The One Stop Shop DARA

[MrMasher]

Have a little look here
Pick out your aircraft type and have a read through the info laid out and then get back to the thread and post any comments you like!

ME? I'd like to say you lying feckers! Give the job back to the airforce. At least that way we'd do it properly instead of having to recover it after they have supposedly serviced it!
I've seen 4 aircraft from our side the helichopper line and all of em have had problems, 3 of them having high vibes. 2 head changes, 2 gearbox changes, an engine change, drive shaft changes. All on aircraft that have just come from servicing at DARA.
Its cost cutting by swapping around budgets and its wrong. The product is far inferior to what used to be produced in less time by the RAF. It also heavily impacts 1st line aircraft availability.
Rubbish!

Anyone else with any views on their product from DARA?

 

[I Look Like Kevin Costner]

DARA, Ha, Ha, Ha

DARA, Ha, Ha, Ha

Couldn't agree more...

Jaguars from DARA really did need an acceptance check!!DT_Xtremez_09:

We found 4 months ago that a RTI that was to be done at Primary Star( DARA were doing them) hadn't...... Guess who picked it up???DT_Xtremez_32:

 

[MrMasher]

It doesn't suprise me at all.
Admittedly they do know how to clean and polish an aircraft up, but it would appear that whoever wrote the contract (officer? see the thread posted with regards to officer/airmen ratio's) didnt really know what was done in the airforce sheds before DARA and doesnt know what we receive these days and how many man hours are wasted and cash spent on spares putting things right. I am sure their servicing packages read as follows:
1.a. Inspect for corrosion.
1.b. If corrosion is evident, blend a bit out and then raise an ADF.
2.a. Polish aircraft so it looks like a good job has been done.
3.a. If components are nearing the end of their life keep them fitted to the aircraft. More components = more cost.
4.a. During flight test if vibration figures are found to be high make small inconsequential adjustments until they are just in and then boot the aircraft out the front door.

And so on....................

 

[Scaley brat]

Okay, this is going to hurt me more than you fcukers will ever know but.....
Would you expect Bae to carry out the major, clear the reds and greens, fix all arising faults for one specific price ?
Would you expect Boeing to carry out the major, clear the reds and greens, fix all arising faults for one specific price ?
Would you expect Westlands to carry out the major, clear the reds and greens, fix all arising faults for one specific price ?

No, you wouldn't. Why ? Because they are civilian companies and they do a set amount of work for a set price. DARA are exactly the same. They are NOT M.O.D. they are no longer N.A.R.O. they work to a set price to set job. Get over it. As long as we continue to extend the fcuk out of everything and hand them a bag of sh1t, we are going to get a bag of sh1t back. Every Aircraft is different, it has different arising faults it would be almost impossible to put a price on it. Your expectations of DARA is unreasonable.

However, keep a mix of M.O.D. and RAF fitters working on the aircraft doing a proper Major and at least we fix our own problems and get the Aircraft we want and our crews will be safe in !.

Now if you can just sell that to the ****** from the treasury who is footing the bill.....

 

[MrMasher]

Okay, this is going to hurt me more than you fcukers will ever know but.....
Would you expect Bae to carry out the major, clear the reds and greens, fix all arising faults for one specific price ?
Would you expect Boeing to carry out the major, clear the reds and greens, fix all arising faults for one specific price ?
Would you expect Westlands to carry out the major, clear the reds and greens, fix all arising faults for one specific price ?

No, you wouldn't. Why ? Because they are civilian companies and they do a set amount of work for a set price. DARA are exactly the same. They are NOT M.O.D. they are no longer N.A.R.O. they work to a set price to set job. Get over it. As long as we continue to extend the fcuk out of everything and hand them a bag of sh1t, we are going to get a bag of sh1t back. Every Aircraft is different, it has different arising faults it would be almost impossible to put a price on it. Your expectations of DARA is unreasonable.

