Basics Of Maintaining An Aircraft

Posted by Emily Ella on November 28th, 2015

Do you own a private aircraft? Whether you are an individual who owns an aircraft for luxury and passion or a company who owns an aircraft for commercial use, it is essential to ensure that you need to invest in maintaining your aircraft from time to time if you want to use it when you need it. An airplane is a complicated vehicle and you need professional assistance to make sure it is serviced thoroughly to ensure that all the parts of the aircraft are in the perfect condition and the aircraft is operated.

Maintaining the airframe: The airframe is the basic mechanical structure of the aircraft and composed of the basic parts such as wings, undercarriage and fuselage. Thus, these parts are focused in airframe maintenance and it doesn’t deal with the propulsion system or the engine of the aircraft. In airframe work, various aspects such as preventing and controlling corrosion, aircraft paint, landing gear, winglets, etc., are inspected and replaced if necessary. On this kind of maintenance, letter checks are also taken care off. During these checks the aircraft is inspected thoroughly once it crosses a specific number of miles. This comprises of cosmetic A and B checks, then an intensive C check where components are checked and finally D check where the craft is reassembled. A and B checks are supposed to be done regularly. C and D checks are done only once in a few hours and needs a lot of man hours too.

Maintenance of APU and Engine: One of the most essential parts of Worldwide Aircraft Maintenance is check-ups of engines. You need to make sure that you have a mechanic who specializes in the engine type of your aircraft. Some essential aspects of engine maintenance are a comprehensive testing of engine, troubleshooting, removing and reinstalling. In the same way, the aircraft’s auxiliary power unit (APU) should be checked and maintained regularly too. The APU gives power to the aircraft for several functions apart from propulsion. Just like the engine, the mechanic servicing your aircraft must have expertise in fixing the APU of the specific model and make that you have.

Cleaning and Replacement of Components: There are several other components of the aircraft that must be checked and repaired if it is necessary. In full-scale checks, the components are removed and cleaned. Then anti-corrosion compounds are applied and the lubrication of various parts is done. If there are any damaged parts, they are replaced. The technician also runs various tests on the pneumatic system and hydraulic system of the aircraft to ensure that they are running smoothly.

Avionics Testing: Avionics is the electronic systems of the aircraft that are necessary for the performance of the aircraft. In avionics testing all the navigation and communication equipment is tested, including the radar, GPS, computer systems and radio communications. These instruments are usually rewired and a replacement is done wherever necessary. This job should only be done by a mechanic who has the knowledge about electrical engineering.

As you are now aware that aircraft maintenance is an extensive process. So if you are jet owner, it would be essential for you to understand these basics, so you can make sure that your aircraft is in the best condition and its performance is good too. Aircraft Maintenance Directory