I'm going to share a rant with the hope that someone with enough time and experience in this country might be able to give me some advice on how to deal with a delicate situation.
I'm an aircraft technician and over that last couple of months I've been involved in a project to completely refurbish a private aircraft. I'm now at the finishing stages and today I finally received the pieces of interior trim and seats to complete the interior.
In order to bring all these pieces airside to the airport apron where the plane is parked, I had to jump through all sorts of hoops just to get the permission to take them through. I had already thought about that and I had all my documents in order. A letter from CESAC, the airport security chief, a letter from customs and the approval from the DNCD, department of drug control.
When I presented the letters to the security staff at the airport gate, the CESAC guys radioed ahead for their supervisor. The supervisor comes to the gate and I ask if I can pass the items through the X ray machine. He agrees, but says that I can't take them onto the ramp until the security chief (Sierra Uno) says so. But he's in Santo Domingo and not answering his phone!
Eventually he is contacted and he requests for photos of the letters to be sent to his whatsapp. Eventually he gives the green light and says as soon as the drugs dogs have been through everything then I can take them onto the ramp.
Hooray I shout to myself. This process of waiting has taken at least an hour and a half.
So I take the parts to the plane and get to work. A few moments later, a CESAC guard comes up to me and tells that I am not permitted to work on the plane. When I ask why, he just said that it was an order from Sierra Uno. I was permitted to take the parts onto the ramp, but not permitted to work on it.
I then showed him my airport pass, which allows me access to the whole airport. He acknowledged that, but said that it was a direct order from his boss and would not give me any other reason. He then said that mechanics cannot work on airplanes at night. I point out two glaringly obvious facts. The first one was the big yellow ball of fire still in the sky as it was by then 7pm. And the other fact that what happens when one of my regular airliners that come from Europe, US or Canada happen to arrive at night and need a technician?
I'm sure many of you who drive here have experienced the frustrating event whilst negotiating your vehicle into a nice parking spot and some half-witted illiterate idiot with a shotgun comes up to you once you have exited your vehicle and locked it, then says ,"you can't park here".
Now imagine how it feels like when someone of similar character tells you you cannot do the job you are trained and qualified to do.
I've been in aviation for many many years. Every day I see my civil liberties whittled away from me. I am treated like a potential criminal, drug smuggler, terrorist every time to go to work. But I've never been forbidden to do my job until today. This Sierra Uno has taken a step too far in my opinion. I want to hold him accountable for his actions with this order he made today, but I don't know to handle it. I don't find it acceptable that I should be beholden to the whim of a glorified guachiman, who decided to make up a new rule there and then, on the spot.
Do I let it slide and hope that he is in a better mood next time I go to work, or do I challenge him and find out why he stopped me working? I've been at this airport for over ten years. I know all the rules and I get emails when new or temporary rules and restrictions are made. I know almost all of the staff, although it's difficult to build relationships with the CESAC staff as they are a branch of the military and get posted around the country at very regular intervals.
Or do I make waves? After all he did stop me working, which is my only livelihood here. But he is a colonel.
I'm an aircraft technician and over that last couple of months I've been involved in a project to completely refurbish a private aircraft. I'm now at the finishing stages and today I finally received the pieces of interior trim and seats to complete the interior.
In order to bring all these pieces airside to the airport apron where the plane is parked, I had to jump through all sorts of hoops just to get the permission to take them through. I had already thought about that and I had all my documents in order. A letter from CESAC, the airport security chief, a letter from customs and the approval from the DNCD, department of drug control.
When I presented the letters to the security staff at the airport gate, the CESAC guys radioed ahead for their supervisor. The supervisor comes to the gate and I ask if I can pass the items through the X ray machine. He agrees, but says that I can't take them onto the ramp until the security chief (Sierra Uno) says so. But he's in Santo Domingo and not answering his phone!
Eventually he is contacted and he requests for photos of the letters to be sent to his whatsapp. Eventually he gives the green light and says as soon as the drugs dogs have been through everything then I can take them onto the ramp.
Hooray I shout to myself. This process of waiting has taken at least an hour and a half.
So I take the parts to the plane and get to work. A few moments later, a CESAC guard comes up to me and tells that I am not permitted to work on the plane. When I ask why, he just said that it was an order from Sierra Uno. I was permitted to take the parts onto the ramp, but not permitted to work on it.
I then showed him my airport pass, which allows me access to the whole airport. He acknowledged that, but said that it was a direct order from his boss and would not give me any other reason. He then said that mechanics cannot work on airplanes at night. I point out two glaringly obvious facts. The first one was the big yellow ball of fire still in the sky as it was by then 7pm. And the other fact that what happens when one of my regular airliners that come from Europe, US or Canada happen to arrive at night and need a technician?
I'm sure many of you who drive here have experienced the frustrating event whilst negotiating your vehicle into a nice parking spot and some half-witted illiterate idiot with a shotgun comes up to you once you have exited your vehicle and locked it, then says ,"you can't park here".
Now imagine how it feels like when someone of similar character tells you you cannot do the job you are trained and qualified to do.
I've been in aviation for many many years. Every day I see my civil liberties whittled away from me. I am treated like a potential criminal, drug smuggler, terrorist every time to go to work. But I've never been forbidden to do my job until today. This Sierra Uno has taken a step too far in my opinion. I want to hold him accountable for his actions with this order he made today, but I don't know to handle it. I don't find it acceptable that I should be beholden to the whim of a glorified guachiman, who decided to make up a new rule there and then, on the spot.
Do I let it slide and hope that he is in a better mood next time I go to work, or do I challenge him and find out why he stopped me working? I've been at this airport for over ten years. I know all the rules and I get emails when new or temporary rules and restrictions are made. I know almost all of the staff, although it's difficult to build relationships with the CESAC staff as they are a branch of the military and get posted around the country at very regular intervals.
Or do I make waves? After all he did stop me working, which is my only livelihood here. But he is a colonel.