Let’s start a trend. You and I. Let’s toss out our computers. And Blackberries, and cell phones. Let’s get rid of all the technology we don’t understand, even if it occasionally makes our lives easier, better, or more enjoyable; and especially if it doesn’t. I hear you complaining about it all the time. So let’s just do something about it. We can start a community of people who want to live life without all these techno-whizzy, time-saving, electronic gadgets. You with me?
I got to thinking about this recently when a discussion ensued about maintenance training. A number of well-respected members of the maintenance community indicated that they felt that the maintenance training for A&P mechanics was just fine the way it is today. Nothing about it needed to be changed or updated. Even the time spent teaching such things as wood, dope, and fabric repair should be left in the curriculum because it is important to know from whence we came.
Others in this maintenance training discussion felt the curriculum desperately needs to be updated. So which is it? The answer probably lies somewhere in the middle.
A maintenance industry leader once said that the FAR Part 147 maintenance training curriculum actually produces an excellent product, a well-trained professional. Even with all the arcane wood structures requirements of 147 Subpart C Appendix C, he felt that even though those items are part of the curriculum, they are not the largest part. The troubleshooting, manipulative skills, and systems knowledge gained in that training are excellent.
That gentleman went on to say that when a mechanic finishes his training and has a freshly minted certificate in his hands, he is actually overqualified for the work he is likely to be able to get right out of school. Think about that. The first job that A&P mechanic is likely to get will include low wages and grunt work that no one else in that company wants to do. Slowly over time, with on-the-job training, the new A&P’s responsibilities will be increased. As with pilots, that certificate is a license to learn.
But shouldn’t the most up to date technology be covered in the training curriculum? If we were headed toward a shortage, and airlines, MRO facilities, and OEMs were suddenly screaming for A&Ps, wouldn’t it be wise to update the training curriculum to include high technology areas that are almost commonplace now in those workplaces? Perhaps it would serve the maintenance community to replace wood structure repair requirements with composite repair requirements and to include things like an introduction to computerized troubleshooting programs, and FADEC systems.
In spite of my initial proposal to toss all my electronics, I believe that it is human nature to move ahead technologically.
Our parent company, Access Intelligence, recently completed a survey. The survey asked readers of this magazine, and of our sister publications, Rotor & Wing and Avionics, about their primary source for news gathering. I was very proud of AM readers who responded to the survey. Almost 57 percent of you said you use the Internet as a primary source for information. It was close to the same percentage as the readers of Avionics Magazine, who tend to be engineers and the like. This shows great progress for the aviation maintenance industry.
To add to your technological savvy, we’d like to invite you to check out our newly redesigned web site and to listen to the podcasts we have there. If you have never listened to a podcast before, give it a shot. Go to www.aviationmx.com, and on the left hand side under Aviation Toolbox click on Podcasts. You will be asked to register and then you can listen. We published one podcast in its entirety as a Q&A (see page 14), to give you an idea of the information that is contained in that podcast.
Since the dawn of man, we have been creating new technology. Along with the medical community, the aviation world has always been on the leading edge of creating technology. It is time for the maintenance community to embrace technology, update the training curriculum, and move forward with our computers, Blackberries, and cell phones.