Kim Keller used to prep Shuttles for launch. He told me a long time ago that they were difficult to service. It seems that wasn't a priority when they designed the Shuttles. The engineers were apparently more interested in squeezing out that last little bit of performance than in making a vehicle that could be maintained. Kind of funny when you remember the NASA promise of a 2-week turnaround between missions.

That kind of thing is unfortunately all too common. I used to know a mechanic on F-4 Phantom II fighters. He told me that the thing was a bear to service. To remove a panel, he had to take out hundreds of screws. The left and right engines weren't interchangeable. The systems weren't designed for ease of maintenance.

Another aircraft mechanic told me that one of the first things they had to do when they received a new C-130 was take a hammer and chisel and cut a hole in the wing. It seems there's a part in the wing that requires service but no access panel. The mechanics had to make their own. Fortunately, easier maintenance is being factored into more modern planes. Still, there are a lot of light planes out there that require you to remove the spinner and propellor before you can remove the lower engine cowling. Mechanics charge by the hour, and they aren't cheap.

The problem isn't limited to aerospace vehicles by any stretch of the imagination. Back in the 1970s, Chevy used to make a car called the Monza. They decided to shoehorn a V-8 engine into it. Unfortunately, in order to change the rear two plugs, mechanics had to disconnect the rear engine mounts and jack up the engine. My oldest brother is a mechanic. According to him, that was by no means the worst thing he'd seen.

My brother and I both believe that before any engineer is allowed to design anything, they should have to spend at least a year working to service whatever it is they'll eventually be designing (cars, planes, boats, whatever). Maybe then they wouldn't design the damned things so that they can't be repaired. Well, I can dream, can't I?