I’m from the FAA and I’m here to help you!â€



trapperP