“You either have a defect on this particular aircraft or a problem with the entire ATP fleet! The choice is yours, but fix this one!”
When I returned from living in France in 1990 and settled in England, I had to move up to British Airways Heathrow as the principal project manager of the European fleet, which included the BAC 1-11, A320, and the ATP (Advanced Turbo Prop).
After all the deliveries in Toulouse with Airbus, I was asked to go to Woodford, where the ATP was being built. The process was very similar to that at Airbus. First, we carried out inspections and function checks, followed by the customer flight, and after any defects were rectified, we would go for delivery.
My first ATP delivery was in November 1991. After the inspections and flight were completed, BE Aerospace took us out for the evening. It was the 5th of November; it was -3 outside, and thick fog covered what felt like the whole of Manchester. We were taken to a barge at the end of the Manchester Canal. It is also now pitch black. Once everyone was on board, the barge started to chug down the canal. Looking out the window, you could not see a thing due to the darkness and immense fog on the outside and the condensation inside. How our driver was able to safely navigate us baffled me, as did the question of why we were here in the first place!
I had clearly become used to some of the finer things. When Airbus used to take customers out, it was often a lavish five-course meal, and you were very well looked after! On this occasion, we were served a bowl of Lancashire hot pot, which is lamb with gravy and chunks of potato. When asked if I wanted a second helping, I declined as I was saving myself for the next course. Foolish me, there was none, that was it! About an hour later, we were served a slice of black forest gateau, and the meal was now complete. Coming from fine French cuisine, this would take some getting used to! Despite this foggy reality check, the ATP delivery took place on the 7th of November 1991 on time and as scheduled.
My next ATP delivery took place two weeks later, following the same process. After the customer flight, however, we had to conduct a rejected takeoff manoeuvre. This requires taking the aircraft up to 80 knots on the runway, then cutting all power whilst applying full brakes, the aviation equivalent of an emergency stop! When we returned to the parking bay, I asked the team to inspect the tyres for any flat spots as I would normally. In this particular case, all 4 main wheels had flat spots, which meant that the anti-skid system was not working correctly. When the team told me this, I called tech services at Heathrow, just to confirm my suspicion that this was not normal, and we were dealing with a serious defect. They confirmed my doubts, which helped me prepare for the meeting that followed with the British Airways and BE Aerospace team. After going through the recorded flight defects, I stated that all four main wheels had flat spots on them, which meant that the anti-skid system was not working correctly. The flight test engineer suddenly interjected in a very condescending tone, ‘Is there anyone here on the BA team who knows what it’s like to do a rejected takeoff on an ATP?!’
“I don’t care if it’s a Rolls-Royce or Concorde!” I countered. “If an anti-skid system is installed, the wheels would not have flat spots! So, you either have a defect on this particular aircraft or a problem with the entire ATP fleet! The choice is yours, but fix this one!”
The flight engineer was about to reply when the BE commercial manager stated, ‘David, we will look into it and get back to you!’
“Thank you very much, and we look forward to the results!” I said to him.
As we left the meeting, my manager pulled me aside and said quietly but sternly. ‘David, you were very rude to BE Aerospace in there!’
I studied him briefly before replying, “Okay…Who pays your salary?”
He glanced at me, puzzled for a moment before complying, ‘BA.’
“And who do you work for?”
‘BA.’
“And why are we here?”
‘…What do you mean?’
I was done with tip-toeing at this point, “Why is this team from British Airways here in the first place? Let me give you my reasoning… We are here to look after the interests of our employer, period. So let me explain my actions- If we had accepted this defect, and in say a month, when we have to carry out a rejected take off, when the tyres are older, and the tread is thinner. Doing that manoeuvre could burst the tyres, which could damage the aircraft, cause injury to passengers or crew, and block the runway, causing disruption. The press would say ‘British Airways Aircraft on runway’, nothing about BE Aerospace. So, it would be our employer’s reputation that would be in question, not theirs. Now, do you understand why I did what I did?
And secondly, no one talks to me like that flight test engineer just did, no one!”
My manager looked at me for a moment before walking away, shaking his head. Hopefully, thinking about what I just said, but unlikely.
We left BE Aerospace to investigate and resolve the problem on this particular aircraft. We confirmed that all 4 anti-skid units on the wheels had failed. We insisted that all wheels were replaced and then we carried out another rejected take off. This time it was a complete success. BE Aerospace confirmed that it was these 4 units and only these 4 that were defective therefore it was not a fleet problem. At the debriefing that followed the flight test engineer declined to attend!
I had another ATP delivery a fortnight later, there were a few issues with this aircraft, but no anti-skid problems. My final ATP delivery was in July 1992, this was when Jetstream had taken over management of the ATP, and it was now called The Jetstream 61. The Jetstream management was responsible for this delivery, and I was asked by their customer service manager about my experience so far with ATP deliveries. I told her about my very first dining experience arranged by BE Aerospace. She found my tale both shocking and hilarious, so as a way to make up for it, she organised the next dinner personally. She must have had a great sense of humour as once again we were on a barge, probably the same barge, on a cruise down the Manchester canal but this time on a beautiful summer’s evening, complimented with a three-course meal, free drinks, clear visibility, and a gorgeous sunset – a stark difference from November!
That year I went to the Farnborough air show, and I was invited by Jetstream to look at the cabin interior of the Jetstream 61. They were running a competition to identify the difference in the cabin between the 61 and the ATP. I knew the sales manager on the aircraft very well from his time at BE Aerospace, and he joked ‘David, you know all the changes, just give me the card and I’ll fill it in for you!’
The prize for getting it correct was a set of golf clubs, and about a month later, I had to go to Prestwick to visit Jetstream. As I boarded my flight from Heathrow to Glasgow, I bumped into the same sales manager who was on my flight. We exchanged pleasantries, then I put my bag on the floor, opened the overhead bin, and started rummaging around.
‘What are you looking for?’ the manager asked.
“My golf clubs! Of course!” I chuckled back at him.
He burst out laughing, ‘Oh, go sit down and give us peace!’
I thought no more of this little joke until I arrived at Jetstream’s offices, where sitting in reception was a brand-new set of golf clubs with my name on it! I won the prize!
There were 65 ATPS built in total. It was supposed to be a replacement for the HS 748 aircraft. It was not comparable, however, as a total of 381 HS 748s were built. So, the ATP was nowhere near as successful as its predecessor. But it was still fun to work on, and as always, I learnt a lot! If you would like to know more about our history or book our services, please get in touch via our contact page.
