The More Things Change........

The longer I am in this line of work it never ceases to amaze me how many things have come and gone that were supposed to make the life of an aircraft mechanic easier. It seems that every year a new computer based maintenance program comes out with the latest and greatest techno gizmos. There are safety harnesses to keep us from bashing our heads, safety vests to keep us from being run over, new tools to help us troubleshoot, on and on.

With all these new tools it seems that the guys who get stuff done. The guys you can count on to fix a plane all have the same traits that the guys who can't fix planes do not have (no matter what fancy new tools they show up with). I know at my job there are guys who I will go on a road trip with and guys I will not go on a road trip with. The ones who I go with have to know how to work. By work I mean not give up when the first thing that someone else (MX Control) tells them to try does not work.

I'm not sure if there is some God given traits or talents that make a good mechanic. I do know that some of the best mechanics that I know all have certain things in common. They all:

Have common sense.
Know how to use Maintenance manuals.
Know how to read a wiring diagram.
Carry a surprisingly small number of tools with them.
Take very good care of those tools.
Work very smart.
Can be trusted to work alone.
Do not get pushed around by MX Control.

There are those who get by. There are those who rely on others to get by. Some hide. Some simply do nothing.

To be a good Line Mechanic you can not be burdened by all the new techo gizmology that comes out on a yearly basis. Bleed air test boxes for example will give false readings if not hooked up correctly. The reason to know how a system works is to not be overly dependant on test boxes or others (MX Control) to do your troubleshooting for you.

I have always said that you can fix any thing with a srewdriver,visegrip, and a hammer. Everything except laziness.