I always suspected that French people were a few screws short...

Story brought to you by Bloomberg, how appropriate.

Did the primary buffer panel just fall off my gorram ship?

It was serviced in China? Wow, why am I not surprised?

Me Chinese
Me Play Joke
Me Leave Screws Out
You Die Pig

How many people would knowingly choose to fly with an airline that has its planes serviced in China ?

Keep taking jobs to China and eventually the Chinese will be the only people who will be able to afford your products.

And I'd check all the bolts they did replace. They're probably "Grade 2.8" with an extra line etched in them so they look like "Grade 12.8"

American is the only airline that still does all of its maintenance in the US. Southwest sends their planes down to Guatemala or something.

Welcome to the western world. David Frum is right, our north america governments right now are enabling the great Baby Boomer Going-Out-of-Business Sale. They're farming out as much work as possible and selling all of our assets overseas to prop up their baby boomer executive bonuses and pension funds.

I weep for our generation (in our 20s and 30s). I REALLY weep for our kids. Its only going to get worse.

Summon zeio!!!

capt.hollister: How many people would knowingly choose to fly with an airline that has its planes serviced in China ?
.

well I would say millions.... I hope you realized that there are airlines in china too right?

Not saying they are the epitomy of service excellence BUT last I check I don't recall reading about planes from China or flights originating from China dropping from the sky all over...

Was deplaned in Denver for emergrncy maintenance. In full view of the passengers waiting to reboard at the gate a mechanic attempted to replace a flat tire on the plane. He realized that he brought the wrong tool, scatched his head and walked back to the terminal to retrieve the correct tool and return to complete the task. Later, in flight, I had visions of a firey landing and screaming to my death while, back in Denver a lone mechanic stumbles over lug nuts on the tarmac.

/csb

Missing panel screws is not a big deal as long as none are missing along the leading edge of the panel. Speed tape over the emtpy holes, inspect before each flight and fix it during its next scheduled down time. Tech data will say exactly how many can be missing and where.

/acft mechanic

FTA:"Group was halted in Boston in mid-November after about 30 screws were found to be missing from a protective panel, the airline said.
The long-range plane had undergone maintenance in China, at Taeco-Taikoo Aircraft Engineering and left the facility Nov. 10."

Oh boy, I can't wait until the Chinese start selling automobiles over here!!
.

the_sidewinder: Ehh: Did the primary buffer panel just fall off my gorram ship?

Looks like

Explode?? I don't wanna "explode"!

A friend of mine is profoundly deaf, but a fluent lipreader. He told me that he was sitting in a 747 at LHR, just about to take off for a flight to the US, watching a mechanic work on an open panel. After twenty minutes or so, the mechanic shut the panel, turned to his mate and said "Well, it'll just have to do".

Most people don't understand MELs, and don't realize how often they fly on planes that are 'broken' and require repair.

Air France A340 Flew With Missing Screws

That's not a nice thing to call the flight crew.

tiiger: Most people don't understand MELs, and don't realize how often they fly on planes that are 'broken' and require repair.

This.

I bet money there isn't a plane out there that doesn't have some broken shiat written up in their forms. Not everything is required, just whatever is needed for safety of flight and the mission.

There is a good reason a lot of aerospace engineers and pilots still call it the ScareBus.

I used to meet my father on the flight line as he returned from extended TDY and would chuckle to myself about the soda cans flattened out and speed-taped over panels that needed fixing on his F-4. Not just once, either..

Relevant? Sorta.

Next time you fly ask for a wing seat. Look out at the wing.

Count how many rivets are missing.

Enjoy your flight!

darkscout: And I'd check all the bolts they did replace. They're probably "Grade 2.8" with an extra line etched in them so they look like "Grade 12.8"

Grade 8 & grade 8.2 is what you meant

Rodeodoc: 95629 American is the only airline that still does all of its maintenance in the US. Southwest sends their planes down to Guatemala or something.

If you RTFA, old chum, you'll see this: Customers that have their aircraft serviced at Taeco include British Airways, AMR Corp. (AMR)'s American Airlines, Korean Air and Deutsche Lufthansa (LHA) AG, according to Taeco's website.

Once many moons ago I was on a Frontier flight out of Denver. I was sitting quite close to the front, and heard the Captain and a mechanic arguing about the condition of the batteries. The mechanic maintained they were "good enough for another trip or two". The pilot, bless his heart, said he wasn't leaving unless they were replaced. Of course, the pilot won, but I was amazed that they would have such a conversation in front of passengers, and quite loudly. While they were yammering I told my seatmate that if the mechanic won this argument, I was getting off the plane. He said he'd be right behind me.

/good times

In the mechanics defense, do you have any idea how many AA's a 747 takes? I mean shiat, you'd probably have to cannibalize most of the TV remotes in Denver to get off the ground.

capt.hollister: How many people would knowingly choose to fly with an airline that has its planes serviced in China ?

Keep taking jobs to China and eventually the Chinese will be the only people who will be able to afford your products.

