Read and translate the text paying attention to new words and phrases and do some tasks to every part.

Part I

Aircraft mechanics and service technicians are responsible for making sure airplanes are safe for flying. The airplanes that are utilized by many airlines nowadays have increasingly complex operating systems, which have been developed in the interest of keeping the passengers safe. Aircraft mechanics and service technicians need to be familiar with these complex systems and know how to prevent mechanical failures that can endanger the passengers and crew.

They are responsible for maintaining the aircraft, repairing parts that are broken or worn, and inspecting the aircraft on a regular basis in accordance with the schedules.

Some of the parts aircraft mechanics and service technicians are responsible for maintaining include the engine, the landing gear, and the instruments inside the cockpit used to determine direction and altitude. They also maintain and repair the brakes, air-conditioning mechanisms, pumps and valves. These mechanics and technicians need to make sure they are replacing parts at regular intervals and maintaining a log for each piece of aircraft indicating its maintenance and repair history.

True or false?

1. Aircraft mechanics and service technicians provide safe flights with their thorough ground maintenance.

2. Ground crew doesn’t have to know more about new operational systems.

3. Airplanes are inspected by aircraft mechanics and service technicians in accordance with the season.

4. To maintain some instruments inside the cockpit is also their duty.

Part II

Mechanics often use tools within the airplane itself to find and diagnose problems. These tools can provide the mechanics with information about the essential functions of many of the different parts of the aircraft. Other aspects of maintaining and repairing the aircraft can be more involved. Maintaining and repairing an engine, for instance, can be a very time-consuming and grueling process. The mechanic must first be able to get to the engine, which usually involves using lifts, hoists, or ladders because of where it is located. The engine must be taken apart completely and then each part must be thoroughly checked for wear and cracks. Often imaging equipment using X-ray technology and other instruments calibrated to give precise measurements are used. Often the beginnings of engine wear are invisible to the naked eye, so aircraft mechanics and service technicians must know how to use imaging equipment to find the first signs of deterioration to evaluate whether the part needs to be replaced. They will also check for wear, defects, corrosion, and cracks in other parts of the airplane, including the tail, the fuselage or body of the craft, and the wings. They also may repair various surfaces of the aircraft, including those made of sheet metal, and will check to be sure the aircraft cables still have enough tension to operate properly. If they do not, it is the mechanic’s responsibility to replace them. Once they have examined and repaired all of the airplane’s parts, they also need to test each part for functionality.

Aircraft mechanics and service technicians can also become airframe mechanics, which provide maintenance and repairs for many parts of the plane, except for the controls, propellers, and power sources. Those who are licensed as power plant aircraft mechanics are skilled enough to fix the engines and, to an extent, the propellers. There are also aircraft mechanics and service technicians that are able to repair the airframe and work on the power sources.

Match the definitions with the bold-typed words in the Part II

Implements, rust, importance, competent, power supplies, failings, labor-intensive, to repair the engines, to assay, exact, for example, corruption

Part III

Aircraft mechanics and service technicians are sometimes needed to be on call in order to fix problems that occur during the pilot’s preflight check. If the pilot or co-pilot notices that something on the plane doesn’t work, such as the gauges or controls, a mechanic will need to be called in to fix these before the plane can safely take off. The mechanic will have to work quickly but also thoroughly to ensure the safety of the aircraft. Mechanics often specialize in different kinds of aircraft. There are aircraft mechanics and service technicians who specialize in repairing commercial jets, helicopters, and smaller planes powered by propellers.

Aircraft mechanics and service technicians are employed in aircraft hangars, in air fields, or at stations where aircraft repairs are done. They have a large responsibility not only to ensure the safety of the aircraft, but also to do so quickly in order to facilitate the maintenance of flight schedules. They must be strong enough to lift objects that can weigh more than 50 pounds. They are often required to work in unnatural positions or climb on top of ladders and scaffolding, which can be precarious. When they test the parts of the airplane, they usually have to protect their ears from the excessively loud noise to which they will be exposed. Airlines need mechanics to be available 24 hours a day, so aircraft mechanics and service technicians typically work in shifts, sometimes during evenings and weekends. They often work overtime as well.

The technology used to build aircraft is changing all of the time, and more aircraft are now built with high-tech capabilities. Because of this, mechanics need to be well-versed in computers and advanced electronic systems. They also must know a great deal about composite materials and turbine engines as well, because these components are used with increasing frequency in the construction of aircraft.

Aircraft mechanics and service technicians must know a great deal about physics, chemistry, mathematics, computer science and drafting. These academic disciplines provide aircraft mechanics students with the scientific grounding they will need to understand how the aircraft works, how repairs are made, and what repairs need to be made to keep the aircraft safe and functional. Mechanics also must be able to read and write English, update the maintenance log, and provide repair and maintenance reports to their supervisors or to pilots.

Beyond formal training, there are many qualifications that aircraft mechanics and service technicians must have. They must be ethical, self-motivated, reliable, and able to diagnose and fix complex mechanical or electrical problems. They also must be able and willing to climb ladders and stand on scaffolding. People who are afraid of heights are not suited to this position.

There are many opportunities for professional advancement in this field. Aircraft mechanics and service technicians are able to advance to many different positions, including inspectors, lead inspectors, supervisors, or crew leaders. Aircraft mechanics can progress more rapidly if they gain a certification to inspect aircraft. They also become owners of aircraft repair facilities, work in repair consulting, or help researchers and designers build better aircraft.

Answer the questions to the Part III:

1. Why do aircraft mechanics and service technicians are sometimes needed to be on call?

2. What academic disciplines are of great importance for future aircraft mechanics and service technicians?

3. Where aircraft mechanics and service technicians are usually employed in?

4. What character features are necessary for people of these professions?

5. Could you give examples of opportunities for professional advancement in this field?

 

Exercise 1. Match English words with their Russian equivalents:

1. professional advancement	1. Обновлять журнал техобслуживания
2. to facilitate the maintenance	2. История ремонта
3. to update the maintenance log	3. Первые признаки повреждения
4. enough tension	4. Тщательно проверены
5. Precarious ladders and scaffolding	5. Для облегчения обслуживания
6. work overtime	6. Достаточное натяжение
7. the first signs of deterioration	7. Профессиональный рост
8. thoroughly checked	8. Работать сверхурочно
9. lifts and hoists	9. Шаткие лестницы и строительные леса
10. repair history	10. Невооруженный взгляд
11. pumps and valves	11. Лифты и подъёмники
12. endanger the passengers and crew	12. Длительный и изнурительный процесс
13. sheet metal	13. Листовой металл
14. time-consuming and grueling process	14. Механические повреждения
15. naked eye	15. Насосы и клапана
16. mechanical failures	16. Подвергать опасности пассажиров и экипаж