koopas
Aerospace
- Aug 24, 2002
- 106
Hey all,
Whoa! Can't believe it's already been about five months since my original post entitled "New engineer in the field - needs advice". At the time, I was a little lost at my new job. Time does fly by fast.
Just to give you an update, I went ahead and took the FSB part I course but decided to hold off on part II. After two weeks of part I, my brain was COMPLETELY fried. The topics weren't too complicated but everything was new. Hell, I didn't know what a shim was. I even asked the dumb question "what's a stringer?". I knew what a longeron was but I guess that's Douglas terminology. Basically, coming from a guy who didn't know how a rivet was installed, you can feel my plight. So I ended up going back to work after part I to try to apply some of the knowledge I acquired in Seattle. From what I heard, one should be able to handle most repairs that are beyond the SRM with just part I. Part II just goes a little more in depth and is more theoretical. Part III is more practical and hands-on?
Since I work for such a small airline, I've been working on lots of different stuff...some meaningful, others not as rewarding. Unfortunately, I haven't really put the FSB course to use. Most of the few repairs I've handled have been per the SRM (within limits) or simply asking an 8110 from Boeing (and let their service engr. guys figure it out).
Lately, I've doing a lot of stuff on ATA 24, AC generation. I've never been a big fan of EE but getting in depth with IDG's is interesting. Once again, the realities of basic electrical, applied knowledge is not taught in school. When the FIM first said "Check for continuity between pin x and y"...when x is on the IDG and y is in the E/E bay, I was a little startled. How the heck am I going to find two wires long enough to connect to each pin from the multimeter? Needless to say, all the mechanics were on the floor dying laughing. Now for a question...are the following the only methods to do wiring or electrical checks/troubleshooting:
-continuity
-short to ground
-check resistance
Anyway, my slow journey of knowledge continues...I hope I can do more repairs since I feel a little more competent in that area. However, my dept. already has two every experienced structures engineers so they handle most repairs. By the way, are any of you going to either a Boeing (or rather Douglas) Structures/Composites training conference in Long Beach at the end of March? Also, I am planning to attend some Structures conference hosted by Boeing around that time. Of course, I just tried accessing my work email to get the details but it's down...go figure. Anyway, your local Boeing field rep. should have the details.
Keep the encouragements coming
I'd appreciate any advice on new books to read, training to take advantage of, and the like. Thanks again for the support.
Newbie Alex
P.S. It seems that people don't discuss specific technical problems or issues pertaining to their jobs on this message board. So, I am also reluctant to ask questions with the specific details that may reveal privileged or confidential company info. What's the rule of thumb here? I am also new to this "corporate" world.
Whoa! Can't believe it's already been about five months since my original post entitled "New engineer in the field - needs advice". At the time, I was a little lost at my new job. Time does fly by fast.
Just to give you an update, I went ahead and took the FSB part I course but decided to hold off on part II. After two weeks of part I, my brain was COMPLETELY fried. The topics weren't too complicated but everything was new. Hell, I didn't know what a shim was. I even asked the dumb question "what's a stringer?". I knew what a longeron was but I guess that's Douglas terminology. Basically, coming from a guy who didn't know how a rivet was installed, you can feel my plight. So I ended up going back to work after part I to try to apply some of the knowledge I acquired in Seattle. From what I heard, one should be able to handle most repairs that are beyond the SRM with just part I. Part II just goes a little more in depth and is more theoretical. Part III is more practical and hands-on?
Since I work for such a small airline, I've been working on lots of different stuff...some meaningful, others not as rewarding. Unfortunately, I haven't really put the FSB course to use. Most of the few repairs I've handled have been per the SRM (within limits) or simply asking an 8110 from Boeing (and let their service engr. guys figure it out).
Lately, I've doing a lot of stuff on ATA 24, AC generation. I've never been a big fan of EE but getting in depth with IDG's is interesting. Once again, the realities of basic electrical, applied knowledge is not taught in school. When the FIM first said "Check for continuity between pin x and y"...when x is on the IDG and y is in the E/E bay, I was a little startled. How the heck am I going to find two wires long enough to connect to each pin from the multimeter? Needless to say, all the mechanics were on the floor dying laughing. Now for a question...are the following the only methods to do wiring or electrical checks/troubleshooting:
-continuity
-short to ground
-check resistance
Anyway, my slow journey of knowledge continues...I hope I can do more repairs since I feel a little more competent in that area. However, my dept. already has two every experienced structures engineers so they handle most repairs. By the way, are any of you going to either a Boeing (or rather Douglas) Structures/Composites training conference in Long Beach at the end of March? Also, I am planning to attend some Structures conference hosted by Boeing around that time. Of course, I just tried accessing my work email to get the details but it's down...go figure. Anyway, your local Boeing field rep. should have the details.
Keep the encouragements coming
Newbie Alex
P.S. It seems that people don't discuss specific technical problems or issues pertaining to their jobs on this message board. So, I am also reluctant to ask questions with the specific details that may reveal privileged or confidential company info. What's the rule of thumb here? I am also new to this "corporate" world.