Major Airlines Line Maintenance

[Delta3]

I have always wondered, if a major airline needed an A check or maintenance service or inspection done away from a maintenance base, who would do it?

Like if United Airlines needed a filter change on a 777 or 747 in Vietnam, who would do it? How about a Delta 737 at LGA?

 

[Redtailer]

if a major airline needed an A check or maintenance service or inspection done away from a maintenance base

Step one, all known maintenance is cycled through the appropriate maintenance bases. The MX guys know when the checks are due because they know how much flying is planned for that aircraft on any given day, hence they can schedule the aircraft to pass through the proper base days or even weeks in advance.

Step two, all unknown MX needed such as write ups that occur away from base are handled through contract MX. Whether that is another airline's MX personell or an approved contractor. There are a lot of stipulations that must be met for the mechanic to work on the plane. Not the least of which being a background check and the training records on file with the airline. This is satisfied when another 121 carrier works on another 121 carrier, but it gets really sticky when you start to deal with outside contractors. I have been broken in a city with a mechanic available, but no proof of drug testing or background check. He legally couldn't touch the airplane and we scrubbed the flight.

 

[stall022]

airlines usually rotate the airplanes thru a maintence base on a regular basis to do the major check. Service checks such as oils and tires are usually done in a hub by line maintence. If you break in an outstation most things can be MEL'd first. If a mechanic is needed all airlines have contract mx personal at the outstations that are approved by that airline to work on the airplane. If all else fails a mechanic has to get on an airplane with the tools and parts needed to fix the broken airplane at an outstation.

 

[Delta3]

Thanks for the responses.



Do you know how often the contractors work? Are they active everyday?

 

[Tim47SIP]

Background Checks??

Not the least of which being a background check and the training records on file with the airline. This is satisfied when another 121 carrier works on another 121 carrier, but it gets really sticky when you start to deal with outside contractors.

Went into OAK with a minor maint problem. I told the Capt that I could fix it (molding falling off in the cabin), be he insisted on contract maint. The guy that our maint control contacted showed up with no tools. He couldnt speak english at all. He also couldnt fix the fastener and was going to tape up the molding which would have caused us to have to dead head the aircraft back to DFW. I asked the mech (a bunch of finger pointing to get the point accross) if I could fix it and he sign it off. He agreed, and it took less that a minute (after he spent 2 hours) to fix it. We were then able to carry a full load back with us.

I asked the Delta manager there was how in the heck this guy could have gotten a background check let alone even being hired as a mechanic? Maybe Part 145 repair station since they are not required to hire A&P's. Who knows?

 

[TWA Dude]

Do you know how often the contractors work? Are they active everyday?

If they're not physically at the airport (at an FBO or whatever) then they're on-call. Yes, we've awakened them at 0600 on Sunday mornings and holidays. My understanding is that the call-out fee is quite steep (yet still cheeper than paying a full-time mechanic at an outstation).