Aircraft maintenance
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Aircraft maintenance is the technology related to the actions required to maintain (or improve) the airworthiness and the designed-in reliability of an aircraft and its systems, subsystems, and components throughout the life-cycle of the aircraft.
Among some of these are the following:
- Aircraft Structure
- Aircraft flight control systems
- Landing Gears
- Avionics systems
- Environmental Control System (Air-Conditioning & Pressurization)
- Passive anti-missile countermeasure system - Northrop Grumman Guardian (experimental)
- Emergency oxygen system
- Inerting system
- Ice protection system
- Aircraft Waste Disposal Systems - Aircraft lavatory, Blue ice (aircraft)
- Passenger Service Systems
- Aircraft Hydraulics
- Aircraft Pneumatics
- Engines (Powerplants) & their systems
- Electrical System & Instrument Systems
The maintenance (& maintenance management) actions include but are not limited to:
- Development of the aircraft maintenance program according to the aircraft/engine/component manufacturer
- Planning and monitoring of the implementation of the maintenance program
- Monitoring of the accomplishment of APPROVED repairs and changes (modifications)
- Monitoring/control/implementation of Airworthiness Directives issued by the aviation regulatory authorities for the specific type of aircraft
- Monitoring/control/implementation of Service Bulletins issued by the manufacturer of the specific type of aircraft/engine/component for its improvement
- Performance of any one or combination of overhaul, repair, inspection, replacement, modification or defect rectification of an aircraft or component in accordance with the aircraft maintenance program and/or the approved maintenance data
- Conducting required periodic inspections based on calendar time (e.g. annually/monthly/weekly/daily or every XX days), or flight time in service (e.g every 100 flight hours) , or flight/landing cycles.
- Provisioning, (proper) storage & control of spare components, parts, material, tools and equipment required for the maintenance
In the United States certified Aircraft Maintenance Technicians are tasked with maintaining the various systems designed to keep aircraft airworthy. The European equivalent are the EASA Part 66 maintenance engineers/technicians/mechanics license holders. At the end of any maintenance task (or any combination of such tasks) a company* authorized licensed engineer is signing the Certificate of Release to Service of the aircraft.
(*)Meaning Maintenance/Repair/Overhaul organization, the maintenance division of an operator, or an Approved Maintenance Organization (EASA Part 145, or EASA Part M - Subpart F) in Europe.
