Thread: Immigration No Problem for Aircraft Mechanics

From WFAA-TV, Dallas
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Immigration no problem for aircraft mechanics

03:38 PM CDT on Thursday, June 11, 2009
By BYRON HARRIS and MARK SMITH / WFAA-TV

Video
June 11th, 2009
BYRON HARRIS REPORTS

Fixing an aircraft is not like fixing a Chevy. Aircraft mechanics don’t do their job with guesses, but instead do them with a repair manual open in front of them, mapping every step.

Manuals are written in English, the worldwide language of aviation.

News 8 has uncovered a pipeline of mechanics that are being funneled into the United States from foreign countries and may lack the necessary English skills to read and understand the manuals needed to make proper repairs.

Documents and interviews indicate one Texas repair firm, San Antonio Aerospace (SAA), now has more than 100 Mexican and Asian aircraft mechanics. SAA’s sprawling repair station in San Antonio is currently running two shifts a day doing contract work for both Delta Airlines and UPS, among others.

Some SAA repairmen say the Mexican workers lack the ability to even understand the content of company meetings, much less read manuals. Nonetheless, they say, SAA sent a manager to Mexico to actively recruit repairmen.

One certified American mechanic who spoke Spanish said he acted as an informal translator to help the Mexican workers once they arrived in San Antonio.

"I would be like the Pied Piper to them," he said. “They would follow me and ask what the meeting was about, 'What did the lead mechanic say?'â€

I have heard mumblings about these non-English speakers before, a few airlines have completely outsourced their mechanical needs to India.
I will not get on an airplane again.

Originally Posted by vortex

I have heard mumblings about these non-English speakers before, a few airlines have completely outsourced their mechanical needs to India.
I will not get on an airplane again.

You are safe on American Airlines and Southwest. I know for a FACT that these two companies do not outsource their maintenance. I live about 3 miles away from Alliance airport in Fort Worth which is a maintenance facility for American. Any other airline, you are taking a chance. They often hire right out of A&P class, which is bad for large commercial aircraft.

They often hire right out of A&P class, which is bad for large commercial aircraft.

As a former A&P mechanic I do not see how hiring our of A&P class is bad . You take the student fresh from class to the A/C coached by experienced mechanics . They are then trained for that type of A/C . I would much rather have a mechanic fresh from school with an A&P license than someone from another country that does not speak English working on A/C that I might fly . The FAA test for an A&P mechanic is quite extensive and hard .

Originally Posted by Hawk

They often hire right out of A&P class, which is bad for large commercial aircraft.

As a former A&P mechanic I do not see how hiring our of A&P class is bad . You take the student fresh from class to the A/C coached by experienced mechanics . They are then trained for that type of A/C . I would much rather have a mechanic fresh from school with an A&P license than someone from another country that does not speak English working on A/C that I might fly . The FAA test for an A&P mechanic is quite extensive and hard .

Because being trained on Cessna's, Mooney's, and Pipers are a far cry from a 757. My friend got his A&P when he was studying to become a commercial pilot and went to a regional airline working on SAAB-340's and ATR's which are smaller turboprops, then he worked his way up. I just don't think that someone fresh out of class should be working on large aircraft. That would be like me finishing my private pilot's license and getting hired by Southwest to fly 737's.

[i]Immigration documents list at least some of the Mexican mechanics as “scientific technicians.â€