aviation maintenance, inspections, modifications, and AOGs
Owning an airplane or working in an airline doesn’t demand mere attention to the operations. Instead, many other things play a significant role in running airplane operations successfully. Airplane maintenance is the most important thing that one should focus on. To make it a piece of cake, a checklist can work wonders. It will keep the crucial aspects of airplane maintenance at a manager’s fingertips. However, the airplane maintenance checklist should consist of the points mentioned below.
1. Yearly Inspection
The owners or managers must get their airplanes inspected by authorized and certified aircraft mechanics at least once a year. It would result in the detection of every major and minor fault and instability within the airplane. Moreover, the inspector might take off the seats and run a test flight to monitor the engine’s working quality. This way, a plan can be certified as safe for another year’s flights.
2. Oil Changing and Fuel Check
Like every other vehicle’s engine, a plane’s engine also demands attention. Engine oil changing is significant from time to time, depending on the manufacturer and model. Many airplanes require an engine’s oil change after every fifty hours while many can go more hours ahead. Thus, before the departure, the engine should be looked after along with checking the fuel to prevent any casualties afterward.
3. The Hundred-Hour Inspection
The Hundred-hour inspection doesn’t mean a requirement of 100 hours for inspection. Many airlines run their planes for commercial purposes. So, after every hundred hours of flights, an inspection takes place. It may take one or two days to detect any problems and sort out the overall maintenance as replacement of a faulty part can take place.
4. Check on The Fuselage
The fuselage is the main body of an airplane. It takes into account seat belts, doors, side windows, windscreen, heating, ventilation, air-conditioning, etc. Ensuring the smooth functioning of these things result in a secure environment for everyone on the plane including the passengers and crew members. Besides, any visible damage should be repaired.
5. Tail-Part Checkup
The Tail-Part of a plane plays an important role in landing. Thus, the maintenance of this part means looking after the landing gear. It isn’t mere gear but tires, shock struts, elastic shock absorbers, wheel bearings, and the lights inspection.
The worn-out tires should be replaced and damaged then repaired. Furthermore, the shock struts should be greased as it takes most of the impact of touching the surface and minimizes the vibration. For wheel bearings, cleaning, and lubrication work. The lights should be inspected to prevent incorrect wiring and broken bulbs for the dark hour flights.
Conclusion
Implementation of this checklist not only prevents casualties and results in safe flight operations. Yet, it also increases the lifespan of a plane. However, altering the damaged and broken parts and systems must be done as per the manufacturer’s advice. Also, along with the normal checklist, non-normal procedures viewed in case of emergency should be inspected. This way, the risk of primary failure will be minimized as well.