I’m Dominic Gates, aerospace reporter for the Seattle Times. I’ve been intensively covering the Boeing 737 MAX crisis following fatal crashes in Indonesia and Ethiopia. AMA

These issues are rampant throughout the company on all programs 3 I know for certain 777, 737, and 767 program (including the tanker variant).

You obviously have decent managers that want to see the build process done correctly.

The mentality of most of these managers is to get the plane done as fast as possible disregarding regulations and rules that are set forth by internal policys and external policys set by the FAA.

Was involved in a meeting with Elizabeth Lund, and Bruce dickinson, A question arose about mechanics not knowing how to read blueprints correctly. They responded back with "We are aware of the new mechanics having a difficult time with being able to access and interpret the drawings out of training." The majority of these new hires where sent to work straight on the aircraft with minimal training and knowledge of what they where doing. We as mechanic have brought up illegal work on the aircraft and what these managers and leads try to get us to do and it gets swept under the rug or ignored untill it is forgoton about. (I personally have had verbal arguments with management about requests for me to do work that was unathorized.

I could go on and on about this company and its deceptive work practices but that is for another time.

Source: I have worked personally on all 3 of the programs listed above and still currently work on one of them.

/r/IAmA Thread Parent