Aircraft maintenance, why pilots shouldn't touch anything!

In this video I will explain a bit about the maintenance schedule that our aircrafts goes through and I will also pay tribute to our in-sung heroes, our engineers and mechanics.
Enjoy!
Welcome!
On this channel you can expect video-blogs, technical instructions, flying techniques and much more about the wonderful world of commercial aviation and the life of airline pilots.
I am using my 13 years of experience as an airline pilot, training-captain and TRI/TRE to give you MY view of the airline business and the role of an airline pilot.
All the content is intended to give you a positive and constructive view into the fantastic world of commercial aviation.
Please keep your comments and questions in the same spirit and please INTERACT. The channel becomes much better then and its intended for YOUR benefit.
The content on this channel is for info and entertainment only and is not intended to replace any existing FCOM manuals or SOP's.
I am only talking for myself and do not represent any specific company, airline or entity.

[@richtrost2676]

When I worked for United many years ago as a "radio shop mechanic" (electronics technician) the standing joke was that an aircraft in for major overhaul was not ready to fly again until the weight of the paperwork equaled the weight of the airplane.

[@MentourPilot]

Yes, there is probably some truth to that

[@remyvilleneuve824]

MGTOW or OEW in terms of weight of paperwork? :P

[@arjanwilbie2511]

Every bolt / nut a certificate i was told, same as a paper trail on who fitted what and when.

[@davecrupel2817]

Lmao sounds right.

[@TheJakeUtube]

I remember changing a HSTA and the paperwork was at least 2-2.5 inches when it was all said and done

[@Dcc357]

Being a mechanic, I treat my own vehicles like jet airliners as a hobby. I always want them to run like they are always ready for a long road trip.

[@trespire]

Same here. I'm always doing an A-Check and B-Checks on my work vehicle. It just seems the right thing to do.

[@trespire]

I was an Airframe Technician and an Advanced Mechanical Fitter (technical grade-12) in the Israeli Air Force. We serviced B-Check and even some D-Check issues on Base. The F-16's wings can be "popped off" by removing 14 massive aluminium brackets on the wings root, 7 on the top, 7 underneath the wing. Each bracket has 2 massive long bolts that go all the way through the fuselage structure and into the fuel tanks. Each bolt is about 1" diameter and 11" to 12" long, sealed in place with a synthetic rubber (PRC). The only way to extract the bolts is to use a 36" long drift and smash the bolt end with a 10Kg sledge hammer. I savored the gawking looks we got from young fighter pilots when 2 "dirty" machinest walked in to the HAS tools room, carrying just 2 huge tools. We always kept up a stern face :-)) Smashing a 16 million dollar F-16C with all ones streagth with a 10Kg sledge hammer is a wonderfull feeling ! The F-16 used to ring like a bell and every one ran away. We never ever even scratched the paint. We were the top dogs on the job.

[@LuluDrakonite]

Going back through some of these older videos for a Mentour fix, it's very odd to see Petter so.... Subdued? He's definitely become more personable, engaging, and comfortable in front of the camera in subsequent years. 💙

[@TheJakeUtube]

As a mech D checks are my favorite. We open it up all the way. I have a lot of great pictures from doing those.

[@michaelbond569]

Love seeing the difference in mentour from these videos to the newer ones. His confidence speaking to the camera has grown so much and he seems to love sharing his knowledge more and more with each video

[@vidpromjm]

It was dad's day at the primary school, guy came up to talk about his role as aircraft maintenance engineer. One of the kids asked "What's the most important thing to do in your job" answer "never put your name on your tools"😮Stunned look from audience before he quickly realised it probably wasn't the right occasion for black humor and almost recovered with feel good story about saving lives.

[@garfixit]

My uncle was a pilot and a engineer and could even machine his own parts. He flew for over 50 years had 2 personal jets and a cargo plane and a tourbo prop. Love your channel

[@LandNfan]

It’s a good thing that owner/pilots of small private aircraft are allowed to do some minor maintenance or very few of us could afford to fly them. On the 172 I was a 1/3 partner in, I changed tires, brake pads, the battery, changed the oil and filter, replaced spark plugs, etc. We also saved a lot of money on our annual inspection by getting the aircraft ready for the A&P to look at, removing the seats and carpeting, the engine cowling and wheel fairings, and several dozen little inspection plates, then putting it all back afterwards. Believe me, no one is more particular about the quality of the work than the guy who has to go fly the plane.

[@agnarkb]

Saw an hour long documentary of a BA 747 going through a D check. It's a very very thorough check! They even x-rayed the bolts holding the engines to the wings.

[@hperrio]

It's crazy for an outsider looking in to see just how complex the industry is. Just in the amount of people it takes to get a plane off the ground is amazing. It's hard to image the beginnings of the industry because of the intricacy. I'm a new subscribe to your awesome channel. Keep 'em comming, and we'll keep watching!

[@WIRRUZZZ]

I can sort of wrap my head around a hige amount of incremental improvements and learning by doing, however the speed is incredible. Less time has passed between the first flight of the Wright brothers and a Boeing 707 and the 707 and me (or you) writing this comment . . .

[@Dolphinvet]

Some of us pilots are also A&P's. I worked as a first officer and also did the routine maintenance on a privately owned Vickers Viscount back in the 80's.

[@benc1629]

Love your Videos, keep up the great work. Great to hear a pilot genuinely appreciate engineers. Many crews feel we are inferior!!

[@wilsjane]

In the vast majority of cases, engineers only get treated as inferior because they behave that way. However, their has to be a situation where the entire maintenance department works to high standards with a professional attitude for this situation to develop. It is soul destroying to work to high standards yourself, when others are letting the side down.

