Aircraft Maintenance Planning Procedures Research Paper

Aircraft Maintenance Planning Procedures - Research Paper Example It also contains maintenance control and Flight Crew advisory information that is used during routine operations between schedule maintenance to main base. Purpose of a technical log is for recording malfunctions and defects discovered during operations and for recording details of maintenance and information relevant to flight safety (Phil, 120) The technical log can only be certified by Civil Aviation Authority. b. Data recording Flight data recorder (FDR) maintenance is found fitted in the aircraft. This is for purposes of investigating an accident as a priority amongst other measures. Aircraft operators use the FDR for quantifying maintenance action that is needed. This is by confirming reported operation of the aircraft and its systems. The FDR performs function checks, operation checks, reasonableness, quality, drop out, data download, data conversions, parameters, simulations, analogue and digital data, engineering units, and stimulation. All these are necessary for an airwort hy aircraft. It is highly recommended for all aircraft data to be recorded electronically. They should be recorded on a daily basis to ensure aircraft airworthiness. These records are then kept as part of maintenance records for a particular aircraft. An automatic generation of records has been adopted in aircrafts (Thomas, 7). c. Maintenance schedule This contains details of what is required for maintenance of an aircraft and when it should be done. The maintenance schedule is created by the publisher i.e. the Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) or the Type Certificate Holder of the Aircraft. The CAA has to approve the product once the Aircraft Engineers have done a thorough checkup of the product airworthiness (Dinesh, 201). The maintenance checks involved here are airframe, engine, propeller and other equipment check. The maintenance manual is kept in the aircraft pertaining each equipment and parts of the aircraft. Under CAP 411, an aircraft should not exceed 2730kg for light aircrafts under the Light Aircraft Maintenance Schedule (LAMS). A maintenance schedule is compiled by first reviewing the manuals prepared by the OEM. Intervals are usually analysed based on the flying hours, flight cycles or the calendar time. A combination of these factors can also be used. The tasks are usually combined depending on the approved intervals. In order to compile work packages, tasks can be done earlier that recommended; this is a general rule which is often used. The CAA can however, allow for a later date, if such an agreement is reached or in exceptional cases. It is important to note that tasks which have more than one frequency should be given preference to govern what occurs first. The frequency is however, affected by the aircraft intended operations. TCH provides maintenance planning documents for tasks to be undertaken in large aircrafts. Aircrafts typical flight profile should be matched with the aircraft type. For example; two flying hours to each flight c ycle, seven flying hours to each flight cycle and so on. We can deduce that maintenance for the first aircraft is maintained more often than the second aircraft in our example. Schedules should thus be developed for the particular type of operation. Also considerations for maintenance frequency are made in regards to area of