Haeco GM Yeung Yu-cheong says the job calls for an interest in mechanical or electrical engineering - and a natural curiosity
WHEN I ARRIVE at work at 7.30am, my first task is to supervise the change of shifts. We operate round the clock, seven days a week, and we handle about 80 per cent of the freight aircraft that use the airport.
Most of the cargo planes, such as DHL, UPS and FedEx, arrive between 10pm and 4am for line maintenance servicing. So this is our busiest time. Most of these planes require only a routine check to ensure their essential systems are in working order. If the captain reports a malfunction, we try to fix the problem promptly.
At about 9am every day, technical staff and engineers are called in for a briefing and to discuss their specific duties and the aircraft they are working on, be it Boeing or Airbus, passenger or freight plane.
Around 9.30am, I attend a formal meeting with the check controllers. They give me aircraft progress reports and updates and specify their tasks and targets for the day.
Sometimes their checks reveal structural problems or cracks, which must be fixed. If the fault lies outside our standard procedures, or what we call the structural repair manual, we contact Boeing or Airbus to authorise the repair work or send further instructions.
Because space is restricted in a hangar, you have to make sure that things are going smoothly and well. Any delay in servicing an aircraft could cause delays for the other aircraft. The sequencing and positioning of planes is therefore very important.