[@trespire]

@BenC Technical ground personel are never inferior. I've lost count how many times I personally have grounded an F-4 / F-16C / MD500 on some defective structural part. As a young IAF conscript, working as an Airframe Technician then promoted to Fitter ( grade-12 ), and being a licensed Practical Engineer, I knew what the hell I was talking about. As one of only 4 on a base of thousands, no one tried or could counter our technical instruction, not even the base commander. One of my senior professional collagues a master mechanical Fitter, a Master Sargent serving 20 years, once instructed the Squadron to jack up an F-16C to some crazy side to side angle (20 degrees if I remember) to facilitate removing some component in the wing. The squadron followed his instuction to the letter.

[@jbeattie728]

Thanks for the shout out to the Engineers working hard in the background! I am a Nacelle stress engineer. I am mostly involved in new Thrust Reverser designs but I have also done some in-service support work where we have to check the damage you guy tell us about against the design loads back in the office. I appreciate the channel and if you have any questions from my side of things please feel free to hit me up ! :)

[@bcgrittner]

I have known a few A & P's who shouldn't touch anything, either. The other side of that coin is the A & P who is extremely thorough. One such young gentleman worked for a major airline with a maintenance base near here. He was on TV pointing out items on a large jet where repairs were being rushed. His superiors told him it wasn't his place to be concerned about such matters. He was labeled disruptive and ultimately terminated. Unfortunate.

[@finskies1996]

Another great video, congrats on 1000 subs. I recently got to visit the RYR maintenance facility here in Prestwick, Scotland. It was a fantastic experience seeing a 737 stripped down and watching the engineers at work.

[@victorvaughn2]

You're so smart and you're an amazing teacher!

[@martintheiss4038]

He is a senior captain for an airline people would know of. As part of his duties he not only communicates with michanics, cabin crews, and other internal personnel as needed but he is part of the process in both checking you out if you are fit to fly a certain model of aircraft and if he thinks you are qualified enough to fit his company's standards of safety and service. Then, annually, you have to endure jump seat ride alongs with these senior captains to see if you are not losing anything and need recovery training. He has continued his series emphasizing how important it is to maintain a standard of quality in any aircraft operation at all times.

[@robertbilling6266]

Very interesting. Incidentally when I first had my PPL I took a flying club aircraft out of service because I found a crack in a bolt that was holding the port brake assembly in place, so I know how important this is.

[@dwildkat]

Your channel has come at precisely the right time for me. I am currently building hours towards my instrument and ME ratings. Thank you

[@MenezesLouis]

Nice Video Capt. thanks for the kind words u shared at the starting & end of the video for us Mainteneers. An Aircraft Technician from India and a wannabe pilot! Have been watching your videos regularly. Thanks for all the knowledge, insight and motivation! Cheers and happy flying.

[@glennandrews7883]

This reminds me of a few aircraft maintenance jokes. (P) is pilot, (S) solutions from maintenance. P: Left inside main tire almost needs replacement S: Left inside main tire almost replaced P: Something loose in cockpit S: Something tightened in cockpit P: Dead bugs on windshield S: Live bugs on back order P: Aircraft handles funny. S: Aircraft warned to straighten up, fly right and be serious.

[@philthompson5004]

".. and 50 more of the similar!! A cause for humor!"

[@phoephoe795]

P: Aircraft descends at 150ft/min when autopilot is turned on S: Could not reproduce problem on ground

[@ali.ynes04]

P: evidence of oil leak S: evidence removed

[@Quandaledillywingle]

AHAHAHAHHAHAGAGGA AHAHAHAHHAHAHA HAHAHHAHAHAHAHHAHAHA AHHAHAHAHAH HHAHAHAHAAAAAAAFUCKINGHAAAAAAHHAHAHAHAAA

[@michalsoukup1021]

P: Ret spotted in the cabin S: Cat instaled to the cabin

[@0506061058]

Thank you very much for acknowledging the aircraft engineers, it's one of Aviation's hidden sector that is not known to the public.

[@hassanalihusseini1717]

Very nice video! Mentour, you are going to make me an aviation fan. :-) I have now seen a lot of your videos, and you are always explaining things very clearly so that even a layman like me can understand. I remember the history of Japan Airways flight 123 I saw on Discovery Channel once. A tragic failure by one engineer causing more than 500 people to perish - and he killed himself afterwards. It shows the great responsibility both pilots and engineers have for the security of their passengers. I have great respect for both of them. Thank you for your effort, and as more videos I see from you as safer I feel when I am boarding a plane.

[@bluetheta]

I got caught in a delay due to a dent and a failed autopilot unit, engineer came fixed both really quick and we took off after 2 1/2 hours. The system worked exactly as designed. I didn't mind that delay, because the engineer even did a PA, Yes I heard "Lady and Gentlemen, this is your maintenance engineer, we have epoxy the dent, are now installing a replacement computer for the autopilot..." It was really cool even though there was some groaning. A dent can affect the mechanics of flight, that why airplanes are not dimpled like golf balls.

[@martintheiss4038]

Thank you for your understanding. All of your "golf ball dimples" need to be certified as worthy to fly or be removed from service immediately until after said issue had been resolved. I think in 2019 there was an incident in Florida where a flight was delayed 5 hours and the plane was decertified for about 17 hours simply because one of your engineers had the thought to do a little 7 minute job at the gate which was not authorized and lead to a situation where the next flight crew could not "enter" the flight deck due to a bad response from a safety checklist. You were charged in Federal court for nothing less than causing major criminal damage to aircraft.

[@afridh2082]

Thank you so much 😇 iam an aircraft maintenance engineering student.... I'm Feeling proud 😇💯

[@GiulioBerti]

Nice video! You got 1000 subscribers, congratulations!

[@insylem]

In the USA there us a list of things that the "Owner operator" of a plane can fix. Things like airing up tires and changing light bulbs and other basic things.

