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It is Your Signature

The problems in the marketplace dealing with bogus and suspected unapproved parts (SUPs) are many (see story August AM, page 18). Everything from beautifully made — but totally fake — helicopter mast slider balls to PT6 power turbine disks are available for purchase through such sources as online retailers and many newspaper like periodicals for, you guessed it, a lot less than what you would expect to pay for a genuine and certified part. These parts may be genuine, totally fake or just old scrap that someone is trying to pass off as serviceable.

Some of the fake parts are so perfect that they have passed the OEM overhaul only to fail during bench test; not good for a fake turbine disk! Until such time as all the old/scrap and superseded parts are crushed and/or otherwise destroyed and taken out of circulation they (or their serial numbers) will end up back in the market someplace.

Many a time I have been told outright by a private aircraft owner, and in some cases a charter or even regional airline company owner/manager, to purchase and install a part with what I consider a "questionable" history. In many more instances the owner has shown up with a prize in hand that he wants installed that looks like it just was dug out of a hole. When this happens, the aircraft owner and the management are sat down and "informed" of the consequences of such an action both to their life, their aircraft etc., and the fact that there was no way any SUP or bogus parts would be installed on any aircraft by my staff or myself. If the owner/pilot/management refused to allow the installation of a genuine and traceable part they were shown to the door.

PILOTS are responsible for getting the machine to its destination. That is what they are trained for. They are professionals. Aircraft MECHANICS are responsible to make sure that the machine is 100 percent good to go. They are highly trained and skilled professionals as well.

While pilots and other non-maintenance people may understand what an aircraft system does, they rarely have all the information on the intricacies of what actually makes the thing work, and more importantly the multitude of rules, regulations, procedures and tests that we must work with to make sure the system is safe to take to the air. When these people take the classes, do the time and earn a mechanic’s license then they can sign out their possibly SUP/bogus prizes.

The OWNER is responsible for ensuring that the machine is "maintained" in a state of "airworthiness." While I appreciate their concerns over rising costs to operate their aircraft, they (and the general public) need to realize or otherwise be made to understand that we mechanics do not work for free to support a pilot’s private aircraft or a company’s charter or scheduled aircraft and that we as professional mechanics have a legal responsibility to the public as well as to the pilot and corporate owners, that their aircraft won’t end up a smoking hole because the pilot/owner/management wanted to save a few bucks.

Just having an 8130-3 is not good enough to satisfy a good QA inspector any more. If the paperwork cannot justify the part’s serviceability, that part is suspect. Owners, pilots and anyone else who tries to deal and cut corners by using cheap, and in most cases, suspect parts, is only putting the A&P’s credentials in jeopardy.

Name and address withheld