Posted on 10/11/2009 5:56:15 PM PDT by Tolerance Sucks Rocks
Dear Tolerance Sucks Rocks:
Did you know that English is the official and international language of aviation and that all repair manuals are printed only in English? It shouldn't be surprising since English is also the international language of business.
But it is even more critical for aviation because, when it comes to the safety and reliability of aircraft, multiple languages would open the door for misinterpretation and mistakes.
That's why Congressman Brian Bilbray (R-CA) was shocked when he learned of an investigation launched by a Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas television station which revealed the alarming fact that hundreds of aircraft mechanics who daily work on commercial airlines throughout the United States cannot read their repair manuals because the manuals are printed in English, a language these mechanics do not understand.
In fact, these mechanics cannot speak English and so are unable even to communicate with their supervisors.
Thank heavens for Channel 8 in Dallas / Fort Worth for doing the work that our bloated, bumbling bureaucracies, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) seem unable to do.
And now that these agencies have been made aware of the problem, thanks to a strongly worded letter sent to Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood by Rep. Bilbray and sixteen other concerned Congressmen, demanding immediate action, has the problem been resolved?
Actually, no, because in this politically-correct, multicultural world we now live in, the alleged "civil rights" of people residing in America seem to be our nation's top priority -- even if an airline mechanic's inability to speak English has already caused at least one documented fatal crash!
Right now, the FAA is violating its own regulations which state FAA certification requires aircraft mechanics to be "able to read, write and understand" the English language and they must pass written, oral and practical tests to demonstrate their mechanic's skill.
So far, Secretary LaHood has not responded to the letter from these seventeen Congressmen. And, in the meantime, non-English speaking airline mechanics, who were hired, presumably, because they will work for less money, than qualified, English speaking American citizens are making our skies a little less safe and putting the lives of airline passengers at risk.
This is outrageous! Politics, greed and a corrupt government bureaucracy have, once again, put American lives at risk. This has to be stopped RIGHT NOW and I need your help immediately before any more Americans lose their lives over this outrage.
How is it even possible that, with millions of Americans out of work, including, I imagine thousands of qualified mechanics, our government could allow a company to violate federal regulations and risk the lives of airline passengers?
How is it possible that in the United States, where English has been our common language for more than two hundred years, the bumbling bureaucrats in Washington could ignore their own federal regulations, the English language requirements of the IATA and common sense by allowing companies to hire non-English speaking mechanics?
This incident demonstrates just how deeply multiculturalism has dug its way into our federal bureaucracy. That our government agencies would opt to put airline passengers at risk rather than offend the anti-English lobby is quite frightening.
But they have gone too far with this one. The American people, already aroused and enraged with their government, will not stand still for this outrage. This is a clear black and white issue. Federal and international regulations are being ignored.
All you and I need to do is to bring this outrage to the attention of the American people and ask them to express their outrage to their Representatives. If we do it right, we can solve this crisis overnight and, at the same time, expose the threat of multiculturalism that is invading every aspect of American life.
Will you help me? Please click here to send an email to your own Representative urging him or her to join with Rep. Bilbray and other concerned Congressmen to solve this problem immediately.
I really hope that you will be "on board" with us on this campaign because I think we can use this issue to expose the larger agenda of the anti-English lobby.
[Solicitation for donation redacted in order to pass FR muster]
Thank you for your continued support for our work.
Sincerely,
Frank McGlynn
Acting Executive Director
PING!
http://www.rallycongress.com/english-first/2520/111hrfaa/
Sorry about that.
Nothing new, been going on for decades.
Some of the best heavy sheetmetal guys are from VietNam, and don’t speak English. And there are now (and have been for a number of years) certified repair stations in other countries that work on US flagged carriers, you can bet those folks don’t speak english either.
1.) There are major aircraft maintenance facilities in Central America that are used by many North American carriers as their rates are lower than doing the work in the USA.
2.) The French ATC people often get a case of the A** when dealing with non-French carriers and will communicate only in French instead of English.
Congressman Brian Bilbray - R San Diego
A great rep. to be on this.
I guess the next step will be for some “insensitive” person to complain about the medical personnel in U.S.hospitals who cannot read or speak English proficiently.../s
You forgot the most important point: those non-English speaking mechanics aren't members of the US aircraft mechanics unions... I wonder how much the good Representative is getting from those same unions that would benefit immensely from such "requirements".
For the record, I average 220,000 miles a year around the globe, and fly domestic airlines in South America, Europe, and Asia, and have done so for the last 8 years. The three "incidents" I've been in have all been with US carriers in US airspace (two at ORD, one at LAX; one with United, one with American, one with Continental).
Where’s the Not this again pic ???
This aint the first time this idiocy has come up...
>> Some of the best heavy sheetmetal guys are from VietNam, and don’t speak English.
If they cannot comprehend the technical details specified in the service manuals, you might have a problem.
Would you want such a mechanic working on the brake system of your 2010 family sedan?
Just because they can’t read the book doesn’t mean they can fix your gasguzzler.
I doubt there are ANY manuals left in Cuba, but those Fords and Chevys from the 50’s are still going strong, the brakes even work!
Modern GE, Pratt & Whitney, or Rolls Royce jet engines? No problem. I can re-line my own brake pads, can't I?
>> Just because they can’t read the book doesn’t mean they can fix your gasguzzler.
It’s not about skill. It’s about mistakes that can occur from the inability to comprehend written technical specifications and assembly procedures.
Given the choice, would you rather service a jet engine with the specifications in Farsi or would you prefer English?
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Maybe so but that brake system has a single piston master cylinder that has been re-honed so many times they had to sleeve the bore, no proportioning valves anywhere and the brake linings are glued up layers of cardboard on the original shoe plates.
Just because somebody can get your UH-1 flying again with some loctite red a beer can and a hot melt glue gun doesn't mean they can assess the quality of a weld properly using ultrasonic tools and they certainly will put counterfeit parts into your aircraft to save a few dollars.
When a British Airways plane landed in Frankfort, he asked ground control for direction. Ground control was particularly obnoxious and berated the pilot for not knowing the ramps and taxiways of the Airport. Ground control also asked, “What is wrong, have you never been to Frankfort before?
“Yes he answered but it was 1944 and I did not land.”
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