[@sandeeppawar8521]

Thank you, your videos are very informative

[@dremwolf5419]

8:43 What a pilot is allowed to do. (Tap on a light to see if it will come on, reset circuit breakers. :>) Had to say it. :>) Great videos! Former F-111A Crew Chief

[@lucypretorius972]

Awesome comment for the Mechanics Thank You

[@namrata12ish]

Such an awesome video, very informative. Great job.:)

[@user-pf2hv8qw1s]

So it sounds as if aircraft are put through “preventative maintenance” as opposed to what most people do with their cars which is the “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” mentality. I change my tires before I get a flat, my oil before it becomes black, I test my signal lights at least once per week, and I inspect the engine compartment at least once per month, which if you come to think about it is pretty pathetic. Older aircraft I have noticed have “doubler plates” and often strips of extra mental around the windscreen. Sometimes I see paint worn away from areas on the plane which must undergo more friction than others. These little things kinda of bother me but I am reassured when I see the FO or captain do their walk around. I trust that the servo unit of 737s rudder have been upgraded to one which cannot freeze in a rudder hard over position, I trust that all doors have an unbeatable locking mechanism to prevent inflight decompressions, that sensors for heat have been added to cargo areas and landing gear bays, and that the “black box” now has hundreds of parameters recorded or even better, the ACARS system transmits real-time telemetry to engineers on the ground to allow for accident prevention instead of post-accident autopsies. I am happy to hear that the maintenance regime of aircraft is so rigorous.

[@TheJakeUtube]

You can’t pullover in the sky! We try to find things before they break!

[@AnikaBren]

Interesting that this one came up on my feed this morning. Two weeks ago I had the left tie rod replaced on my van. Yesterday it came off on a curve. I do not think car mechanics are quite up to the same standards as airline mechanics even if maintenance is done.

[@mayankagnihotri9804]

I am so much impressed by you Sir. You are an excellent teacher. Great job Sir. When you say ,"You are are doing well. " It creates an atmosphere of doing even better.

[@polgali7571]

You got 1000 suscribers!! Congratulations✈🎉

[@bhattacp]

Excellent VDO.

[@ZimmMr]

Could you please make more videos concerning maintenance and different system (pressure, fuel, hydraulics....)? I'm in training to be a technician and I'm learning a ton from all your videos!

[@speedbird9313]

ZimmMr Are you doing your ojt? He is a pilot, so its more from a pilots perspective.

[@StratMatt777]

Do most European airlines do their own C and D checks like British Airways does? 2 days ago I read a Vanity Fair article that Capt Sullenberger posted to his facebook page that is about Jet Blue and American Airlines no longer doing their own maintenance and Southwest Airlines no longer having Goodrich Aerospace in the US doing their maintenance - and having it done for cheaper in places overseas- like Ecuador. And then yesterday I just happened to be listening to liveatc.com and heard a 3.5 year- old Southwest 737-800 that was on downwind to Seattle International unable to slow below 210 declare an emergency because the flaps wouldn't extend. (B system failure, right?). Of course they did the electronic alternate flap extension and I saw him fly over my house on an 18 mile final with the gear down and he landed uneventfully and was able to taxi in. It was a 3.5 year-old 737-800 so it must have had one C check at the place in Ecuador. Then the news yesterday showed cell phone footage that an American airlines passenger shot of a MASSIVE fuel leak out the back of an engine pylon. Quite a coincidence, these two incidents happening to the airlines mentioned in the article the very next day. I just asked you on your other video about U.S. pilots coming to work in EU for higher pay... this maintenance issue is another reason to leave the US for the EU. Is it possible to come there from the US with an FAA Commercial multi instrument, 2400 hrs, 480 multi, 80 actual instrument and no jet time?

[@nickfliesplaces]

Awesome videos! I love learning all of this! Is there any ways or do airlines publish when planes have had a A, B, C, or D check? I flew on an A321 which looked pretty beat on the outside but had a new interior, and I know possibly it was just very dirty, but maybe it was due soon for a D check. Also how often do the clean airliners? I saw KLM did a short video on the cleaning products and how they dont "wash the plane" the scrub it, and also if your plane windows get dirty do you spot clean them?

[@stinkymcstinkington211]

There is also a liability and accident investigation aspect to this. All maintenance is performed by an individual who is able to log it and isn't on the flight. If a pilot performs maintenance and an accident occurs during the flight, there may not be any way to verify the plains exact condition before the flight occurred. Accurate investigations require accurate records. It also protects aircrew from getting blamed for an accident posthumously when they were in no way responsible.

[@marcs990]

Wow, I’ve been subbed to you for a while but just noticed your subscriber number, congratulations, nearly half a million🥳. I hope you have a party when you hit the 500k mark. You’ve worked VERY hard at this channel and I can say from a personal point I’ve learnt LOTS from you. I hope that this may sway your airline to maybe do a filmed leg as it would be great publicity and a great video to see you in action. Lufthansa have airclips filming many of their flights, from domestic to cargo flights to Japan for example. I think you could do a MUCH better job and in my view it’s a win win situation, the airline gets their great publicity for nothing and you get probably your best video ever, if it could be in real time with no clips as i think the legs you fly it would be a 2 hour video. Please suggest this to your publicity department, they would be crazy to say no now you have half a minute subscribers. Again thanks and well done for all your hard work, the time and effort has obviously been rewarded 👍

[@gissie391]

4th line servicing. Did that at chivenor we had to check jet pipe and sand air intake to take black marks off. Hawk. They put every thing down with locking wire with pair pliers.learned a lot there it was interesting very interesting engine ear got ear for engine can hear something wrong sometimes.

[@johankarlsson1866]

i am an aircraft engineer, thank you for giving us guys some nice feedback and appreciation for what we do :) i like your channel alot !

[@michaeltaylor8777]

Love all of your video. Plus you're easy on the eyes 😉

[@NeilVanceNeilVance]

Perfect!

[@nkolchenko]

Wow, I knew that aircrafts are checked heavily.. but I couldn't imagine how thoroughly !

