Aeronautical Maintenance
Importance of Aeronautical Maintenance
Those seeking jobs in aeronautical maintenance must remember that their job duties can be very time consuming and repetitive. Aeronautical maintenance is also important because it is the one thing that can keep a plane safely in the air. Equipment failure during a flight can take out dozens of lives in one shot, so aeronautical maintenance technicians must pay close attention to detail and never short cut any maintenance duties.
Between the mid-1990s and 2001, a number of airplane mishaps could have been prevented had aeronautical maintenance teams been overly picky about their jobs. A ValuJet crash in 1996 led to 110 deaths all because maintenance crews had placed oxygen generators in the cargo hold. Two years later, Southeast Airlines plane crashed due to a faulty propeller. Nine people died. In 2000, an Alaska Airlines jet went into the ocean after a rear wing came loose. While aeronautical maintenance crews checked off that they had lubricated a screw on mandatory paperwork, the truth is they had skipped this important step leading to the death of almost 90 people. Finally, in 2004 twenty-one passengers died when an Air Midwest plane crashed to the ground. Investigators found that the plane's nose was not adjusted properly leading to the crash. Once again, aeronautical maintenance technicians had failed at their jobs.
Job duties for aeronautical maintenance are not difficult, but they can be time consuming and tedious. Strict safety guidelines are in place to prevent tragedies, so those interested in aeronautical maintenance must be willing to do safety checks even if they feel they are not necessary. Typical duties include making sure the landing gear is in proper working order, ensuring all screws are lubricated and tightened, checking metal siding for dents and wear, checking tires for proper inflation, looking over wing flaps to make sure they are in proper order. Other duties of aeronautical maintenance crews include making sure the engines are in working order, checking wiring for frays or wear, inspecting hydraulic systems, checking the blades for cracks, and making sure there are no leaks in the different lines.
