Fred Robel
27 Years Experience
Au Gres, MI
Male, 49
I'm a licensed Aircraft Mechanic & Inspector with twenty five-plus years in the field. I've had a varied career so far, with time spent in the sheetmetal, mechanic, and inspection specialties. Most of my time is on heavy Boeing and McDonnell Douglas aircraft, of the passenger, cargo, and experimental type. This career isn't for everyone, but I enjoy it.
Please do NOT ask me to troubleshoot problems with your airplane, that is not what this Q&A is for.
When you ask me " what is the most difficult aircraft to work on?" I"m taking that as: "What is the most difficult aircraft that I have ever worked on". Because that is a very subjective question.
I guess the aircraft that consistently gave a pretty high difficulty level to us, has been the DC-10's. They are overbuilt tanks in the sky; with a lot of unusual structure to them we need to work around and with.
I had a friend who said that F-4's were pretty hard to work with. He did fuel cell work on them in the Air Force.
It's all based pretty much on personal experience. Ask ten different mechanics that same question, and you may very well get ten different answers.
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I do not, and never have, gotten buddy passes; or had employee flight benefits of any kind. If you want those kinds of things, you would have to work for a passenger airline.
Buddy passes are basically stand-by/space available tickets that an airline employee can give to family or friends. Certain taxes and fees would still need to be paid.
Using those passes, puts you at the lowest priority of stand-by. So there is zero guarantees of you actually getting on a given flight.
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Honestly? Most of the things we do are “almost making a critical error”. In that if we judge things wrong, it can be critical.
No. I have never been responsible for an air emergency.
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The VHF radios in the cockpit can pick up some radio stations. But I’ve never heard them played over the PA system.
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Have you ever messed up while giving someone a tattoo?
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Why do so many people miss the military after they get out?
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How do you go about getting your first clients?
I recommend that you find some local help with your issue. I do not offer technical help in this forum.
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Look. I’m not going to get into an argument with you. You could very easily educate yourself about the aircraft type if you wish.
They don’t use DC-10s for passenger use much anymore for the same reason you don’t see 747-100’s and -200’s out there flying passengers much.
Economics.
Newer aircraft can fly the same amount of people for less money in operating and maintenance costs. That’s all aviation is really. It’s a money game.
Why don’t they fly 707s or DC-8s anymore in passenger mode? Money.
Why are they parking so many of the much newer A380 aircraft? Money.
If you ever see an older aircraft out there flying revenue flights; it’s because someone figured out a niche market where it makes financial sense to do it. Like Buffalo Air and their DC-3s.
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It’s psychological, of course. There are whole studies based on that question.
Fear of heights + fear of what we don’t fully understand + not having any control + media highlighting every passenger plane crash or incident.
Not really the focus of this Q&A though.
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