[@martintheiss4038]

Any issue that is not seen as worthy of flight will be corrected before plane is released to flight status. In the 737 crash a few months ago outside of Honolulu the aircraft's owner was found to not be properly maintaining it's maintence periods.

[@zachstiff6204]

Hi, loving the video's they have been really helpful!! I was wondering if you could give any advice on preparing for selection days for airlines and flight schools? Thanks !

[@HelloKittyFanMan.]

You love the video's... what? Which possession of the video?

[@ryangjewell]

Interesting that your company does their A checks at the gate. Perhaps we have bundled more in with ours, but they certainly need a hangar for us.

[@andraslibal]

Change lightbulbs :) I learned from you that you can do that :)

[@sherwinsalvatori6997]

I guess what capt is saying about hours in checking inspection is that all involved in maintaining the air craft at that point of time when added up gaves you that high hour working period, and also compared to a car yes your car would be very safe, efficient with those weekly ckeck , also very expensive,.

[@shugaroony]

This reminds me of Trigger and his broom for some reason. 'Look after your broom...' :D

[@bradycook4254]

This brings up a cool sticker that’s on my toolbox at work. It is just funny. “All pilots must be accompanied by adult. “

[@2ndsonof8]

Hi Mentour, some years ago I thought about ways to minimize the possibility of a bird ingestion, then I imagined that there is a probability that the central engine in a B727 might would be less prone to ingest a bird during a climb, because of the attitude (nose up) and the fuselage itself could deflect birds. I'd like to know of any study concerning this.

[@Vidas666]

I do wander to ask about PT simulator you do fly , do they programmed to fly the it in condition of high air-density ?

[@xXQuIkSiLvErXx]

Hi there, just a couple ofquestions if you dont mind. Do pilots need to know about the technical part of the plane and is in flight repair possible?

[@maxbootstrap7397]

Just to clarify, this video is about commercial airliners. A private pilot with an experimental airplane can [try to] fix just about anything he wants, and also [try to] make just about any modification he wants. The rules for "certified" airplanes (which are normal airplanes, even small ones like a Cessna 172) are insane... you can't even change (or add) any piece of instrumentation or other component (like a light bulb) with something different (a different light bulb) without going through a huge, long, expensive, drawn out process. The one half-exceptions is... you can carry portable equipment that has absolutely no connection to the airplane (cannot even plug into a 12V socket to get power from the airplane). But with an experimental airplane (often owner build/assembled), pretty much anything goes. Which is awesome, because most improvements owner-pilots make greatly enhance the capabilities and safety of their airplane.

[@wilsjane]

+max bootstrap. You can say this, but mistakes can so easily happen. The best example that I can give was when a theater changed over to energy saving lamp bulbs. The management did it themselves, without realizing that the emergency lighting backup in event of a power failure comes from batteries that provide DC. Fortunately on a scheduled check, engineers test tripped the power before the next power cut affected the theater. The chokes in the lamps became a dead short to direct current and were smoking, catching on fire and exploding. Just imagine a similar situation not being discovered on an aircraft until an engine failed cut off electrical power and the battery back up took over. All because of a few lamp bulbs. (about 200 of them in the case that I mentioned)

[@maxbootstrap7397]

@@wilsjane : If you want me to agree that mistakes can happen ... sure thing. They happen in certified airplanes too. They happen in every complex system. However, most pilots of experimental airplanes improve the safety of their airplanes dramatically, which more than compensates. Furthermore, a fairly large number of experimental airplanes are *BUILT* by their owner-pilots. So, you don't want them changing a light bulb in an airplane they *BUILT* ? :-o

[@wilsjane]

Thank you for your reply. This is a subject that we could discuss in a positive way for hours. Starting with the guy who built his own plane. He is obviously a very competent engineer in the first place and I have little doubt that he would make sure that he thoroughly understood everything that he touched, so needless to say, I would have no concerns at all about him looking after it. However, I know guys who think that they can do anything with cars and I can mention a few who I would not trust to drive me to the shops. I worked at Heathrow for a number of years and perhaps the biggest surprise to me was the guy who asked me to have a look at his hairdryer. Assuming that he was a steward, I was not particularly surprised when I discovered that he had wired the plug wrongly. It came as a shock when I found out that he was a senior 747 captain for the UK's largest airline. So no, I would not want him changing a light bulb in a plane. The humble light bulb is a good example, because it does not always blow due to wear and age. It can be a wiring fault overheating the cap, or the wrong bulb for the fitting. A competent engineer would look for this and correct any faults or errors. It costs a lot of money to train a pilot and I have always said that rather than concentrate purely on flying hours, It would be a good idea for pilots to work for one year in engineering in order to obtain their licence. A better technical knowledge would undoubtedly have saved quite a few crashes. Particularly when pilots tried to move a broken rudder, blissfully unaware that all they were going to do was make matters worse. You may call me crazy, but I think that a week in the workshop when new models were introduced would also be beneficial and help to prevent pilots making bad decisions the first time that they came across a fault. (Do you remember the crash where a pilot shut down the wrong engine when he smelt smoke in the cockpit). Experience had led him to the wrong engine, because he associated the smoke with the bleed air. He was unaware that Boeing had changed the air flow to the opposite engine on the new model he was flying. Needless to say, the guy who built his own plane would not have made such a stupid mistake. PS. I am not an aircraft engineer, but I have worked (and still do sometimes) as a chartered design engineer for more than 50 years, mostly in the film industry. My 12 years at Heathrow was involved with architectural changes to the terminals. I have also worked on the UK national grid, including nuclear power stations. So yes, I do think that in all critical walks of life, COMPETENCE is the key word and knowing what you can't do is more important than knowing what you can. Regards, Wills.

