How many ARCer's WORK on aircraft?

[desilva6]

I worked in General Aviation for a few years. Got my A&P in 99, bounced around a couple places, ended up back home at the flight school I graduated from. Worked on their trainers for maybe 3 or so years. Got laid off, never looked back. Now I am studying for my general contractors license. I build houses with my dad's company, draw blueprints, do home inspections(I like finding broke stuff I suppose), and put models together. I am proud of my aviation work, carry my license with me always, but did not find it good work for a long career.

Most of our flight students were from Europe. We used to play guitar in these trailers at the end of the runway some nights. It's pretty cool playing Lyrnrd Skynrd tunes with a bunch of guys from Norway and Finland way out in the South Carolina swamp. I enjoyed teaching the pilots about their rides and also the younger mechanics. I have worked on all the light single engine and twin Cessna's, Pipers, Beech, as well as King Air's, MU-2's, and a Beech 18. The -18 used to run drugs and was at one time painted solid black with no markings. Before it came to us that is.

[Flanker1]

Supply Tech for T-45s

[pavelow44]

Ok, I have to say this:

Big props to all that maintain an aircraft. In ANY way shape or form or in ANY country. A lot of people do not realize the work that maintainers do, and they rarely give them the credit they deserve. Whether it is someone strapping on a jet, or snapping a gunners belt into a tie down ring, we ALL owe you guys a great deal of gratitude.

So from this lowly flyer, I say "Thanks Guys".

Off to fly now

;) :D

Matt

[Marke]

Worked on A-6's in the Corps. When I got out I worked for Goodrich Aerospace (yes, they do more than just tires!) as an A & P jet mech on DC-8, DC-9, DC-10, MD80 series, 727, 737, 747, 757 and 767. Goodrich performs third party maintenance for alot of the airlines/cargo haulers.

Now I work for a different division of Goodrich, the rescue hoists you see hanging off of helos, as a field engineer for the Asian market, including Australia and New Zealand.

Cheers!

Marke

[David Walker]

I've changed the paper in our 757/767 cockpit ACARS printer and pulled and reset a couple of circuit breakers. Does that count?

On a serious note I have nothing but respect for our mechanics. Without them my job wouldn't mean much.

[PixelPusher]

I design electronic countermeasures for military a/c.

That’s about all I can say.

[viper handler]

Here's my profile:

1988-1995 worked as crewchief on F-5s in RSAF.

1996-1997 worked in F-5 Depot Level Maintenance.

1997-2000 worked in F-5 AUP Flight Line.

2000-Till present working in F-16 Maintainance Program.

Almost 18 years of military aviation experience.Also, spent 6mths on Cessna 152, 2mths on Bell 208L Long Ranger, 2mths on Beechcraft KingAIr B200 & 2 weeks on UH-1H.

Andrew.

[Hooker169]

Spent from 1994 to 2000 in the Army as a crew chief and flight engineer on Ch-47D Chinooks in Panama and Savannah, got my A&P, ETS'd and went to work for Delta in Boston as a line maintenance tech. Love every minute of my career. 3rd shift and monday and tuesdays off sucks, but I cant imagine doing anything else.

[Ol Crew Dog]

Started on

The usual FBO stuff, C-150,C-172 etc......

Then......

Martin 404, DC-3,DH-6, DC-9 and Dash 7 with the airlines.

and after that.....

Joined the USAF and worked the F-15, all Models to include A,B,C,D,E,I,J and S as a Crew Chief, Engines, Hydraulics and for the last 4 years Crash Recovery and Transient Alert.

In Transient Alert I worked on MIG-29s, SU-27s, Tornados, Alpha Jets, Learjets (C-21) etc.......

and finally

Now just an out of work Engineer, unless I get the job I am interviewing for on Tuesday, working on design of Composite Aircraft Strutures , should prove interesting...........

Cheers Dave

[Trojan Thunder]

Well I no longer work on aircraft but spent over half my 20 year career as an Instrument/Avionincs Tech in the RAAF on the flightline. I started out in 1983 on Mirage III0 and IIID fighters. Then in 1987 I was posted to the RAAF's VIP SQN and worked on HS748, Falcon 20 and BAC1-11 transports. In late '89 the Falcon 900 was introduced and did my time on those as well between trying to become a Navigator an a desk job in Logisitcs. Returnd to Falcon 900 maintenance in '95. Ending up in a desk job looking after aircraft maintenance managemant and reporting systems (where most techos are put to pasture in their final years of service B) ). I left the RAAF in 2001 but am still associated with maintaining these systems and developing new ones.

[ross blackford]

:) I used to work as an eleco on Mirages and Hercs in operational units and during my time as an inmate at the 2AD prison (I believe now closed or integrated into another unit /or units) I did bench work on components from various aircraft types. Then to a mobile communications units for a short time then back to Hercs. After that I worked on GSE and vehicles for about 18 months before leaving the RAAF.

Now I just work on little plastic ones.

[tankerguy]

Well, I'm looking at this thread and realized I had replied to it and then saw the date which was last year. Well for an update I went back to turning wrenches on aircraft last year in March couldn't stand to be away from them I guess. Currently work on:

Beechjets

King Air 200 and 300

Twin Commanders

Cessna Citations

Learjets

CRJ-200 and 700's

EMB-145

EMB-170

DC-9

MD-80

And anything else that stumbles in with wings.

