Recently it has been brought to the Union’s attention the Company is considering mechanics who are taxi/run qualified on 757 aircraft with Rolls Royce (RR) engines to also be qualified on 757 aircraft with Pratt and Whitney (PW) engines. This has caused great concern and angst with the membership.
The Company has taken the position that as long as you use the proper checklists and maintenance manual references you are Ok to taxi/run both. A MSAP was filed by our Local UAL safety representative and the response was, in part, that a “Fleet” type is a term donating a group, not a specific aircraft engine combination. For example, the 757 aircraft is certified (type certificate) with multiple engine combinations (RR, PW) as a single fleet. All similar fleet types have been examined for physical and procedural differences to validate, or not, the grandfathering process. Findings yield no significant differences that can’t be mitigated with existing controls and mechanisms already in place. Those controls are the mechanics checklists, the controlled manual system, and the policies.
With that being said, if at any time an AMT is not comfortable with their ability to perform any assignment, it is imperative that they bring this to the attention of the supervisor and request assistance or reassignment.
We urge all members to err towards the side of caution. Make sure you take the time to review the proper procedures (engine start, parameters, etc.) before hastily performing a taxi/engine run on the 757 aircraft.
Thank you for your time and if you have any questions feel free to contact the Union office.