Walked away from a 20 year DC-9 habit after a starter valve let go

I've been a DC-9 guy since I started out in 1998. Last month I was doing a starter valve R&R on an MD-80 variant and the old valve's housing cracked right in my hands during bench testing. That thing had been rebuilt three times according to the log. After that I looked at the new electric start systems on the newer jets and something clicked. They are simpler and have way fewer failure points. I told my lead I wanted to switch over to training on the A320 fleet starting next month. Has anyone else made a big jump like this after a long time on one airframe?

3 comments

3 Comments

hannah_perry25d ago

Honestly, @logan_young29 brings up a solid point about parts prices on the King Air, but nobody talks about how the DC-9's starter valve design actually makes you work harder than you need to. That housing cracking on me during bench testing reminded me that those old valves have this stupid internal bleed hole that clogs up over time and makes the whole thing act like a grenade. The A320's electric start system is almost boring by comparison, no pneumatics to chirp about, just a button and a spool. I think guys get attached to the DC-9 because of the noise and the feel, but that same feeling hides how many hours you waste fighting ancient hardware.

faith_king25d ago

Walked away from twin otters after twelve years for a King Air and never looked back.

logan_young2925d ago

What did the King Air do that the twin otter couldn't for you? I've heard the otter guys talk about how it's built like a truck, but the operating costs must be brutal after a while. Was it the speed, the cabin comfort, or just the sheer headache of keeping those PT6s running on an older airframe? I'm curious because the King Air crowd seems split between loving the simplicity and hating the parts prices these days.