I started my aviation career as an apprentice aircraft maintenance technician with our local airline, Air Malta. I worked line maintenance – shift work for 6 years, providing TLC for Air Malta’s fleet of A319 and A320s. I have massive respect for the guys and girls braving the elements to ensure that all those birds get their loads to their destination safely.

Today, one of my responsibilities is to audit line stations against ‘Part-145’  EU regulations for a local company (‘Part-145’ is basically what the European Union call aircraft maintenance organisations).

Organisations may perform maintenance away from their main base provided that those stations are compliant with ‘Part-145’ regulations. To date, I have audited line stations in Malta, Tunis, Libya and Ghana. Now, auditing a line station in Europe is one thing, however, auditing line stations in developing nations is a completely different ball game.

This brings me nicely to the topic of this article, Part-145 line stations in remote, developing nations. Just to paint you a picture, my first experience auditing a remote line station was in Mitiga, Libya in February 2018. My colleague and I were tasked with re-evaluating the line station to ensure it was still operating at the required standard.

Months prior to the audit there were several reports of civil unrest. Days before our departure, the safety manager who was responsible for us was not too happy we were still going on the mission but we all knew how important it was to have the station running.

At 0700Z on 13th February 2018, my colleague and I boarded the direct, 45 minute flight from Malta to Mitiga.

Considering the unfortunate situation Libya was in, the line station was in pretty good shape. The team there gave the impression that they were really motivated and spirits were high. Apart from a couple of bullet holes in the main office and a far-from-ideal lavatory situation, the rest of the facility looked good. 

 During the closing meeting at around 1400Z  – an hour before the aircraft was due in Mitiga to take us back to Malta, we heard a massive explosion. A rocket was shot into the airport and flight home was diverted to Misrata, 200 kilometres away. Its safe to say, our safety manager was tearing his hair out (the little he had left)! So much for the closing meeting. We had to get ourselves to Misrata!

The day before our departure to Mitiga we had a briefing from our safety manager. He had a ‘plan’ to get us out of Mitiga if the situation went south. He had never initiated this plan on a real-life scenario so, effectively, we were his guinea pigs.

Back to the story – Out of no where a large, clean shaven Libyan approached us and demanded we follow him. He lead us to a black, sparkling new VW Passat and sure enough, 3 hours later we were on our way back to Malta.

That adventure was a massive eye-opener for me: Take nothing for granted and really dedicate the time to understand and prepare for the every part of your mission. For example, take the facilities available during post-war Mitiga, you can’t expect to find sparkling clean tool racks, top of the range air conditioning and speedy, uninterrupted internet connection. External circumstances, beyond the control of anyone within the company, play a real role in the daily operations of the station. Don’t get me wrong, you can still demand excellence – the line station should operate according to regulations, personnel must be trained, tools and parts should be controlled, maintenance data should be up to date, etc.. 

As an auditor, one must understand the situational circumstances of the mission and try to use the regulations to make the operation run smoother. Listen to the auditees to, for example, understand were you can raise a finding to ensure they get the help they need. Sometimes, the men and women who dedicate their time (and lives) to these line stations are completely alone.

Although ‘just’ a line station, peoples lives are still affected. From the people manning the station, support staff such as auditors, aircraft handlers and the passengers flying on the aircraft. You can’t control external forces but you can try and prepare for when things do not go as planned.

Following what was written in my last blog, you would think millennials are poised and ready to make a difference. We have the drive, energy and ambition to take us to the top of any industry. We can handle whatever situation we find ourselves in.

Yeah right…

A couple of days ago I sat down with a man who I consider as one of the pioneering members of commercial aviation in Malta. We agreed to meet at a pretty chique restaurant at 7 pm. I was seated by 6:55 pm. At exactly 7 pm, Sam casually walked in. 62 years old, 5 foot 8 and not a hair out of place. 

I started off the dinner feeling fairly confident in myself. I left the restaurant a whole new person. 

One thing you need to know about me is that sometimes, I tend to make decisions based on emotion rather than reason. It is an aspect of my character that I am conscious about and that am working on controlling. Now, when I get worked up and decide to send a heated email, I write it and sit on it for a day or two. I guess it’s a start.. 

I reached out to Sam because I genuinely needed help. I needed to speak to someone who could push emotions aside, who could analyze a situation and could objectively (and honestly) give me feedback or advice. After several minutes of me rambling on about my conundrum, Sam uttered the following words:

‘Life is not black nor is it white.’

Naively, I always thought of life being black AND white, good AND bad. As soon as Sam said those words, I knew I had to rethink everything. There was no clear answer to the situation I was in. 

Sam continued to preach that life, like our careers, is a series of ups and downs. We cannot always expect to be faced with positive situations. We are allowed to be unhappy and anxious about certain situations, after-all, we are not robots. 

The trick is how one negotiates their life and career between those ups and downs – the blacks, the whites and everything in between. 

Sam’s priority is his family, after that, his career. To ensure his family has everything they need, he has to protect his job. He explained that sometimes you need to adjust your natural, and possibly the correct, reaction to certain issues in order to ensure your overall situation remains under control. 

‘We may not always be sure as to what is good and what is bad but we are always sure what is right and wrong.’

He made it very clear, aviation is about safety and economic viability – one cannot survive without the other. Sam fully understands what job responsibilities are. He knows how to use verbal and non-verbal language to aid his situation. He understands that the regulations were written by humans. 

After an hour, Sam addressed my conundrum. I have known Sam for many years and this is the first time I heard him curse (TWICE!):

‘You do not know how to play the fucking game! Learn to play the fucking game!’

That is why we need the older generations, they know how to play the game. Most people nowadays have no idea what their game is. 

It is time I understood my game.