Maintenance incompetence - low wages the reason?

I wonder if this is the reason for the widespread incompetence in light GA maintenance.

I don’t really think so. They may “only” charge 65 GBP/hr, but if you see how many hours they calculate to perform a specific task, you would find that unacceptable as a light aircraft (or BMW/Audi/Fiat) owner. Technically minded private owners of aircraft have quite specific ideas about the time it takes to perform certain tasks. Replacing spark plugs on six cylinders: One hour? Your delux bizjet centre will probably bill you for two hours each for two mechanics (one working the top plugs, the other one the ones on the bottom). Additionally they will charge you 123 GBP/plug plus express shipping from the States – of course one full shipping charge for every spark plug even if they come in the same box… – versus the 12 GBP (or whatever) the maintenance guy in your hangar will ask. They tried to charge (not only tried, actually did!) my company the round figure of 10,000 Euros for road transport of an Engine across Germany to the Pratt&Whitney service centre and back. 500km each way. When we objected, this figure was reduced by 50% without any discussion…

I wouldn’t say this labour rate is very low – it’s the BMW labour rates that are jacked up as high as the market will bear, and those mechanics at the dealership aren’t in any way guaranteed to be competent, either. BMW maintenance fees are probably also diverted to cover other business costs – for example, I won’t be surprised if a BMW dealer spends 20 times more on advertising than a jet service centre. By the way, if you go to an independent garage specialising in BMWs instead of a dealership, you’ll most likely get more competent technicians at a somewhat lower rate.

I wonder if this is the reason for the widespread incompetence in light GA maintenance.

I have aware of this myself, but can you make that statement ‘globally’, or is just individual organisations? I have limited experience of different organisations so I cant say.

I dont think it so much how much per hour the organisation charges, though to a degree, how much is paid to the engineers might affect motivation and qaulity. The gap to me seems to be quality checking. I am assuming competence isnt the issue and that all engineers have the suitable qualifications (OK, a massive assumption), but either the engineers are not checking their quality, or their supervisors or signatories are not doing it because quality = time, and time = money, and less time spent = more profit. It does surprise me that particuarly on relatively simple and old GA engines, airframes and avionics, that a plane goes in to have x work done, and comes out with y new problems.

The quality of maintenance inspection has fallen since the introduction of EASA part M, this is because the experienced licenced engineers are spending too much time with all the extra paperwork required by EASA and less time supervising work on the hangar floor.

It is next to imposable to recrute staff on the wages that are offerd in GA because the hourly rate is so low and these days most kids out of school think work is tapping at a computer keyboard and don’t want to get their hands dirty, this attitude is re enforced by an education system were the teachers are compleatly out of touch with reality outside the the education system and are fed on the BS from the big corporate employers.

The result of this is that small companies get the bottom end of the accademic skill base, the only up side to this is that a few of the accademic achievers are good with their hands and make good mechanics if properly supervised…….. That takes me back to paragraph one !

In short EASA = less safety & more cost.

Over regulation of maintenance is certainly a problem in terms of producing quality results. Typically light aircraft maintenance (particularly for private owners) is an area that cannot economically support high wages and overheads. Better results come if the mechanics are doing something else for their main income, and working on light aircraft as a sideline. Over regulation often prevents this better solution from occurring.

For something like paint work, where the facility is intrinsically important, you need to pay for quality. Otherwise, and for most mechanical work you get better results at reasonable cost with an A&P who does something else for his primary income, assuming regulations that allow it. This works best if you aren’t in a tremendous hurry, i.e. if it’s a plane used for fun. If it’s a plane that’s rented to others as part of a fleet maybe the solution is to hire mechanics directly and put them on staff.

I do know one mechanic who makes a fair living in aviation but he is an IA (inspector) too and also one of the areas best CFIIs (instrument instructors). He charges $80 USD/hour, spends about $750/month on his space, travels to customers if they want, and is continuously busy. A few months ago I was amused that a customer who had moved to the UK with a PIper Malibu paid expenses for him to travel there for an annual inspection plus some instrument training.

’ By the way, if you go to an independent garage specialising in BMWs instead of a dealership, you’ll most likely get more competent technicians at a somewhat lower rate.’

I did that for a while. I’ve no given up and go back to main dealer for servicing. There is always something ‘specialist’ missing from the ‘specialist’ independent dealer or something they’ll have to work on, after getting paid for the work they are actually able to do. Finding someone who has a repetitive system doing something that fits your requirement and give it to them, once you try and change the system (or vary the cars…) the abilities break down. Excuse the pun!

I do know one mechanic who makes a fair living in aviation but he is an IA (inspector) too and also one of the areas best CFIIs (instrument instructors). He charges $80 USD/hour, spends about $750/month on his space, …

80$ (or equivalent) per hour for a specialist who provides his own training, certification, tools, office/shop space (no matter how cheap he gets it) and probably does his own accounting and paperwork in his spare time would be suicidal here in Germany. He’d be much better off if he stops working and lives from the welfare instead.

$140K/year pre-tax and after expenses is a living wage here.

I have intimate knowledge of both aircraft and car maintenance. (I own an independent Mercedes garage and have friends that are in the aviation business).
The skills of an aircraft mechanic in GA are actually quite simple when compared with a modern auto tech. Aircraft are pretty crude and simple machines and don’t require a large skill set BUT the expertise and precision with which those skills must be applied is of course essential for safety.
Now, because those skills must be excercised with expertise and precision then they will inevitably take longer.
I could rebuild a Lycoming IO360 in a lot less time than I could build a Merc V12 with all of its sophisticated appendages but would you want me too?

So, the labour rate per hour does seem small when compared to garages but the rate at which work gets done is significantly different.

By the way, if an independent specialist (that is someone who does only one make, not “German cars”) cannot offer you better service than a main dealer then he is doing something seriously wrong. The bottom line for a good independent specialist is “Did we fix it?”
The bottom line for a dealer is “How much money did we make our paymasters?”
I don’t advertise much but one of my straplines is:
“The modern, intelligent customer knows that when he wants an expensive cup of coffee he should go to “Costabuck”. When he wants his Mercedes serviced to a high standard at a reasonable price he comes to us!"