I always encourage the younger generation of maintainers to make sure they engage in ad hoc conversations with pilots at the end of the day.
Pilots have a rich tradition of sharing stories that highlight the thrill, humour, and danger of aviation.
During these stories, it is the maintainer’s opportunity (and, dare I say, responsibility!) to patiently listen as the pilot regales us with numerous heroic adventures and tales of fantastic airmanship and superior skill. But it’s much more than that.
Halfway through recounting some amazing event of their day, they’ll suddenly stop and say, “Oh yeah, I noticed…” and then fill in the blank. This is the point where maintainers can really start listening, because this is where seemingly small maintenance-related details can emerge, and then be investigated.
Getting to this point with the pilot is all about relationship-building.
A key part of effective communication (or the lack thereof) often comes down to the quality of the working relationship, and poor communication can create potential safety issues.
A “toxic” work environment (yes, you know what I’m talking about) creates opportunities for many human-factors-related incidents to occur. That’s another topic for another day.
Recently, I was discussing an aircraft with a pilot who had been flying the same machine for hundreds of hours. As often happens, the conversation turned to, “So, how is everything with your aircraft? Any issues?”
The pilot said, “No, just a small drip once in a while if I go through heavy rain.”
OK, so not really a big deal. Many non-pressurized aircraft — especially helicopters — will have the odd small drip of water.
The area was inspected, and a bit more sealant was applied to the suspected leak location.
Hours and weeks went by. Eventually, another pilot took over flying the aircraft. A few weeks later, after he had finished his shift, I happened to be talking with him and asked the same question: “So, how was everything with that aircraft when you flew it?”
The response was similar, although he stopped halfway through his answer and said, “Actually, come to think of it, there seemed to be a lot of air noise in the cockpit during cruise.”
Armed with those small details, and with the end of the season now approaching, the aircraft eventually arrived for heavy maintenance.
During the detailed inspection, it was discovered that the top edge of the windshield had actually debonded from the airframe.
This was the source of both the leak and the noise.
There are numerous fascinating stories that we have, and will continue, to listen to, but I’ve always viewed these conversations as part of the toolkit I use for troubleshooting.
You know the old saying: “God gave us two ears and only one mouth, so we can listen twice as much as we speak.”
That’s a good rule to live by.
With over 45 years of experience as an aircraft maintenance engineer, Terrence D. Eissfeldt holds a current Transport Canada license with M1 and M2 certification. His previous positions include director of maintenance, quality assurance manager, chief executive officer, and accountable executive.
