Overcoming Fear of Flying

Lesson 3: The People

Mechanics and Maintenance

Many people who are afraid to fly worry about the maintenance of the plane. I’ve heard other people express concerns about the maintenance of the plane and have gone through it myself. Amazingly, our fears are all very similar. We worried about the competence and mood of the maintenance people. We questioned their health, possibility of drug use, boredom, and we wondered if they’re in a rush, missing things, just generally sloppy.

Planes are cared for like precious babies. The mechanics and aeronautical engineers often work together to make sure they’re working closely and effectively as a team. Working in the shop with the mechanics can make sure the engineers understand any little problems that crop up and having the mechanics work in the engineering department help them understand things from the engineers’ point of view too.

The mechanics who maintain the planes are selected and trained in a similar way to pilots. They’re usually trained in the military or an FAA approved school for civilians. Many of them begin with smaller airlines before they apply at the major airlines. Not only are they highly trained, mechanics have to go through more training every year. Mechanics are professionals who take their work very seriously. They are licensed and randomly tested for drug use just like pilots.

Everything about the maintenance of a plane and every single part of the plane is logged. From examining the inside of the engines with an instrument called a boroscope to checking the nuts and bolts, not only is everything inspected, every single item and piece of work is signed for. Records are kept and signed even if a screw is replaced. You can trace everything mechanical back to the person who worked on the plane and even to the manufacturer of the part.

There are specific maintenance schedules that involve various levels of inspection. For instance, a check called the A Check is done every 400 – 600 flying hours.¹ The A Check takes fifteen to twenty people about a day to do and many parts of the plane are inspected. The A Check includes the brakes, wheels, and inside of the cabin, among other things. Parts of the plane are greased and a whole range of things are checked.

A Super A Check is done every 2500 flying hours and that takes forty-five to fifty people two or three days to do. A C Check, which is even more complicated and takes ninety to a hundred people, is done every 4000 – 6000 hours, depending on the type of plane.

The D Check is the most intense check of all and takes ninety to a hundred people about twenty-five days to complete. In a D Check, the plane is stripped down to a shell and everything is taken out and completely inspected. That’s done every 25,000 flying hours.

Even though the A Check and C Check aren’t as complete as the D Check, they are just as important and ensure a safe and comfortable flight. You’ll also be glad to know that the parts are carefully handled and protected. Only authorized people can access them, and again, everything has to be signed for. Parts must come from FAA approved suppliers and they are very careful to get only approved parts. Though there are bogus parts floating around, no major airline will accept them.

Anytime a repair is done on a plane, the mechanic has to sign the log with his name and employee number. Then a supervisor checks the repair and he also has to sign. If anything isn’t right about the repair, there’s no doubt who’s responsible and there’s a large fine to pay.

Airplane manufacturers like Boeing and Airbus, for example, also provide manuals and updates on service bulletins. Airlines share maintenance information with each other and with the manufacturer to make sure any problems are dealt with quickly and effectively. Even older planes are constantly monitored and reviewed by engineers.

Manufacturers also have representatives who watch over their planes. They give the manufacturer any information necessary to produce the service bulletins. When they’re building a plane, they always ask, “what if this happened” and then they make sure there are backups upon backups. The manufacturers have their companies at stake and want their planes to be perfect.

Before each flight the pilot does a trip check, which means walking around the plane and checking certain things himself. Pilots are not allowed to take off unless everything is functioning perfectly, nor do they want to. (More about pilots later.)

Now if they’d only improve the food. :-)

¹ Different airlines may have different requirements for the time allowed between checks. It also varies according to the type of plane.

Optional Reading
For this section, please read at least one of the following:

• Fearless Fliers Handbook, pages 99 - 108
• Flying Without Fear, pages 77, 78 (top), 80 – 83
• Conquering Your Fear of Flying, pages 49 – 50

  You can also find more information at the following web site:

• U.S. Department of Labor - Airline Mechanics
  http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos179.htm#training

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