However, keep a mix of M.O.D. and RAF fitters working on the aircraft doing a proper Major and at least we fix our own problems and get the Aircraft we want and our crews will be safe in !.

Now if you can just sell that to the ****** from the treasury who is footing the bill.....

Kind of part of my point

but it would appear that whoever wrote the contract (officer? see the thread posted with regards to officer/airmen ratio's) didnt really know what was done in the airforce sheds before DARA and doesnt know what we receive these days and how many man hours are wasted and cash spent on spares putting things right

I believe you used to work for DARA didnt you SB?
I'm not bitching at the workers, some of em used to be here!. I'm moaning about the way we are being fcuked over by this type of servicing. You wouldnt believe how much work has evolved from this.
For example we couldnt send a stripped out aircraft to DARA. It had a cat3 repair being done to it and we had to rebuild it and flight test it etc. We could have done a minor on it whilst it was in bits (we did most of it to be honest)but thats what we pay DARA for. DARA's contract apparently states they only accept em if they fly in.
Oh and they're all late out of servicing too!DT_Xtremez_30:

 

[Disillusioned]

I know what you're talking about Mr M and in our case it has little to do with cost cutting and more to do with vote winning. It was proven that St M were doing a better job at a lower cost but the government had to give dara one contract after taking away another. Can't have the governemetn making all those civvies out of work they can only do that to the forces.

The other part of the contract was that it free'd up more blue suits for TB's "Peace Keeping" missions.

 

[Scaley brat]

Kind of part of my point

I believe you used to work for DARA didnt you SB?
I'm not bitching at the workers, some of em used to be here!. I'm moaning about the way we are being fcuked over by this type of servicing. You wouldnt believe how much work has evolved from this.
For example we couldnt send a stripped out aircraft to DARA. It had a cat3 repair being done to it and we had to rebuild it and flight test it etc. We could have done a minor on it whilst it was in bits (we did most of it to be honest)but thats what we pay DARA for. DARA's contract apparently states they only accept em if they fly in.
Oh and they're all late out of servicing too!DT_Xtremez_30:

I did indeed, I left because I felt I was having to compromise my principles. If I find damage I fix it, I was 4th line. Last bastion before the OEM. We weren't allowed to do that. Every nut not in the contract has to be negotiated BEFORE it's touched. MrM your preaching to the Choir here mate. DARA management don't want our Aircraft any more than the Air Force want them servicing them. DARA want the big money and reliability of civilian fleets in on time and date, out on time and date. I think we should let them go that way. When they sink have the fitters back and let the managment go !

 

[Wonky Tonka]

This is in reference to their Avionics division:


2nd & 3rd Line support at Station level has all but gone now and what is left is little more than glorified "filter benches".

Thanks to their "contracts", DARA have managed to wangle it so that they have to produce a quota of serviceable LRU's each month.

Now that doesn't seem like a bad thing, but when we are trying to modify a fleet of 140+ aircraft, and they are only producing 2.5 items a month.........



How the fook can you produce 0.5 serviceable items?????


Get the RAF back in there. Sharpish!.

 

[monobrow]

2nd & 3rd Line support at Station level has all but gone now and what is left is little more than glorified "filter benches"

The quality of LEAN eh?!?!

Well they have done the research behind it and think this is a cost effective way of doing things. So much so, that I have heard on the grapevine that BAE get fined every time a 'D' state goes in. If they can't provide the spares, they're not for filling their part of the bargain!

 

[The Panther]

Doesn't Actually Repair Anything or DARA as you may know it.

There not all bad, the DARA bays at Odium are the best thing to come out of TLCS, so we are told. These bays are DARA. Oh hang on a minute I forgot, there run by us blue suits. Thats why it works then and we have such a high output level.DT_Xtremez_17:

 

[atech?]

spares problem we don't have a spares problem.
http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=1279297509

 

[Pistonbroke]

No, but you may have one when certain people see this. Bearing in mind what this thread is about, it was a pretty dumba*se thing to do.

