Hello! My name is Imke and I am studying mechanical engineering together with the Lufthansa Technik since three years now. I already know some departments in Hamburg from the practical part of my studies and now I have the opportunity to discover some more departments of the enterprise. And this time I want to share my impressions with you – my impressions from my stay at the Lufthansa Technik Malta.
Here at the Lufthansa Technik Malta mainly heavy checks (C-Checks, IL-Checks, D-Checks and Cabin Modifications) are performed. During these Checks there are a lot of inspections, servicing, component changes, specific modifications and of course some findings like little dents, scratches, gouges, chafe marks, corrosion or cracked holes, which need to be repaired.
For the repairs there are manuals given from the Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) of the aircraft or the component. These manuals should be followed if the damage is in the given limits of size, depth or the minimum distance to other components. If the damage is out of one of these limits, a notification is forwarded to my present department, the engineering.
The engineering is located at the fourth floor, above the shops of the production (and has an incredible view over the isle (see picture below)) and consists out of ten aircraft engineers, which are assigned to the six lines of the base.
The aircraft engineer who is taking care of the issue will create a damage report. Therein he/she includes where the damage is located, which type of damage it is (scratch/dent/chafe mark/…), what size the damage is and what the production has already performed (e.g. other inspections, non-destructive-testing, etc.). Therefore the aircraft engineer examines the damage on the aircraft himself/herself, confer with the responsible employee of the production and collects all required information.
Then most of the times the damage report will be forwarded to the OEM of the Aircraft or the component to receive alternative repair instructions and the approval for that repair (every aberration from approved documents, like the alternative repair, which is not stated in one of the approved manuals, needs to have the approved status as well).
After receiving the repair instructions from the OEM the aircraft engineer creates an Engineering Order (EO). The EO includes the repair instructions and some formalities and will be given to the production. They will perform the repair and sign it as completely done.
An Aircraft Engineer also has some other tasks to do, like the preparation of the maintenance-tasks for the next layover, which were set in previous EOs or resulting from incoming defects, which were remarked during the operation (like a defect coffee maker or something else not that major). Therefor it is necessary to keep an eye on the materials, components (e.g. for a replacement) and special tools which might be necessary for the implementation of the maintenance-tasks. If these things are not in stock, they need to be purchased and that will take a while. To avoid loosing any time we highlight those items before the aircraft arrives. In addition to that, there might be some tasks, which will cause a particular high effort (e.g. when you need to remove other components to perform the task) and this tasks will be highlighted as well, so they can be considered during the planning of the layover.
As part of my stay here, I am currently doing the work of an aircraft engineer described above. All the work I am doing is going to be checked by an “Authorized Aircraft Engineer“(to make sure everything is correct).
Later, I will be doing some tasks at the planning department, because here the Engineering and Planning are part of one domain. I am also very curious about these tasks, because I have not done any planning assignments, yet.
You can tell that after work I take the opportunity to discover Malta. And at Malta there are a lot of things and places to see. Starting with the classic intentions like Valletta or the “Blue Grotto” up to the annual feasts of the saints of the churches (Malta has about 360 of them) in summer. These feasts consist of a week full with music (which is played by the local marching bands), parades and very important here – many fireworks. During my first week here at Malta, the place where I am staying was celebrating one of these feasts. In the picture below you can see, how such a parade can look like. What you cannot see on that picture is the marching band, which was walking in front of the statue.
Another characteristic I really appreciate about Malta is the kindness and the helpfulness from the Maltese. It not depends on who you are or who is with you (like my colleagues, the bus driver or a stranger at the street), if you need help you will get help. Also you did not ask for it. If you look a little lost, someone will kindly offer you help.
In the end, I just can tell I am very glad to be here. My internship here is awesome! I have already learned so many new things and because of this amazing team here, everything is even more fun.
If you are interested in taking such a chance, take a look at Lufthansagroup.careers/Technik and inform yourselves about our dual studies or apprenticeships!
Best regards!
Imke
