Eagle Manager: Will Pilots please do maintenance?

Firebird2XC

Well-Known Member
A request for a totally new kind of concession just hit the email inboxes of Eagle pilots:

They want to know how many of us have FAA maintenance certificates so we can do 'minor maintenance inspections' at out stations.

This is laughable, but also insulting. To pilots it's an obvious attempt to force us to do more and/or avoid writing things up, but also double down by slighting our maintainers and potentially forcing them out of jobs.

OH HELL NO.

First off, I turned wrenches for years. You don't want freshly minted amateurs working alone on top of pilot duties. This is a recipe for disaster.

Second, I find this horribly insulting to our maintainers. I turned wrenches for the better part of a decade, and know it to be a discipline in its own right. Flight crews are free to do what we do well because of the tireless, dedicated maintainers who keep our jets flying. This is potentially a hedge that denigrates their contributions and maybe costs them jobs.

Eagle pilots refuse to be used as a cheap workaround to paying quality maintainers, and our maintenance specialists are truly top shelf and deserve far more respect than this.


Totally unacceptable, across the board.

ANOTHER EPIC FAIL BY EAGLE MANAGEMENT.
 
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Are they going to pay for said inspections?

It's just an exploratory survey, but if this travesty actually happened, there's no way I'd do for free.

I have FO counterparts that can't even do a competent post flight walk-around. I DO NOT want them doing maintenance.
 
PAS floated this question about 6 years ago. The IAM got involved in a hurry and pretty much ended the discussion before ALPA or the FAA had to say anything.

Let's hope. It's a backdoor concession and an insult to all involved. I want this guy's head on a plate.

Eagle pilots are laughing in between facepalms.
 
Dude, let's see what you've got. Post it! :)

Incoming!

First, we got this message:

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Then I guess somebody called him an idiot or he wanted to edit after sending: he tried and failed to recall the email:

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Then we got this:

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Eagle pilots are either fuming or howling with laughter.

Our mechanics are top shelf and deserve much respect.

Our managers, on the other hand...
 
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Oh wow. That's almost as good as when my old freight outfit used to ask me to work on the airplane, because, you know, never mind that I'm NOT an FAA A&P, I am experienced in turning wrenches on German cars, so hey, it's all the same, right?

What next? Can we Gulfstream it up and start putting parts from Auto Zone on the jets?

"Hey man, I got a real good deal on these seat covers faux-chrome switch embellishments. Check out the flight deck bling!"
 
Considering the web address is now posted, I say we all take the survey (Eagle pilot or not) and either bash them or say we are all A&P qualified and give them false hope :D

To the Eagle pilot group: Thanks for standing up for the profession!
 
Also an A&P is still an Airmans certificate. If one of these pilot/A&Ps botches an inspection, wouldn't a suspension of the A&P also carry over to the pilot side?

FWIW, this isn't unheard of. I do know that some helicopter operators in the Gulf of Mexico have approved programs (with documented training) for non-A&P pilots to clear chip lights and replace some bulbs -- minor stuff. It's out of necessity because they can go waaaaay out there where it's insane to fly out a mech parts for a 5 min fix.
 
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Also an A&P is still an Airmans certificate. If one of these pilot/A&Ps botches an inspection, wouldn't a suspension of the A&P also carry over to the pilot side?

FWIW, this isn't unheard of. I do know that some helicopter operators in the Gulf of Mexico have approved programs (with documented training) for non-A&P pilots to clear chip lights and replace some bulbs -- minor stuff. It's out of necessity because they can go waaaaay out there where it's insane to fly out a mech parts for a 5 min fix.
We had a couple guys on our certificate that were also listed on the mx side as well. It's not uncommon in the 135 world.
 
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