Has anyone heard of the report that the FAA is claiming that AA is mothballing some planes to avoid inspections and thus any violations. Per one report - this
is a serious matter. Any comments would be welcome since I frequently fly AA. Cap'n Steve?
 |
 |
0 Kudos
AA "mothballing" planes to avoid FAA inspection
| Author | Comment | ||
|---|---|---|---|
 kiki |
AA "mothballing" planes to avoid FAA inspection |
Lead | |
|
Posts: 1 (09/05/09 12:57:35) |
|
||
|
Capn Steve |
|||
|
Posts: 631 (09/06/09 15:05:26) |
This is the first time I've heard of this. Where did you get this report?
AA just retired its A300 fleet, and is in the process of replacing MD-80s with 737-800s, so a number of airplanes have been parked recently. As far as the "avoidance" part goes -- I don't know. Sounds a bit sensationalist to me. I'll check the AA pilot websites -- both company and union. As a retiree, I still have access to them. Cheers. Steve |
||
|
kiki |
|||
|
Posts: 2 (09/07/09 03:39:50) |
I think you are correct regarding the sensationalist part. The first I read of it was through MSNBC online but then after I read your post I looked around a
bit more and from what I can tell is that AA has retired some of its planes and did not notify the FAA first. However, from what I understand that does not
mean that the FAA does not have access to the planes and still cannot inspect the planes. The initial article I read made it sound like the planes were parked
in area 51 or some such thing!
|
||
|
jbut66 |
I w | ||
|
Posts: 2 (09/07/09 15:14:50) |
I was going to post a question about this as well. It was reported a few days ago in the Wall Street Journal, which
I don't consider to be a sensationalist newspaper. It reported on one specific plane that AA had taken to a hanger in New Mexico allegedly to
"retire" it before it could be inspected and violations found. The article suggested that many AA MD 80 planes were old and in need of retirement.
This concerns me as I am supposed to fly on a Delta MD 88 on Sunday and articles like this make me question their safety. Any helpful info?
|
||
|
Capn Steve |
|||
|
Posts: 632 (09/07/09 15:41:23) |
Hi Kiki --
After I read your first post, I did a little bit of research, as the whole thing piqued my interest. I did see a link to a Wall Street Journal article about this, posted on the Allied Pilots Association (AA's pilots' union) website. As far as the practical aspect of the whole thing is concerned, I don't see a lot here to be concerned about. I'm certainly not hesitating to use my AA retiree travel privileges to take trips. Most of which will probably be on MD-80s, since that's still the largest fleet, by far, and will be so for a while. (It was also the fleet highlighted in the article.) In fact, I'm planning to travel to LGA next month for the October SOARFest (which may or may not involve travel on AA -- it may be strictly on Eagle), and also to TUS (for my cousin's memorial service) -- which will definitely involve riding MD-80s. I'm not aware of any requirement that an airline notify the FAA prior to retiring any particular airplane. (I could be wrong, since this is not something I've ever paid attention to, or felt the need to. If the airplane is taken out of revenue passenger service, then it seems like sort of a moot point to me.) Cheers. Steve |
||
|
Note from Capt. Tom I know everyone worries about weather, but pilots really do not worry about it. We simply - instead of worrying about it - completely prepare for it. Before going to the plane, we review the weather at the destination. If it is not 100% sure to be within legal limits when we arrive at the destination, we must specify an alternate airport in our planning documents, and load on plenty of fuel for going to the destination airport, and then if need be, diverting to the alternate airport. The legal limits are conservative. Even when weather is slightly outside the legal limits, any airline pilot could still land safely. You can rely on the captain never to land when the weather is not legal, and legality limits are reached prior to safety limits. If you are still anxious, call me and we can talk it over. I'm at 877 332-7359 from 10 AM until 7 PM Eastern time. For effective help, even if you are flying in a day or two, sign up now at www.fearofflying.com/fasttrack and call me when you finish Clip 9 so I can make sure you are all set. |
|
Using Weather Information If you enter your ZIP Code or City at the top of the weather presentation, it will give you weather for your area. Or, you can enter your destination ZIP Code or City.
Click on the "LOCAL RADAR" button to see whether or not there are thunder- Turbulence, though it may cause anxiety, does not mean anything is wrong. Turbulence does not mean danger. The plane can handle far more turbulence than Mother Nature can dish out. Though flying in turbulence is safe, it doesn't feel safe. And here is where the SOAR programs come in. We can help you feel as safe when you fly as you actually are. You can see these programs at www.fearofflying.com/store. |