[@maxbootstrap7397]

@@wilsjane : It might surprise you to know that I would trust a senior 747 pilot to fiddle an airplane (including a 747 airplane) *VASTLY* less than I would trust any random pilot who *OWNS* his airplane. Almost every time a 747 pilot gets into a 747 airplane it is a different 747 airplane than his last 10, 20, 30, 50 trips... not to mention working with a copilot he never flew with before much of the time. And even though every 747 airplane is similar to other 747 airplanes ... they are also different in some ways. But perhaps even more important is, the 747 pilot is trained to fly the airplane, not to understand the airplane. In contrast, even an owner-pilot who never repairs or services or modifies his airplane is always flying the same exact airplane ... AND ... he has a much more personal and intimate concern and relationship with his airplane than pretty much *any* airline pilot. That owner-pilot knows every problem the airplane has ever had, every tweak, every modification, every rattle, every squeak, every little peculiar behavior. And most of them have looked into every peculiar noise and behavior ... and inquired if not interrogated every A&P who has worked on his airplane about what was the cause of every peculiar behavior and noise. To be sure, not every airplane owner knows everything about his airplane. However, he pays a great deal more attention to the documentation about the airplane he flies, and is much more familiar with that documentation. Why so? Because he flies the same airplane every day! While the airline pilot flies a different airplane every day, and even if he did read 10,000 pages of maintenance logs before he flew every day, no mere mortal human has good enough memory to retain so much information. To remember the details of one airplane is burden enough. Also consider this. I'll admit this is a very limited and biased example right from the start, but hopefully it makes a point. Airline pilots know how to fly airplanes very well. Why? Because that is what they spend enormous quantities of time and effort to become expert in. However, I've been a scientist, [mechanical/electronics/optical] engineer, inventor, product developer since ... well, since I was a little kid actually. I've invented, designed, developed, built, debugged, repaired dozens of complex systems including entire computer systems (including the new CPU design), advanced automation and robotics systems that control massive complex scientific equipment, and so forth. Which means, I know the difference between AC and DC and endless other aspects of electronics and control systems. The consequences of this point is ... *some* owner-pilots have knowledge and skills (and tens of thousands of dollars worth of electronic test equipment) to know how to understand their airplane and "change light bulbs". Yes, yes, yes. Not every owner-pilot is has this kind of background. Absolutely true. However, do understand that even I could not understand the details of every system in a 747 without many months if not years of study of all the subsystems. Which is my way of saying that pretty much any airplane that an individual human "owner-pilot" can afford is vastly simpler than a 747. Absolutely not simple enough to be putzed with by random morons who don't know mechanical and/or electronic systems. But certain subsystems really are fairly simple. For example, if you remove a light from a wingtip, and on the bulb it says "LED : 9V to 15V DC at 2A" ... even an owner-pilot with rather limited knowledge of electronics could be fairly certain that replacing it with another LED light rated to operate at 9VDC to 15VDC (or wider) at 2A (with the same physical contact configuration) would not blow up the airplane. Even so, any owner-pilot who cares about his very expensive pride-and-joy airplane would ask questions first if he had any doubt it was compatible, and also test the bulb before he flies away in the airplane. In fact, he would do that even if he replaced the bulb with the absolute exact part number from the exact same manufacturer. Why? To assure the bulb works! And if it doesn't, he would endeavor to figure out whether he had yet another busted bulb ... or something in the mechanics or electronics that holds or powers the bulb is wrong. You need not try to convince me that "humans are dumber than rocks". I say that phrase often in youtube messages, and I know this to be true. And there are even some owner-pilots who are insanely irresponsible. But you know what? Most of them already killed themselves "flying", so very few of them remain to screw up their airplanes. The vast majority of owner-pilots *KNOW QUITE CLEARLY* that they will be the one to die horribly if they do anything stupid or careless. BTW, about your light bulb example. I can assure you that the very best electronics engineers on planet earth do not perform an exhaustive test and analysis of the entire electronics system that bulb is part of ... when a bulb stops working. Nope. Unless there are some additional symptoms like "hot wires" or "black marks" or "odd odors" or *something* ... they will do what everyone does. Namely, change the bulb and see if the new bulb illuminates properly (and they don't smell anything odd or feel inappropriate heat anywhere when they turn on the new bulb). I hope we are not accidentally confusing the two types of pilots ("airline pilots" versus "owner-pilots of experimental airplanes"). They are different people in different situations with different degrees and varieties of experience and relationships with their airplanes. They really are apples and oranges. And though I would encourage every 747 pilot to attempt to learn and understand as much as possible about 747 systems, the truth is, they really should let engineers take care of the airplanes they fly. In fact, by law they must... and for good reason (many of which you emphasize). However, owner-pilots in general, and especially owner-pilots of experimental airplanes (which is what my message was about) are... different. Your suggestion that pilots take a 1 year course in engineering is a double-edge sword. That might make them somewhat more likely to recognize symptoms of problems in the making a bit better. But it might also make them more likely to putz around with airplane components when they absolutely should not, because they think "hey, I have 1 year of engineering, so I can fix these airplanes too". If airlines want mechanical, electronics, system engineers to be ready to debug problems during flight ... they should hire some and sit them in seats behind the pilot and copilot. In fact they used to do that, but I guess no more (or rarely). PS: I'm not sure what a "chartered design engineer in the film industry" is. But I'm just starting to slog through DaVinci Resolve to relearn video editing after many years of not doing any of that kind of work. Not that I ever did much. So if you know this software and want to help me out and get up to speed, do volunteer! :-) Because like you said, competence is crucially important, and right now, at the very beginning, even though I know a great deal about pretty much every piece of this endeavor (optics, light, images, image processing, 3D physics/graphics and so forth) ... I still have no idea how to do the simplest of things. In other words, I'm totally incompetent actually running this application ... even though I pretty much know very well what it does and how. Take it from me. It totally sucks to be incompetent! Hahaha. :-)

[@wilsjane]

