The inspection, maintenance, and overhaul of aircraft are never-ending endeavors that include many people and teams of people to accomplish and maintain. The importance of the inspection, maintenance, and overhaul of aircraft cannot be understated. The lives of countless people depend on proper and professional assessment, upkeep, and replacement of aircraft components as they wear out or become fatigued. The work should always be supervised and inspected to ensure the highest level of safety protocol is observed.
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Aircraft need regular maintenance to stay airworthy and safe. The stress of flying causes deterioration of the Airframe (mechanical structure of the aircraft), engines, and landing gear (undercarriage). This stress creates problems such as wear and tear, stress fractures, structural fatigue, etc. It is very important to repair these dangerous problems and possible hazards but regular inspection, maintenance, and overhaul also adds to the value and useful longevity of the aircraft. Systematic scrutiny and repairs also serve to prevent more costly repairs down the line.
According to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the routine information that should be collected on aircraft to help keep them safe and airworthy includes:
- Aircraft inspections
- Scheduled maintenance
- Required Inspection Item (RII) program
- Aircraft, engine, propeller, and appliance overhaul
- Major repairs and alterations
- Reliability program (if applicable)
- Structural inspection program (if applicable)
- Mechanical reliability reports (if applicable)
- Special Federal Aviation Regulation 36 authority (if applicable)
- Special operations (i.e., Category II, Category III, Minimal Navigation Performance Specification, Reduced Vertical Separation Minimums (RVSM), extended-range twin-engine operations (ETOPS))
- Aging aircraft issues, such as Corrosion Prevention and Control Programs, Supplemental Structural Inspection Documents, Structural Inspection Document, and structural repair assessments
- Nondestructive testing
Aircraft maintenance checks should be performed periodically after a certain amount of flying time or length of time from the last check. They are broken down into four periodic maintenance checks by frequency and thoroughness of check. The more routine and frequent test should be done about every month but can vary according to the cycle of takeoffs and landings or the length of time from the last check. It is usually performed overnight at an airport gate. The next check is done roughly about every three months. It also can vary according to flying cycle or time from last check. This check is normally conducted at an airport gate. The next periodic maintenance check is more thorough and is performed in a hanger. It is done every twelve to eighteen months depending on the aircraft type and flying cycle frequency as well as other factors that may require the check sooner.
The most methodical and precise maintenance check should be performed every four to five years. This check is done at a maintenance base and it entails inspection of the entire aircraft by piece.
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