[Serelle]

I've worked some years to the Brazilian executive company Lider Aviation, the biggest of its segment in Brazil and also the largest off-shore helicopters operator in the country. I worked as a buyer, dealing with all main executive aircraft manufacturers like Bell Helicopter, Raytheon and Cessna, and also I was responsible for all repair and overhaul process, including P&W and Honeywell engines and lots of avionics!

Those were good years... now I'm working for a minning company!!! From the air to the underground!

B)

Serelle

[bernie mckenna]

worked on the following;

F-100d&F's 1968-1971,Luke TuyHoa, Phan Rang

A-7D's 1971 Luke

F-4E's 1971-1978 Sosterberg

F-15A&B 1978-1981 Luke

F-5E's 1981 Luke

F-4D,E,G 1981-1984 Spangdalhem

F-15C&D 1984-1991 Soesterberg

FGR1&2,F4F,F-16 1988-1991 Sosterberg Cross Servicing

RF-4C,F4E,F-16 1991-1992 Hill test squadron,also A-6,Harrier,F-18 when thet diverted from NAS Fallon

work weapons

retired in 92

still miss the noise and the grease

Bernie McKenna

[vvac201]

Wellll, ummmm, I'm an air traffic controller, does that count??? :blink:

Jason, drinking a coke

[Pete "Pig" Fleischmann]

I've changed the paper in our 757/767 cockpit ACARS printer and pulled and reset a couple of circuit breakers. Does that count?

On a serious note I have nothing but respect for our mechanics. Without them my job wouldn't mean much.

...Have to get out of the seat to change the paper in the 320

When I get it right the first time I do this:

I love mechanics...I always learn something from them.

Pig

[adilorenzo69]

USAF 1990-1997; aircraft weapons loader; F-4G/A-10 Spangdahlem AB; Germany (1990-1993 with short trips to the 'land of Sand'; Desert Storm 1/Southern Watch - Turkey; 1993-1997; Luke AFB, Az F-16 block 25's - 62nd FS (many weapons delployments to Nellis AFB; NV).

I worked this bird (commander's aircraft) many a time personally loading her; and doing cockpit functional checks; it recently crashed @ Luke...

http://www.f-16.net/news_article1744.html

Tony DiLorenzo

F-4G/O-A-10/F-16 Block 25...

[Fouga23]

I help restoring aircraft for a museum. nothing fancy ;)

[Gary West]

I was RAF between 1977 - 1983 working on Puma, Wessex and Chinook's at RAF Odiham, home of the battlefield helicopters.

Edited April 14, 2006 by Gary West

[twobobs]

USAF Airborne Instrumentation Telemetry Operator on ARIA for 8 years

Flight Test Engineer/Aircraft Modification Manager on Project Speckled Trout for three years

Currently the Aircraft Modification Manager at BAE Systems, Mojave on the JSF/CATB Flying Avionics Testbed.

[Phantom Phreak]

Not actually a wrench turner, but Aircraft Maintenance is my life! Hence, my avatar ... nuf said!

F-15C (Langley AFB - 71 AMU) and F-16C (Cannon AFB - 27 EMS and 27 CMS)

[oggy4624]

RAF '84 to '90 and RAux AF 90 to 93 as a Movements Controller.

5 Civ airlines (including Aeroflot) as duty manager and ops controller.

Unemployed since the last outfit circled the drain last year.

The airline industry has had its day in europe, all low pay and no job stability and it will get worse.

One handling agent here pays worse than McDonalds.

[David Walker]

...Have to get out of the seat to change the paper in the 320 :)

We don't believe in getting up in the 757. Everything should come to us. :)

[Draggie748]

Joined the RAAF in Jan 71 as a 15yr old apprentice(I reckon I was sold into slavery by my mum because I ate too much), trained as an Engine Fitter, worked on HS748, Macchi MB326H, C-47, CT-4A Airtrainers at East Sale in Victoria, got posted in 79 to the VIP SQN and worked on HS748, Mystere/Falcon 20, BAC 1-11, then in 84 went to Pearce in Western Australia and worked on Macchi MB326H and Caribou, also taught Viper and P&W R2000 engine courses to the new techos and Macchi systems to the new pilots, went back to East Sale in 87 to work on HS748, Macchi MB326H as well as instructional duties on RR Dart and RR Viper engines, in 89 posted to work on F-18 Engines (GE F404s) and then to Macchis again and CAC WINJEELs, in 92 converted to Engine and Airframe technician under new RAAF Employment system, then in 96 went to work on the new computer aided aircraft maitenance project, left the RAAF in Jan 97 after 26 yrs and have work for Defence as a civilian employee or contractor ever since.

Engine types in my log include:

RR Dart 550-2 and 533-2

Rover 2S/150A APU

Viper 22-11

P&W R1830-92

Continental IO-360-H

RR Spey 511-14

Airesearch GTCP 85-115 APU

GE CF700-2C

Microturbo Saphir 1 APU

Solar T40-62 APU

GE F404-GE-400

P&W R985

P&W1340 fitted to Harvard

As well as the associated Propeller types for the HS748, C-47, Caribou and Winjeel.

X-trained all trades on HS748 and Winjeel aircraft and engine/airframe on Macchis.

[FJ55Mike]

I was lucky enough to find a job on campus where I do Finite Element Analysis (engineering testing on a computer) on modifications done to:

Mi-2

Mi-17

Mi-24

An-2

Those big ol Russian birds are neat, and it's a real treat whenever I get to go to the hangar to take measurements.

--Mike