SAFETY
“AND THERE I WAS” — A LESSON IN SAFETY
And there I was — 18 years old and eagerly preparing for my first major surgery. With the hood removed from my patient (my parent’s 55 Chevy), exposing the “Blue Flame” six-cylinder engine ailing from lack of parental maintenance, I was ready! Tools? Check! Shop rag tucked in my back pocket? Check! Cigarette dangling from my mouth (like a “real” mechanic)? Check! Working to the beat of the Rolling Stones singing Start Me Up, at a 3-digit decibel level? Check! I began my attack. Everything in that engine
compartment was fair game. No nut or bolt was left unturned, no wire or hose was left connected and parts were flying over my shoulder like garden dirt being thrown by the hind legs of a digging dog. Four hours later, the deed was done. I was a grease ball standing in the middle of a mix of equally greasy parts, scattered tools, coolant and oil on the floor and engine accessory belts hanging from the rafters. Wiping my hands with the rag from my back pocket, I proudly proclaimed, “I are a mechanic!” My father walked into the garage,
with that “turn down the music” look and woefully eyed the mechanical carnage that once was the engine and transmission that powered his car. Then with a calm but skeptical tone in his voice he asked, “Son, is it ever going to work again?” “Oh yeah… no problem,” I replied with all the bravado I could muster. He just shook his head and went back in the house. Did I succeed in putting it back together? Yup, a couple of times as a
matter of fact. “A couple of times?” Yeah because I would invariably find a needed bolt or clamp or wire that should be in that pile of hardware — somewhere! Which generated several trips to the parts store as well as invariably having to disassemble and reassemble something so as to include the missing piece I just bought at the parts store. Maintenance manual? I didn’t need any stink’n maintenance manual. Fortunately for all concerned, our neighbor, who was an auto mechanic by trade (and at the urging of my father I am sure), took pity on me. Thus, under this man’s kind and patient tutelage, the family 55 Chevy recovered from my over-confident, under-experienced mechanical skills and went on to live a full and happy life — which spared me from any further paternal apprehension. So why this nostalgic trip to a
portion of my misspent youth? Three reasons: First: thanks to the mentoring of
my neighbor, I learned my lesson on neatness, organization and the importance of the maintenance manual.
Second: I was reminded of this
now mildly amusing story from a while back when I was assigned to work with an apprentice from another organization. I was asked to instruct him on the procedures for the accessory gearbox change of a Rolls-Royce 250C20J turboshaft engine. When I arrived, the engine had been removed and he had begun the disassembly. I recognized that eager look, the rag in the back
KAPT
So as disciples of aviation parlance and love of acronyms, let’s produce and acronym for this discussion — I submit “KAPT” for these character traits. And whadya say we discuss our, our Knowledge, Attitude, Procedure and Technique, and see if we perhaps need a little KAPT tune up.
BY MIKE BRODERICK | CONTRIBUTING WRITER
pocket, the unintelligible, throbbing of tortured musical instruments coming from the nearby radio, the dangling cigarette and parts and tools all over the bench. He was me, not as good looking of course, but in character and raw enthusiasm — he was me. However, unlike the youthful me, he had a copy of the maintenance instructions for this job — although they were unread at this point and stuffed somewhere in one of the drawers of his toolbox. At least he recognized that there “might be a need” for some instructions. Third: Quality is the hallmark of our profession!! When we release an aircraft for return to service, we guarantee that this aircraft is safe in operation and performance. We understand that pilots cannot afford to become distracted by doubt or uncertainty in the performance of their aircraft. Thus, their perception of our product is greatly influenced by the knowledge, attitude, procedure and technique we demonstrate during the maintenance/repair process. Trust me — they are watching us while we work forming an opinion.
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DOMmagazine.com | aug 2019
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