I have never been involved in video editing, when I retired we were still using 35mm film and editing was great fun. At 90 feet per minute, a cinema film was 12.000 feet long and cut from more than 50,000 feet from the cameras. In addition, it cannot be overlapped, so alternate scenes were placed on 2 rolls and the printer light faded in on one roll as the other was fading out. All this was done on positive prints, so when the editing was complete, the whole thing had to be replicated on the original negatives. Then the A/B printers produced an intermediate positive. This now complete film was copied to inter negative and only then could a print be produced. All this before you even thought about producing a soundtrack. LOL. The whole process from start to finish on a feature film took up to 2 years. Another thing that few people realize was the work that went into animation when it was drawn by hand onto the gels. Walt Disney's Fantasia, was the most complex film of it's era. 50 artists drew the gels working 45 hours a week. It took them 14 years to complete. Stop frame animation came next, where models replaced the artwork. They had to be moved to the next position 24 timed to produce one second of film. I worked with Gerry Anderson during the time that he was shooting Thunderbirds. People today would not even know where to start. One wrong move, or a model falling over and you simply had to start the scene again. Up to 3 weeks work in the rubbish bin. LOL. I mentioned lamp bulbs, because they were a major problem in the theater. In early buildings they were accessible from the roof void, but on later buildings (from the early 1960's), their was often a building above and no void. In some theaters, the building needed to be scaffolded to change a bulb. This could cost up to £15,000. As you can imagine, we changed all the lamps and every fitting was checked with a fine tooth comb. On every 3rd lamping, the lamp holders and fitting wiring was replaced. In one London theater, due to daily performances. the whole operation had to be done on Christmas day. Lamps were run undervoltage to extent their life.

[@charleswendt4868]

My daily driver is a 1966 Dodge Charger, still looks new inside and out. I do not drive in the winter because of the salt on the roads.

[@marekmkm744]

The ATPLs in Europe covers even the smallest details about the aircraft's systems, names of each part, function of each part, even inside the gyros indicators. I was always wondering why... The pilot will never fix/replace or whatever when in the air. Neither on the ground he/she is allowed to do so himself/herself.

[@BryanDorr]

Is the maintenance schedule based on determined number of operational hours or months (like cars are based on mileage), whichever comes first?

[@mrD66M]

On C and D checks, even the inflatable escape chutes are tested. 2 seconds or so to trip, then HOURS to deflate completely, tuck it in and charge/replace canister. Oof.

[@speedbird9313]

mrD66M Most MROs just replace them at intervals🙃

[@haroldminzani1012]

woooh thats why they are safer transport machines.. they say they are good glaiders , for how long meaning distance that a boeing 737 can glaide after losing power and land it ?

[@klaasadema8989]

What would you do when you start your flight and when you are in climb up to cruize. You think that your colle is not capable to do his job. Let say du to personal problems or what ever reason. What would you do??

[@Luigi-pk8mk]

Many years ago (30 or so) my 2 brothers and I were returning from Bermuda to NYC on a domestic US carrier. Can't recall what plane it was, but I happened to look out the window and saw a crack, yes a crack in one of the flaps. I told the stewardess and she told the captain, they were not alarmed and the flight/landing was fine without incident. But it makes you wonder eh? Also, when I heard the US airline industry was being deregulated many years ago (late 70s) I was concerned about the out sourcing of maintenance to places outside the US. Not because of the quality of mechanics, but rather, changing from US measurements (like tightening torque) to metric. Believe it or not I have over the years found a few mistakes in auto shop manuals when converting from Metric to US or vis versa.

[@martintheiss4038]

if that was done today the crack would have been logged into an airplane map and checked by a certified michanic of that flight model only. it would only be released for flight if said michanic says so.

[@haniffdew8256]

Hello there! im Taking Course in Aircraft Maintenance (Manufacturing) but im not sure my career path . can you give your opinion sir ? and do i need to take any license to become technicians , such DCA , EASA , FAA & Etc . lastly , after finish my study in such course am i work in maintenance field or in manufacturing field . thank you sir!

[@livinthelife4968]

I am so in love with aircraft it is truly crazy, yet I am also just as scared of flying I need a drink just to stay calm enough to enter one. I am well aware of types of aircraft, their inspections, the all around info of them. I would love to be a pilot however that will never happen with my fear of flying.

[@martintheiss4038]

don't worry about that. there are so many people involved in aviation you never hear of that one might grumble that the fees are high but the real rewards is that there is a strong emphasis on flight safety at any carrier that wants to keep it's license.

[@marybarry2230]

Wow, Mentourpilot has been around for seven years??? Sorry I missed all those years!✈️

[@johncoyle8139]

Captain, I was on a 757 to Iceland out of Dublin some months back and while taxing - after a considerable weather delay - I noticed a rubber rudder bed hanging down from the wing. It was about one meter long. I, to my shame, didn't notify anyone as we were lined up for departure. We took off and when the flaps were retracted the meter long strap of rubber trailed from the wing for the entirety of the flight. On landing when the flaps were retracted the piece of rubber was draw back into the bed. How should I have handled this situation. Ie should I have rang the bell over head? Regards, John.

[@seraphina985]

Well personally if it was me I would have made sure to have a word with someone from the flight crew or cabin crew before departure if I noticed it then. Though whenever I noticed it I would tend to err on trying to notify the crew what I had observed as discreetly as possible it could potentially distress other passengers in earshot especially if someone with a nervous flying disposition overhears. For that reason I'd also probably only consider using the bell to tell them at the seat if the seatbelt sign was on, if the option is there to quietly walk up to the galley and have a word in private I'd take that option.

[@marcilalsahwy8326]

I can see tiredness and lack of sleep in your eyes

[@17SHAMIK]

Mimo Samo I was about to say the same

[@johndifrancisco3642]

I think he looks great! Like he just got laid.

[@danielaramburo7648]

@@johndifrancisco3642 he is a pilot.

[@yohananweininger567]

In this earlier 2015 t-shirt clip, the Mentour pilot has a slightly stronger Swedish accent than in his more recent informative clips. Thanks to pilot's uniform?

