Anyone else an A&P mechanic ?

[zerotofifty]

I did work on the International space space station science modules, and the Space Lab for the shuttle. One thing we made was a centrifuge to give simulated gravity to small critters like mice, Animal habitats were another project. Trying to keep mice from soiling themselves while floating in zero g, and not stinking up the whole space craft was a HUGE challenge.
Vibration was a huge problem too. We had some folks trying to do crystal growth, and we had animals bumping around, and a centrifuge. The crystal growth experiments were so sensitive that even the cooling fans for computers on the opposite side of the space station caused issues. It wasnt like the space station had a massive foundation to dampen vibrations. Hit something in there and the whole station will vibrate.

Another odd project involved absolute zero, we made a freezer to achieve near absolute zero, the working gas was Helium 3, i.e. Tritium gas, produced in a nuclear reactor. We had special powdered metal copper sponges with varying porosity that the gas had to diffuse through. The gas was pretty pricey.

Back on the space station we had plant growth experiments using artificial lights, we used red green and blue LEDs, The red and green LEDs were dirty cheap, pennies a piece, common stuff, but the blue LED was brand new technology, each one of them was about $20 bucks back in 1980s dollars, and we used 100s of each color in the lighting array. We could control the intensity of each color to find the optimal needs of plants in space.

In our lab another group did mechanical testing of a parachute for use on Venus, had to survive a pretty harsh environment.

We had materials testing for various coating for low Earth orbit protection from atomic oxygen, low earth orbit has atomic oxygen zipping around at very high speeds, that is very reactive when it hits space craft materials. Gold we found was very resistant for long term exposure Gold is best!
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Sorry About That Chief.

Give Peace a Chance.

Words to live by.

[zerotofifty]

Remember H. Salt esq. Fish n Chips? AandW was good food too.

We had a Gemco store, They was a big department store with groceries too. You get your items pay and then drive around the side and they loaded it for you into your car.

They had a TV section that me and sister would hang out at while the parents shopped, they had color TVs playing, which was way cool, and a good toy department too.
_________________
Sorry About That Chief.

Give Peace a Chance.

Words to live by.

[KTPhil]

[mrinnovation1]

[slayer61]

[calvinater]

I remember shopping at A&P.
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"Albatross"!

[zerotofifty]

I am A. P. if it comes to aeroplanes, i.e. skill level Average to Poor!!!!!

Real AP folks got to be really good to keep things flying!!! Hats off to them.
_________________
Sorry About That Chief.

Give Peace a Chance.

Words to live by.

[zerotofifty]

[Abscate]

[slayer61]

No. All the jet engines i worked on were firmly attached to the ground and spinning 15kv generators

AP&M Aviation Power and. Marine
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[Heiferman]

I spent 8 years as a UH60 and UH1 mechanic in the Army but I never tried to test for my A&P and eventually left all that for a 31 year career in law enforcment. How I miss those 8 years.
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- 1973 Thing, 1970 Ghia, some LandCruisers and an old Ambulance

[Abscate]

Did you get a 1/2 snap on for retirement? Seems like they upsized each five years.

Thanks for being part of the incredible six sigma safety experience of flying. It’s not the pilot,,,,it’s everybody from the design team to the gate agent, the people under the wing, the FA, the wanker up front watching the computer flying the plane.
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🇺🇸 🇺🇸 🇺🇸 🇺🇸 🇺🇸 🇺🇸 🇺🇸 🍊 🍊 🍊

[Zundfolge1432]

Five more years gone like a fart in the wind. Still good money to be made working as AP mechanic. I retired anyway they gave us a good severance package. A bunch of maintenance is done in South America and China but if you can travel that’s an option. Oh and I used to overhaul over wing emergency exit doors on Boeing aircraft, never had one blow out😂

[Zundfolge1432]

Happy AMT day to all those hardworking men and women in the aviation industry. I would still recommend this as an occupation to youngersters that enjoy turning wrenches. This year we got a hamburger and a 3/8 drive Snap-On ratchet. I’m still on the books here as full time but only work 2 days a week. Retirement looking great

[aeromech]

Amazing. I saw that they renewed their search for the south american mechanic. Seems like a strange thing to do after so long.
_________________
Lead Mechanic: San Diego Air and Space Museum
Licensed Airframe and Powerplant Mechanic
Licensed Pilot (Single engine Land)
Boeing 727,737-200-300-400,757,767
Airbus A319,320,321
DC9/MD80
BAe146
Fokker F28/F100
VW type 1 1962,63,65,69,72
VW Type 2 1971 (3 ea.) 1978, 1969
VW Jetta
VW Passat
Capable of leaping tall buildings in a single bound

[Zundfolge1432]

Sabretech shipped the oxygen generators without locking the lanyard. The lanyard when pulled begins the chemical reaction which generates intense heat which in turn can and did cause a fire. What I saw was same scenario but without the fire, we were lucky and training is better now I hope. FAA is still looking for one guy from sabretech after all these years he’s still hiding.

[aeromech]

A subsidiary? They did the Valuejet work which resulted badly. I always heard they were third party maintenance. The plane was a DC9. Are you saying these same people did the same thing again and shipped O2 generators unsafely ?
_________________
Lead Mechanic: San Diego Air and Space Museum
Licensed Airframe and Powerplant Mechanic
Licensed Pilot (Single engine Land)
Boeing 727,737-200-300-400,757,767
Airbus A319,320,321
DC9/MD80
BAe146
Fokker F28/F100
VW type 1 1962,63,65,69,72
VW Type 2 1971 (3 ea.) 1978, 1969
VW Jetta
VW Passat
Capable of leaping tall buildings in a single bound

[Zundfolge1432]

Sabertech was a subsidiary of a major US airline, Two of the supervisors were transferred to our station for reasons unknown to us. About a month after that fiasco people here unloaded oxygen generators and stored without protection of the lanyard. Thrown into a cardboard box, this was on an F-100.

[aeromech]

I’m totally against moving this work offshore. Remember Sabertech? They were in Miami but most of their workers weren’t licensed mechanics
_________________
Lead Mechanic: San Diego Air and Space Museum
Licensed Airframe and Powerplant Mechanic
Licensed Pilot (Single engine Land)
Boeing 727,737-200-300-400,757,767
Airbus A319,320,321
DC9/MD80
BAe146
Fokker F28/F100
VW type 1 1962,63,65,69,72
VW Type 2 1971 (3 ea.) 1978, 1969
VW Jetta
VW Passat
Capable of leaping tall buildings in a single bound

[Zundfolge1432]

Good to hear from you. I used to do bill of work job on those blades on RB211 on 757s. Specifically you are removing the blades checking for cracks, weighing them test run and check for vibration before return to service.

The work for SWA gets done through partnership with engine manufacturer and another outfit in South America. General public has no idea nor do they care till something happens luckily that’s infrequent but as more stuff transitions outside US control what could go wrong? Ever heard of Aeroman in El Salvador? Multiple U.S. flag carriers going there for heavy maintenance now, not engine work specifically but lots of B check and light C checks. Just googled aeroman lots of info including prominent shots of well known US Airlines getting service there. As an older guy nearing the end of my career I count my lucky stars I managed to hang on here. People getting into this business now has much less opportunity.