L-3 Employee Reviews for Avionics Technician

"This company goes out of it's way to save a penny, and it shows."

What do you like about working at L-3?

"The customer is very important and get to work with some cool stuff."

Do you have any tips for others interviewing with this company?

"Explore other options if at all possible. Be prepared for a company that takes advantage of it's employees."

What don't you like about working at L-3?

"Bad benefits, bad management, and you always have to watch your back."

What suggestions do you have for management?

"Let people do their jobs. Don't micro-manage so much and improve the benefits which are some of the worst in the industry."

"Inexperienced manual laborers attempting to manage complex, technical situations"

What do you like about working at L-3?

"The compensation was fitting for the occupation."

Do you have any tips for others interviewing with this company?

"Well, if you can somehow turn a blind eye to the people who are supervising you (whom were all hired around the same time about 2 years ago from VERY large corporations such as McDonald's and Andy's Used Car Sales' and no, this is not an exaggeration, these are REAL examples of 2 supervisors involved in my daily activities as I TRY to accomplish what is known as avionics while they grunt and spit at each other.) Then you'll do great! The pay is good, you can have PLENTY of overtime (see also: Mandatory 60 and sometimes 70 hour workweeks, no days off.) and you like people with no experience telling you what you've accomplished is incorrect when the Technical Data states clearly (in English) that what you've done IS IN FACT, CORRECT... Then by all means, go interview! Dress casual, don't bother bringing any certifications you've earned other than an A&P if you have one, oh, and if you're a smoker, don't have tobacco products in your car (Yes, they FIRE you, and I've seen it done, for having tobacco products in your own vehicle.) I'm no advocate of Lung Cancer, but I AM a Veteran, and like to see Americans actually HAVE freedoms. I like to believe I've helped out on that for us all in a small way. And may whoever your supreme being of choice is, help you if you've actually read this whole thing without laughing. ;-) Seriously, it's not a good place to be, but a nice place to make a buck if you can tune out the big game of Who's Dumber than me that is known as management. Or if by chance you're going to be at another L3 location (NOT Greenville, TX) Then you may have a better experience. I also know the average timespan an avionics person stays at L3 Greenville is less than 2 years. When the recent group (over 50 avionics techs that actually HAVE experience) came to L3's HireFest 2009 (Which all but 2 were hired because anything is better than nothing) The force in my hangar was at less than 1/4 of what it is currently."

What don't you like about working at L-3?

"Just about everything else, really. Management makes knee-jerk (aka shotgun) decisions, rarely consulting Technical Data which has been mandatory for years due to the nature of the DoD contract they are working within. The facility is accustomed to supervising inexperienced personnel with no formal aviation training, giving the workplace a very manual labor feel, which avionics is far from. Management also sets goals that are physically impossible i.e. Budgeting 330 hours work of work left on 1 job (of about 26 left on a certain aircraft), while stating the part needed to install would not be attainable for 3 weeks due to budget issues, then claiming the aircraft should be completely finished in 3 days if everybody works hard. No, not only can you ask your people to Work Harder when they are on mandatory 60 hour work week, you also cannot do 8 days worth of work in 3. Sure, maybe you can cut a corner here and there if you're careful and your people are experienced, but we're talking over 50% reduction in time/funds budgeted for maintenance. In a project that L3 has been involved with for well over a decade now, you would assume they would be more accustomed to the process than making such ridiculous statements. Then, of course, who to blame other than the technicians, right It's the technicians' fault for not performing maintenance at over 2x the speed that it's ever been accomplished at that facility."

What suggestions do you have for management?

"I feel that people in management positions should have achieved a mastery of basic algebra at that point in their careers, which they apparently have not. (750 hrs of routine jobs + 330 hrs for a major repair = 1080 hours needed to complete said work for a crew of 13. 1080/13 =83.1 (rounded up) hours of maintenance if all 13 members of said crew are at work, on aircraft at all times. On 10 hour shifts, which is what is standard for them, you can expect the work to be completed in just a bit over 8 working days (two weeks if we were on 40 hr weeks... Good thing we're on mandatory 60hr weeks though!)So to then make claims that the aircraft will be done in 3 days shows everyone involved that you lack basic mathematics skills, and I personally do not wish to work beneath someone at an elementary mathematics level. While I am no Calculus wizard, nor have I ever claimed to be, I do understand that 8 is not 3. Although I was looked at as lacking professional attitude when I SINGLE-HANDEDLY solved this exact issue for management, making their impossible forecast possible: Print in Landscape mode, and every time the 8 comes, just unplug the printer after it's printed only half of the 8... Then it actually does equal 3."