[@deeanna8448]

Are maintenance personnel from the aircraft or engine manufacturer involved in the intense checks, or is it all airline employees?

[@martintheiss743]

so what about the suicidal sky west pilot in Utah? would a B check suffice to cure the problems caused by that incident?

[@edheather4056]

Another great episode

[@lenny01606]

i am just wondering if i go to uni and study aircraft maintenance/aerospace engineering with pilot studies and get a degree, then apply to pilot program like ba's fpp would i have a higher chance of getting in and get an atpl/cpl ?

[@owenh0]

***** Loving the videos! Just wondering if you'd be able to make one on your journey to the flight deck, I know that you have briefly touched upon it in some of your earlier videos but I'm sure a lot of your subscribers would enjoy a video solely for the purpose. Again, loving the videos and thanks!

[@owenh0]

I mean how you actually got there, you mentioned that you first got your PPL but as someone wanting to go down the same route I'd appreciate it if you elaborated :P

[@owenh0]

Will do, I've only recently subscribed so I haven't had much of a look at all of the videos yet, but still, thanks!

[@ZimmMr]

Totally heroes! But I'm biased 😉

[@rahulj8221]

I have a doubt sir What will be checked in an A - check and B - check

[@Henoik]

Oh, so that's what an MEL is... I wondered about that,

[@L.C.Sweeney]

I looked into aircraft engineering and what it's like. I heard it's absolutely horrendous with the pressure put on them and the complexity and range of the systems. The pay is absolutely awful and the hours are terrible, too. I'm a heating engineer and make £72,000 pa running my own business after very little training. Aircraft engineers should be on over £100k.

[@dalesands1291]

My dad was a supervisor at an aircraft maintenance hangar and some of the stories would make the hair on the back of your head stand on end.

[@davidrichardson8247]

Dale Sands Why?

[@alphega1983]

that's why the maintenance cost for the space shuttle was so high, they inspected every square inch of that thing after every launch

[@mehmetsahiner367]

Hi mentor pilot.. I have just failed in the crm interview. There were two main queations that ı couldnt answer confidently. First one was that when u are a captain in the cockpit if one of the cabin crew inform u that they saw 2 small green snakes in the cabin would u continue or divert and would u inform the passengers about the snakes or would not? what is the correct answer..? and if u are to inform what kind of question would u ask?

[@EdMcF1]

1. Are the animals known cargo? and 2. Such an animal might be capable of crawling along vents etc. and interfering with aircraft systems, so I would say divert in that instance. Don't make an announcement that might cause panic, but if there are known to be 2 grass snakes (non-venomous) on board, the hazard is a bite, not poison, but even then there might be more than 2 snakes on board, so keep quiet to avoid panic. (THIS IS MY GUESS).

[@skyline_supra_guy3756]

I have a couple of questions. 1. How often does an aircraft maintenance engineer perform a d check? 2. How much structural inspection/Non destructive testing is done in a b or c check? 3. In a b or c check is structural inspection/Non destructive testing performed without disassembling components of the aircraft?

[@samfpv8403]

Ferrari_458_Fan I'm a 747-400 avionics mechanic, NDT will only be done if any damage or suspected damaged is found on A or B checks. On C and D checks there are certain items or areas that are routinely NDT'ed along with any damage found. I personally have performed many D checks. As my current employer has a large fleet of aircraft. Depending on age of aircraft and hours flown, landings and take offs everything is taken into account and a team of engineering planners will arrange when they come into the hangar for maintenance. A lot of planning in involved into servicing an aircraft. They ensure we have most and if not all the spare parts required. On a jumbo jet we can turn around a C check in 18 days, D check in 40 days. Again age of aircraft will have an effect on how long they are in for maintenance. A few years ago turn around for a C check was between 7 and 12 days, and D checks up to 30 days. As they get older we find a lot more stress cracks and corrosion which increases downtime. Hope this helps.

[@DavidBerquist334]

is it the same in the usa

[@guillermoduran8828]

Hello Mentour, I don't know if you have a podcast/video on this and if you do, please let me know? What were to happen if one were to loose their log hours book due to a natural disaster, theft or any other reason? Could you register the flown hours with the FAA? Or how would you be able to prove your log book hours in case that were to happen? Thanks!

[@Lloyd1885]

Interesting as I have just been reading about concerns from industry/aviation experts who mention declining standards in aircraft maintenance due to tighter budgets... Not what I wanted to see as a nervous flyer... I try to avoid flying but if I have to then its only with big carriers as I have no faith in the pilots or levels of maintenance with the budget airlines unfortunately...unfounded? maybe, but its about my own peace of mind...if im not confident about the plane or who is flying it half awake due to the demands in them to work to their limit..then it makes the whole experience sn unpleasant one, and that's before we take off and the turbulence starts!

[@kilian5680]

1000 subscribers!!!

[@gpowerdragon9852]

Most Common problem with order Cars is a rusty undercarriage luckily airplanes are made of aluminium and sometimes Composite bud On Tropical Islands Sometimes airplane Can have corrosion issues

[@Igbon5]

Are things as strict in the US?

[@rommelholder690]

How regular does an aircraft changes the tyres?

[@killman369547]

the aircraft will be parked in a hangar and it will either be lifted up very carefully onto oversized jack stands, or if the aircraft is too heavy to lift like the 747 then the jack stands will be put in place and the floor will be lowered, then they can change the tires.

[@andypdq]

If cars were maintained like aircraft they would be very unlikely to fail. Unlike aircraft, cars are not designed with multiple redundancy in their critical systems , so cars will fail to reach their destination considerably more often than aircraft, even with same maintenance regime.

[@ronaldbird6285]

Is it the same for private pilots?

[@DCBpower]

Is there a procedure where they pressurize the cabin and apply soapy water to the exterior to look for hidden leaks and fatigue?