Color me crazy but if my plane needs to be serviced, I'm servicing that turkey in whatever airport it can get serviced at until it passes inspection to get to the next company owned location.

Satanus Maximus: tiiger: Most people don't understand MELs, and don't realize how often they fly on planes that are 'broken' and require repair.

This.

I bet money there isn't a plane out there that doesn't have some broken shiat written up in their forms. Not everything is required, just whatever is needed for safety of flight and the mission.

Spent 9 years in the Air Force as a public affairs guy. Had to write up a news story everytime there was a black letter flight (ostensibly meaning there was nothing wrong anywhere on the plane).

In those 9 years, I wrote only 4 such stories.

There's always something wrong somewhere. Even if it's just a sticky mic switch or an armrest wiggles too much.

If people want to be afraid of flying, they should consider pilots are regularly pressured to fly without a decent safety reserve of fuel.

Oznog: the_sidewinder: Ehh: Did the primary buffer panel just fall off my gorram ship?

Looks like

Explode?? I don't wanna "explode"!

It's okay, I'm a leaf on the wind ...

If "at no time was the safety of anyone flying" in jeopardy, then they ought to take those screws, and any others similarly redundant, out of all of their aircraft,and ground craft too, I suppose. Save money on reduced hardware and reduced fuel requirements.

This is what happens when you get your maintenance done on the cheap at the world's biggest Wal-mart SuperCenter.

Percy Hotspur: If "at no time was the safety of anyone flying" in jeopardy, then they ought to take those screws, and any others similarly redundant, out of all of their aircraft,and ground craft too, I suppose. Save money on reduced hardware and reduced fuel requirements.

Lower fuel requirement is sort of a function of reduced drag, which is what this part was designed to do.

Pancoaifo: Oznog: the_sidewinder: Ehh: Did the primary buffer panel just fall off my gorram ship?

Looks like

Explode?? I don't wanna "explode"!

It's okay, I'm a leaf on the wind ...

This here is a recipe for unpleasantness.

I don't fly, and even if I did it wouldn't be some plane run by those filthy, dirty French.

Keyser_Soze_Death: There is a good reason a lot of aerospace engineers and pilots still call it the ScareBus.

They work for Boeing?

AkaranD: capt.hollister: How many people would knowingly choose to fly with an airline that has its planes serviced in China ?

Keep taking jobs to China and eventually the Chinese will be the only people who will be able to afford your products.

Color me crazy but if my plane needs to be serviced, I'm servicing that turkey in whatever airport it can get serviced at until it passes inspection to get to the next company owned location.

You're right, of course, but TFA doesn't state that this was an emergency service and at any rate once serviced this plane passed inspection with bits missing.

Pfft.. That's a big jet. There are plenty of spare parts.

Rodeodoc: 95629 American is the only airline that still does all of its maintenance in the US. Southwest sends their planes down to Guatemala or something.

If you RTFA, old chum, you'll see this: Customers that have their aircraft serviced at Taeco include British Airways, AMR Corp. (AMR)'s American Airlines, Korean Air and Deutsche Lufthansa (LHA) AG, according to Taeco's website.

Once many moons ago I was on a Frontier flight out of Denver. I was sitting quite close to the front, and heard the Captain and a mechanic arguing about the condition of the batteries. The mechanic maintained they were "good enough for another trip or two". The pilot, bless his heart, said he wasn't leaving unless they were replaced. Of course, the pilot won, but I was amazed that they would have such a conversation in front of passengers, and quite loudly. While they were yammering I told my seatmate that if the mechanic won this argument, I was getting off the plane. He said he'd be right behind me.

/good times

There are all sorts of compromises in maintenance schedules. Including airplanes. If the pilot you mentioned went too far with his insistence that he "wouldn't fly unless-", pretty soon he wouldn't fly, period. If the plane were maintained according the passengers' idea of a proper schedule, an economy ticket from LA to NY would be ten grand.

30 screws were found to be missing from a protective panel? Surely you cant be serious!

Ten years ago, I flew Delta from Birmingham, Alabama to Baltimore, switching planes in Atlanta.

As the pilot spooled up the engines in Birmingham, one wouldn't start. Eventually, he told us they were calling a mechanic. About 45 minutes later, looking out my window, I saw a flight coming in from Atlanta taxi up to the gate next to us. A Delta mechanic comes down the skyway stairs, climbs in a lift basket and proceeds to take a panel off. (Thirty screws - I counted.) He fiddled around about five minutes, then put the panel back on, lowered the basket and told the pilot something.

The pilot re-boared and announced that we had a stuck fuel valve. He said there would be a delay of about 15 minutes while the mechanic "double-checked the procedure."

Sure enough, 13 minutes later, the mechanic re-appears and takes off the panel. He then proceeds to reach into his toolbag, pull out a two-pound rubber mallet, and hit the fuel valve. He reached in (presumably to test the valve) then put the panel back on.

\I give him credit. He got on the plane with us to fly back to Atlanta.
\\That's probably what kept everyone from demanding to be let off.
\\\Got a $300 voucher from Delta without even asking.

They also brought new meaning to the phrase "being underwater on your ride".