From the Maintenance Files: An ETOPS Check on N319TZ at ONT.
It seems a thousand lifetimes ago it now, however, it is all still quite clear in memory. Yes, those were the whacky, fun times of contract FAR Part 121 maintenance on the American Trans Air (ATA) rocket sleds. God rest their souls, as the demise of ATA was like losing an old friend.
From the nights (and occasional days) out on the ramp, Gate 408 was our home in the heat, the cold, the lack of sleep, bad coffee, the road trips over to KRIV, the clapped out Cheech & Chong maintenance van, quirky airport police, to the shack for an office, and, we would not have traded it all for anything.
The bulk of those wonderful times were spent wrenching on Boeing 737-800's, then earning their keep plowing the ONT-HNL route. Those "Baby-Boeings" were well-worn by the time we got our hands on them, but they were excellently maintained, and dang reliable. Their crews were among the nicest folks to us, as Maintenance usually does not get any accolades, but the ATA peeps never forgot us. From their professionalism, to their kindness, to even leaving us fresh crew meals, as they knew we lived off shop coffee and vending machines for subsistence, they always remembered us.
While most of the work was on the aforementioned 737's, we did occasionally get to put a wrench to the ATA 757-200’s and 757-300's, plus the remarkable Lockheed L-1011’s. While the 737's were all doing commercial work, the 757's and Tri-Stars we saw were doing military transport charters, mostly for the United States Marine Corps. That was fun, because we got to go over to March Air Force Reserve Base to meet them, and truth be told, the U.S. Military personnel were the finest, and most courteous, people to work with.
Yes, those were some fun times, indeed.
And, there are still plenty more tales to tell. Stay tuned.
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