[@MentourPilot]

No. As far as I know there is no such procedure

[@DCBpower]

Seems like an extremely simple thing. There may be allowable leaks at seams and rivets but a computer comparing regular videos could detect changes and therefore damage. Perhaps suggest this to someone in power to look into these things. Cheers

[@speedbird9313]

Tim Dodge A pilot does not come with recommandations to a mro about how to run their maintenace program☝🏻 We, at my mro, do however use a special soapy water when looking for leaks e.g. after replacing a window, door seal etc.

[@mizzyroro]

Here's a question. Pilots always do a visual walk around inspection of the aircraft. How many times in your career will you discover a problem that will ground the aircraft?

[@danhammond9066]

The most important walk around inspection is before the first flight after the aircraft was in for maintenance. You look for things that were left unfinished. Or tools that had been left inside the aircraft that could foul aircraft control.

[@lupahole]

Don't know about civil aviation but in the airforce it's highly unlikely to have aircarft availability higher than 70% in a squadron of 25 jets. That's almost entirely due to scheduled maintenance.

[@trespire]

@lupahole That is true. But in the event of hostilities, every jet in B-Check is closed out, checked, run up, and sent back to the squadron.

[@danhammond9066]

This is why I am not only a commercial ATP pilot but also an Aircraft and power plant mechanic and an certified air traffic controller. Only 409 people in the world have all three of these qualifications to their name.

[@SuperBlackhawk29]

Hallo, so nice to know that. I also wish to study Aviation maintenance as well as flight. I would be glad to know how the job life and prospects are for a person holding both the engineering and flight qualifications. Does the airline you fly for also ask you to do maintenance work on their aircrafts? If so, do they pay you extra for the maintenance work? How do you manage to balance between the two? Thank you.

[@gpowerdragon9852]

How do you land an airplane with a cracked windscreen with cracks all over the place and you cannot see anything because a Big scavenger Bird hits

[@BrucexfromxCanada]

Again... So true! Let your pilots and cadets remember "A stitch in time saves none" or > While not a pilot, when I watch many crash investigations, I see so many examples of the complexity of the investigations reflecting how many dangers were avoided in site of those which caused the disasters. When maintenance and manufacturing show up as having contributed to disasters, more often than not it is the product of economic disregard for adequate safety in the background. So many times by taking preventative precautons and no panicking even ewhen my life has been in imminent physical danger, have I saved my own life and likely that of some others at time! Sometimes, that "genius mentality" or different way of thinking, can save the bacon when nothing else is likely to! But for onlookers, the best they can do is to stand back and not panic, as their panicking can very easily precipitate a disaster them ight well otherwise have been avoided! When I need information from someone who has been closer to the scene than I, I worry that that person will miss a lot of important details, in spite of having the best intentions, and likely will have no idea of how much critical information that have missed, totally unaware! Then I might have a ticklish job of extracting the details from them while they may have little awareness of what I am really looking for. This sometimes is enough to start acrimony, but the "average" person can learn to adapt, and when they do (this does take a lot of initial time for some, but when that happens that person learns far more than they would have ever imagined!) Bruce M.

[@seraphina985]

Absolutely, one thought that is a total waste of time in an emergency as a pilot is to be thinking "Oh crap I could die here", sure it's a possibility one that is growing far more likely every second you waste thinking that instead of thinking about how you are going to safely land the plane! Thing is though of course as much as it goes for the pilot that taking the attitude "I *AM* going to land this plane" and working from there the steps you will take to do that the same can be said for the passengers use your vital thinking seconds to think about things that will help you walk away from this. By that I mean going over in your head things like if there is time making sure there is nothing loose near you that can hurt you and securing them if there are, making use of what you have available to protect yourself, rehearsing in your mind exactly what you will do the moment the brace call goes out, mentally go over in your mind where the nearest 2 emergency exits are, if there is smoke how many seat backs should you count to get to them? That sort of thing. And sure I know that cabin crew will try do their best to remind people of all of these things but staying calm and being mindful of what you can do to save yourself goes a long way too, 99 times out of 100 it is in your power to get out of this situation it's up to you to make the choice to do so.

[@ThePinkPanth3r]

I've been doing some research on my flying history, im pretty sure I've never been on a boeing.

[@kishore12395]

I am having one question..... What do you do when your radio transmitter doesn't works ??

[@mikecowen6507]

king ruby They have at least 2 radios. Unusual for multiple failures to happen. You squawk 7600 so ATC is aware of comms problems. Sometimes, if you can receive, but not transmit, the ident button can be your best friend in a "knock once for yes, two for no" sort of crude communication. Look up Mode C transponder. ACARS is another option. If you've really lost everything, then you will likely not have Mode C, and will be an uknown (primary) radar blip. These days I'd expect that to get you a military escort off your wing in a big hurry, and you can use hand or light signals. Multiple, multiple, multiple redundancies. Of course I haven't told you anything you couldn't find on Google if you had bothered to look.

[@jaeloo]

One question...when you say engineers, are you talking about mechanics (flight engineers) right? Are there any aeronautical engineers working with you? or just only flight engineers?

[@bengoesflying7870]

I was just wondering the same thing... I think he might mean technicians... Engineers are generally hidden away in offices designing aircraft, they don't normally do maintenance check. That would be the technicians and a group of mechanics. Nowadays people often refer engineers as technicians but they aren't the same thing... One has a bachelors degree, the other a masters degree normally (international reference) ^^

[@awayheflies7853]

It might depend on the country. Here in Canada we are Aircraft Maintenance Engineer (AME) which is mechanics, avionics, and structures technicians. Then there is also just engineers, that are the actual Engineers that work in offices and rarely touch the plane. Often, the AME will talk with the Engineer if some damage or problem requires specific things that are not written already in the aircraft maintenance manuals. That's when the engineer will go more in debt. But the work/repair/troubleshooting itself will be done by the AME.