Aviation Maintenance Aviation Maintenance ManagementManagement

Aviation Maintenance Aviation Maintenance ManagementManagement

Introduction

IntroductionIntroductionIntroductionIntroduction The Flight Line is a business Approx 1 billion will travel by end of decade Commerce, mail, defense and logistics by air 20% of every revenue dollar is maintenance Early days one person knew all systems Today systems very complex and interdependent Competing priorities and dwindling resources

require expert management

Aviation Maintenance ManagementAviation Maintenance ManagementAviation Maintenance ManagementAviation Maintenance Management

Early Days of Aviation Promotion of Flying Early Evolution of Aircraft Maintenance Technical Management Aviation Industry Interaction Layout of Book Summary

IntroductionIntroductionIntroductionIntroduction

Aviation in the Beginning Today’s aircraft cargo holds are longer & sit

higher than the Wright Brother’s first flight Flight – 120 ft in 12 sec with an altitude of

10ft 747 freighter – 150 ft inside & sits16 ft off the

deck

IntroductionIntroductionIntroductionIntroduction

Safest Mode of travel Walking is far more dangerous than flying or

driving, per mile traveled: 0.16 deaths per 100,000,000 miles aboard an airplane. 1.4 deaths per 100,000,000 miles in a car. Almost 50 deaths per 100,000,000 miles walked.

Which type of flying is safer?Which type of flying is safer?

Type of Flight Fatalities per million flight

hours

Airliner (Scheduled and nonscheduled Part 121) 4.03

Commuter Airline (Scheduled Part 135) 10.74

Commuter Plane (Nonscheduled Part 135 - Air taxi on demand) 12.24

General Aviation (Private Part 91) 22.43

Sources: NTSB Accidents and Accident Rates by NTSB Classification 1998-2007

Odds of being involved in a fatal accident

Odds of being involved in a fatal accident

Odds of being on an airline flight which results in at least

one fatality

Odds of being killed on a single airline flight

Top 25 airlines with the best accident rates  1 in 5.4 million 

Top 25 airlines with the best accident rates  1 in 9.2 million 

Accidents and Fatalities by Phase of Flight

Accidents and Fatalities by Phase of Flight

Early days of AviationEarly days of AviationEarly days of AviationEarly days of Aviation “If God had meant for man to fly He would have given

us wings.” Many early pioneers:

Octave Chanute, Otto Lilienthal, Samuel P. Langley, Glenn Curtiss & Orville & Wilbur Wright

Most intriguing problem was finding a power plant that provided the sufficient power-to-weight ratio for flight

Wright Brothers (recognized as first) both engineers & mechanics Made 4 flights (Dec. 17, 1903,, Kitty Hawk, NC) 4th was 59

sec. for over 852 feet. Designed own engine, propeller, & aerodynamic tables First maintainers – they melted cement to repair nut holding

the propeller shaft sprockets in place

Promotion of FlightPromotion of FlightPromotion of FlightPromotion of Flight

First airline in US carried passengers from St. Petersburg to Tampa (Jan – Mar 1914)

Carried only 1 passenger at a time

Promotion of FlightPromotion of FlightPromotion of FlightPromotion of Flight After WWI, airmail service began – if room, a

passenger may sit upon the mail US Gov’t encouraged operators to use bigger planes &

carry more passengers so they wouldn’t have to rely on mail contracts to stay in business

Early days – no navigational aids (only roads, railways), could not fly at night unless bonfires lit along the route

By 1929, 10,000 miles of lighted airways, 275 lighted airports, 1352 navigational beacons

Promotion of FlightPromotion of FlightPromotion of FlightPromotion of Flight

1927 – 18,679 flew; 1931 – 385,000 flew After WWII, US fostered the jet age Aircraft became bigger and flew “higher,

faster, and farther” Nav aids both on ground and in the aircraft

and satellites revolutionized the industry Drastic improvements in aircraft and

engine technology Aviation has come of age

People can fly in comfort and safety

Early Aviation MaintenanceEarly Aviation MaintenanceEarly Aviation MaintenanceEarly Aviation Maintenance No such thing as scheduled maintenance

Spark plug cleaning and occasional oil change WWI French pilot cut engines to allow him to sweep down

and drop bombs Couldn’t restart because he failed to “burn” the oil off the spark plugs

by blipping his ignition switch – forced to land he was captured The “standard” practice was to land, remove, and clean plugs

Early Aviation MaintenanceEarly Aviation MaintenanceEarly Aviation MaintenanceEarly Aviation Maintenance Wright Brothers favored simple skid landings over

wheeled gear (gain in power-to-weight ratio) Resulted in structural damage (On Condition)

Never performed preflight or post flight tasks Simple look to see any hanging or items missing No inspections of the structural elements (dry rot, cracking, corrosion) Repair or replace as required

Instrumentation was simple – no inspections

Early Aviation MaintenanceEarly Aviation MaintenanceEarly Aviation MaintenanceEarly Aviation Maintenance

Modern Approach is more sophisticated

Aircraft are designed for: Safety Airworthiness Maintainability

Detailed Maintenance program is developed with every new model aircraft or derivative

Technical ManagementTechnical ManagementTechnical ManagementTechnical Management Several Disciplines to properly conduct

maintenance at an airline: Maintenance

Hands-on, “nuts and bolts” labor Engineering

Design, analysis and tech assist to support maintenance work

Management Organization, Control, and Administration of the

maintenance operation

Technical ManagementTechnical ManagementTechnical ManagementTechnical Management Several Disciplines to properly conduct

maintenance at an airline: Production Planning

Planning concepts and organization activity to effectively plan all work

Logistics Understanding the aircraft inventory scope, realistic,

futuristic to meet demand for parts required for successful maintenance operation

Technical Training Meet all maintenance tech training of personnel

Aviation Industry InteractionAviation Industry InteractionAviation Industry InteractionAviation Industry Interaction

Must meet FAA regulations for maintenance before releasing an aircraft for service

Aircraft manufacturers, makers of onboard equipment and systems, airline operators, industry trade associations, regulatory authorities, flight crews, and maintenance personnel

Work together to ensure aviation safety From the design of the aircraft and its systems,

through development of maintenance programs and continues throughout the lifetime of the aircraft

Layout of BookLayout of BookLayout of BookLayout of Book

Part 1: Fundamentals of Maintenance Chapters 1 – 7

Part 2: Technical Services Chapters 8 – 11

Part 3: Aircraft Management, Maintenance, and Materiel Support

Chapters 12 – 15 Part 4: Oversight Functions:

Chapters 16 – 19 Part 5: Appendixes

Appendix A - F

SummarySummarySummarySummary

The purpose of aircraft maintenance is to ensure the aircraft will remain

airworthy throughout its operational life