The Historical Development of Aircraft Maintenance

Historical development of Aircraft Maintenance

Aircraft maintenance means the preservation , inspection , overhaul , and repair of aircraft , including the replacement parts . This program is designed to serve individuals who have completed the required classroom instruction leading to FAA certification . An Associate Degree will be awarded providing the additional general education credit hours are completed . Maintenance requirements vary for different types of aircraft , however , most aircraft require some type of preventive maintenance every 25 hours or less of flying time , and minor maintenance at least every 100 hours

Aircraft Maintenance Technician holds

a mechanic certificate issued by the Federal Aviation Administration . Aircraft Maintenance Technicians (AMT 's ) perform or supervise maintenance , preventive maintenance , and alteration of aircraft and aircraft systems in accordance with the provisions of Federal Aviation Regulations (FAR 's , which are Chapter 1 of Title 14 the Code of Federal Regulations . The equivalent of an AMT is an Aircraft Maintenance Engineer

Certification of mechanics is regulated under 14 CFR Part 65 . Those who fulfill the necessary requirements are issued a Mechanic certificate with either an Airframe or Power plant rating , or both . It is these ratings which together account for the common practice of referring to mechanics as "A

's " Until the early 1950s , instead of the Power plant rating , an Engine rating was issued , so the abbreviation "A E " may appear in older documents

The general requirements for eligibility for a mechanic certificate include the following

Be 18 or older

Be able to read , speak , and understand English and

Pass a set of required tests within a maximum of 24 months

Eligibility for the mechanic tests depends on the applicant 's ability to document her or his knowledge of required subject matter and ability to perform maintenance tasks . The FAA recognizes two ways of demonstrating the needed knowledge and skills : On-the-job experience or completion of a training program at a school certified under 14 CFR Part 147

A quantitative target is always useful to encourage a designer to improve the maintability . This requires extensive knowledge of the performance of the previous products so that sensible targets are set Civil aircraft operators often demand direct maintenance cost guarantees for both aircraft and its engine

Military aircraft targets are quoted as the number of maintenance person-hours per flying hour . The Bae Hawk is a good example of an aircraft designed for good maintenance , and performance as follows

Over all maintenance 3 .8 man-hour /flying hour . This figure includes all the maintenance including the flight line and is about half that have the Gnat and hunter aircraft , which preceded it . Flight maintenance achieved figures are

Pre-flight 1 man in 13 mins

Turn Around 1 man in 9 mins

Post flight 3 men in 11 mins

Re-arming 4 men in 10 mins

It is very difficult to quantify these figures during the initial stages , but comparison can be made with empirical figures obtained from the current aircraft . Maintainability engineers can advise designers of good practices , and mock-ups can be used in relatively early...