No one ever wants to even imagine the consequences of an aircraft malfunctioning during a flight. An in-flight breakdown can cause several casualties, and the owner can lose millions of dollars monetarily. This is why aviation has a complex system of airworthiness and maintenance. Technical operation is a large yet inconspicuous field of work that is divided into technical maintenance and maintenance airworthiness.
These two are not the same as many people perceive them to be; in fact, they are different from normal aircraft maintenance too. The technical worthiness of aircraft maintenance is explained in the following blog, along with its importance.
Also Read: The Advantages Of Preventative Aircraft Maintenance
What Is Aircraft Maintenance And What Is Its Purpose?
The continuous airworthiness maintenance organization is often a separate department in commercial airlines, while personal craft owners are required to maintain it using a trusted and certified aircraft maintenance company.
Each craft has a kind of passport - a unique ID or certificate of airworthiness. The mission of the operator is to maintain this certificate of worthiness. The owner of the personal aircraft and the airline owner are responsible for ensuring that the operator retains the plane's airworthiness.
The activities involved in airworthiness maintenance include;
- Maintenance planning in accordance with the program
- Implementation of airworthiness rules and regulations from aviation authorities and manufacturers' bulletins.
- Keep track of engine operation time and strength of components like engine mounts, propellers, and airplane exhaust.
- Decode flight information
- Perform and record accounting for various damages
Who Performs Aircraft Maintenance?
The maintenance can be done either by the division of the airline, or it can be an independent maintenance organization, generally known as an MRO (maintenance, repair, and overhaul). The work is completed on the aircraft directly. Then issues the certificate of release, which means the craft's airworthiness was met completely.
Normally the responsible personnel for this task include;
- Aircraft maintenance engineers (AME), also known as licensed aircraft maintenance engineer (LAME).
- AMM (aircraft maintenance mechanic)
- AMT(aircraft maintenance technician)
How Aircraft Maintenance Improves Flight Security
Maintenance is inherently preventive in nature. From the time when the aircraft was released and during operation, the degradation of the components takes place continuously. Maintenance, in simple words, means reversing the impact of these degradations and eliminating them before they make problems in flight operations.
Technical aircraft preventive maintenance includes damage tolerance and several other procedures requiring different suppliers.
If you avoid maintaining it, then the component will need a complete replacement that will be very expensive as compared to repair. The simplest example one can give to understand this is the aircraft’s wheels. If you notice within a month that your aircraft’s wheels have worn out, you can get them taken off of the aircraft and sent to the repair center, weld the rubber and get them attached again. You can fly with worn wheels for a long time, but then they will not be able to get repaired. You will be left with only one option, which is a replacement which is far more expensive as compared to factory welding and repairs.
Various units need regular maintenance and replacements at a particular frequency, normally known as condition-based operations. This is divided into two categories.
- Operation by condition
- Operation by failure
Operation By Condition - certain parameters of the airplanes parts are monitored and measured. When the parameters go under a specific limit, they are changed. This control can be done by testing or a built-in monitoring system.
Operation By Failure - this is mainly related to electronic equipment. Modern electronics have systems that can monitor the condition on their own and send a message when the component fails. The operator notes the signals and sends the plane to a repair shop.
About Acorn Welding
Acorn Welding is one of the leading names in the aviation welding industry. We are your one-stop shop for high-quality aviation exhaust and engine mounts. We are Canada's largest aircraft exhaust and engine mount repair company, as well as the world's largest radial and vintage aircraft exhaust repair company, we serve clients all over the world. Learn more about Acorn Welding here.
For industry-standard aviation welding and high-quality aircraft parts, contact us today.
