[BC] Matching jobs and engineers

[Randy Moore]

I spent 24 years in the Army as an electronics tech, retiring as a Chief 
Warrant Officer Three.  One of my assignments was running an avionics 
shop in Germany where we supported all of the Army's aircraft for that 
area (except the MI aircraft) and all the aviation night vision devices.

We had two tractor trailer rigs that parked side by side with a walkway 
between them.  In one trailer we had computers with test jigs that 
troubleshot to the component level.  After the defective components were 
identified the equipment went to the next trailer where it was repaired 
and sent back for testing.  This system supported the advanced aircraft 
with the glass cockpits.  For the older stuff we had test sets that 
allowed the equipment to operate and be tested out of the aircraft, and 
we would repair to the component level.  This was a direct support shop.

The unit level flight line people would pull the bad equipment and 
submit it for repair.  If there was a spare in the supply system they 
walked back out the door with a replacement piece of equipment.  We 
repaired the defective equipment and returned it to the supply system.  
Yes, I actually saw a work request that stated, "Will not work in the 
O.F.F position".  We had a few good laughs over that.

Techs on the flight line are box pullers.  It is rare for the tech in 
the shop to work on the aircraft, just the boxes that are submitted for 
repair.  To find the good techs you have to go to the direct support, 
general support or depot level repair shops.

All of my techs were well trained and had a good working knowledge of 
electronics.

Most of my 24 years in the Army were spent in tactical signal battalions 
(by my choice).  In those direct support repair shops I found the tech 
to be well trained and able to think on their feet under very adverse 
conditions.

When I was preparing to retire from the Army I became a radio chief 
engineer due to an advertisement in the local newspaper. I considered 
all the government and related job offers and decided I wanted to do 
something different so radio it was.

If you want to find someone that is getting out of the military the post 
or base will have a transition program that assists them in preparing 
for the civilian world.  That is where you post your request for 
engineers, it will be seen by everyone that is preparing to be 
discharged or retired.

Then there was the assignment where I got to fly crew on C-130 and C-141 
aircraft as an Army SSG (E-6). But I can't tell anyone about it.


Randy Moore
CWO, USA (RET)
AI4CO


Fred Gleason wrote:
> On Friday 05 September 2008 07:17:19 pm Ronald J. Dot'o Sr. wrote:
>   
>> I guess it's cheaper than training the troops and supplying test eqt.
>> at each base, but still...
>>     
>
> A lot of it is due to the physical construction of modern equipment.  Surface 
> mount components require extremely specialized tools and skills to service at 
> the component level.  An ET acquaintance that I knew in the Navy once told me 
> that of those who go to '2M' school ('2M' == 'Micro miniature', where they 
> teach precision soldiering), about two-thirds flunk out because they are 
> physically unable to master the necessary techniques.  And this was in the 
> mid-80s, before SMT came along.
>
> Cheers!
>
>
> |-------------------------------------------------------------------------|
> | Frederick F. Gleason, Jr. |               Chief Developer               |
> |                           |               Paravel Systems               |
> |-------------------------------------------------------------------------|
> | True leadership is the art of changing a group from what it is to what  |
> | it ought to be.                                                         |
> |                                      -- Virginia Allan                  |
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