 

[monobrow]

spares problem we don't have a spares problem.
http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=1279297509

Nice one chimp.....

Quote from the vid description.....

Description: This is what happens when highly skilled men have a few mins to spare and we feel the need to break stuff, stuff that is not ours

And people wonder why jets from DARA are usually a bag of ***king nails. What was wrong with towing the jet backwards so it went past with no problem??

Whilst it might have been funny, those things carry our troops to and from places that chimp would never imagine going to.

::/: DT_Xtremez_32: DT_Xtremez_25: ::/: DT_Xtremez_32: DT_Xtremez_25:

Thanks for posting PistonBroke, must have missed this when it was posted

 

[Wonky Tonka]

F***ing eejits!!


Imagine what would happen if we did that?

Christ!!

Just goes to prove that your aircraft was serviced by the lowest bidder!!


CivAir into theatre anyone??

 

[Pistonbroke]

Just to put it right, though. They were scrap aircraft. The space that 3 aircraft had to go was very limited and RSS had to have room to move whilst the legs were removed.

 

[Prudhoe]

TLCS contracts mean that DARA get paid to fulfil a quota of available frames to the operators. Not for doing a Minor in 45 days or turning out zero fault cabs. We accept them back below the standard set in the contract because we are desperate for ac and our management seem to reckon that we can sort a bag of nails quicker than our blue boiler suited chums. At least it shows they believe in us.

 

[MrMasher]

TLCS contracts mean that DARA get paid to fulfil a quota of available frames to the operators. Not for doing a Minor in 45 days or turning out zero fault cabs. We accept them back below the standard set in the contract because we are desperate for ac and our management seem to reckon that we can sort a bag of nails quicker than our blue boiler suited chums. At least it shows they believe in us.

In our case they should have fought harder for our 2nd line shed.
They were in much better condition coming out of servicing and could be used straight away without having sh1tloads of "teething" problems like we have now.
In the long run it has to be more cost effective to go back to RAF servicing hangars.
I mean, how much does it cost us now to pay DARA for servicing, Westlands/SKIOS for spares which usually get couriered from Fleetlands (DARA) and then the cost of sorting out these so called serviced cabs!
It's utterly mind boggling that politics can play such a part in our day to day defence issues instead of common sense prevailing........................

 

[goldenballs mkII]

However, keep a mix of M.O.D. and RAF fitters working on the aircraft doing a proper Major and at least we fix our own problems and get the Aircraft we want and our crews will be safe in !.

I agree with your post in the main SB, but I don't subscribe to this 'mix' theory that is all the rage now............
I work as a blue suit in a RAF/Bae/contractor mix, and it seems pointless. Our purpose it would seem is to save Bae money at every opportunity, despite the fact we would love to produce a quality product for our friends/colleagues who will be accepting it out on the sqn in $hittier enviroments than ours, we are blocked at every turn.......manpower,spares,managerial support...................................... it has left me feeling betrayed - I didn't join the RAF to be farmed out to work for a business in the name of the 'mix' DT_Xtremez_08:

 

[Scaley brat]

I agree with your post in the main SB, but I don't subscribe to this 'mix' theory that is all the rage now............
I work as a blue suit in a RAF/Bae/contractor mix, and it seems pointless.

I didn't mean contractors, I meant MOD. When you had a civilian MOD mix with service, you had a 40% manpower pase that didn't get posted or detached. Therefore you suffered little skill fade. Skills earned at Saints were often learned from guys who had worked there for 30 years or more, often on the same A/C type. Contractor companies are in it for "the slice of the pie" and that is all they care about.

 

[atech?]

the video that i posted the link for was at saints, i don't work there but at the other big plane base. the plane being towed is scrap but thats still no excuse.
if you look at the original link it shows that the vc10 major used to take 195 days and now takes only 90 days,, lean isn't that good.
we are quite used to repairing the cokk ups that come back with the aircraft.