loading, limiting airspeeds and required placards and markings, control surface
travel, engine installations and, where applicable, approved engine/propeller
combinations. In practice, the datasheet is more likely to be a lengthy document or
an electronic file.
Basically is the "Birth Certificate" of the type of aircraft.
Certificate of Airworthiness
The formal document issued by the NAA to certify that the aircraft is airworthy.
Depending upon the regulatory regime, this Certificate will need either periodic revalidation or periodic renewal which may involve the completion of a flight test
schedule.
A Certificate of Airworthiness (CofA), or an airworthiness certificate, is issued for an
aircraft by the national aviation authority in the state in which the aircraft is
registered. The airworthiness certificate attests that the aircraft is airworthy
insofar as the aircraft conforms to its type design. Each airworthiness
certificate is issued in one of a number of different categories. A certificate of
airworthiness is issued when the aircraft is registered in the name of the owner.
Thereafter, a yearly currency fee is payable to renew the Certificate of
Airworthiness. If this fee is not paid when due, the certificate expires and the owner
must apply again for this certificate to be issued. The Certificate of Airworthiness
can only issued when a certificate of release to service*1 from the maintenance
facility declares that the maintenance due has been carried out and the aircraft is
then certified as being airworthy.
(*1 Certificate of release to service - A statement signed by an LAE (Licensed Aircraft Engineer), with the
appropriate certifying approvals, which asserts that the aircraft is airworthy to the degree appropriate for safe flight
)
The airworthiness certificate must be carried on board the aircraft and must be
presented to a representative of the aviation authority upon request.
Airworthiness Certificate remains effective providing the maintenance, preventive
maintenance and alterations are performed in accordance with relevant
requirements and the aircraft remains registered in the USA.
In the USA and some other countries, each airworthiness certificate is classified as
either a Standard Airworthiness Certificate or a Special Airworthiness
Certificate.
Multiple
Limited
Light-Sport
Experimental
to test new
techniques
Description
An airplane flight manual (AFM) is a document produced by the aircraft
manufacturer containing detailed information on the operation of the aircraft. The
AFM details the recommended aircraft operating technique for normal, abnormal
and emergency operation together with the Aircraft Performance that should be
achieved when the aircraft is operated in accordance with these procedures.
The AFM is a vital part of the aircraft inventory and must be carried on all flights
unless the National Airworthiness Authority (NAA) of the aircraft operator has
formally accepted that the Operations Manual of the aircraft operator replicates all
relevant AFM information for an aircraft. The AFM is specific to each aircraft and
reflects the precise equipment and modification state of that aircraft. In practice,
NAA dispensation not to carry the AFM on board an aircraft is commonly obtained
by commercial aircraft operators.
Prompt Amendment of the AFM is an important function of an aircraft operator's
flight operations department and must be carefully controlled. The control process
must also ensure that any documents dependent upon AFM content such as the
Operations Manual, flight deck copies of the EAC [Emergency and Abnormal
Checklist] and/or QRH) and crew training materials are also updated following the
publication of any amendment.
It is the responsibility of the aircraft owner or operator to ensure that the
correct Flight Manual standard is maintained at all times.
Other Description
The Aircraft Flight Manual (AFM) is a book containing the information and
instructions required to operate the aircraft safely. The pilot must comply with this
AFM information. A typical AFM will contain the following:
A Check
This is performed approximately every 500 - 800 flight hours or 200 - 400 cycles. It
needs about 20 - 50 man-hours and is usually performed overnight at an airport
gate or hangar. The actual occurrence of this check varies by aircraft type, the cycle
count (takeoff and landing is considered an aircraft "cycle"), or the number of hours
flown since the last check. The occurrence can be delayed by the airline if certain
predetermined conditions are met.
B Check
This is performed approximately every 46 months. It needs about 150 man-hours
and is usually performed within 13 days at an airport hangar. A similar occurrence
schedule applies to the B check as to the A check. B checks may be incorporated
into successive A checks, i.e.: A-1 through A-10 complete all the B check items.
C Check
D Check
This is by far the most comprehensive and demanding check for an airplane. It is
also known as a Heavy Maintenance Visit (HMV). This check occurs approximately
every 6 years. It is a check that, more or less, takes the entire airplane apart for
inspection and overhaul. Also, if required, the paint may need to be completely
removed for further inspection on the fuselage metal skin. Such a check can usually
demand up to 50,000 man-hours and it can generally take up to 2 months to
complete, depending on the aircraft and the number of technicians involved. It also
requires the most space of all maintenance checks, and as such must be performed
at a suitable maintenance base. Given the elevated requirements of this check and
the tremendous effort involved in it, it is also by far the most expensive
maintenance check of all, with total costs for a single visit ending up well within the
million-dollar range.
Because of the nature and the cost of such a check, most airlines especially those
with a large fleet have to plan D Checks for their aircraft years in advance. Often,
older aircraft being phased out of a particular airline's fleet are either stored or
scrapped upon reaching their next D Check, due to the high costs involved in it in
comparison to the aircraft's value. On average, a commercial aircraft undergoes 23
D Checks before it is retired. Many Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) shops
state that it is virtually impossible to perform a D Check profitably at a shop located
within the United States. As such, only a few of these shops offer D checks.
The group led by the Airworthiness Authority which determines, by issue of an MRB
Report, the principles which should be applied to the development of a
Maintenance Programme for an aircraft type or aircraft engine type. Through the life
of the aircraft, further MRB Reports are issued as necessary to ensure that
approved maintenance regimes continue to take full account of aircraft
modifications and variants.
Maintanance Programme
Definition:
Description:
The maintenance programme must be produced for each aircraft type by the
Operator (AOC Holder) and subsequently approved by the NAA. For Commercial Air
Transport (CAT) and Large Aeroplanes with MTOW above 13000 Kg, Maintenance
Programme is initially developed based on the Maintenance Review Board
Report (MRBR) and Maintenance Planning Document (MPD). However, as the
MRBR for such aircraft is developed based on MSG-3 Logic, the Operator must
monitor the effectiveness of its maintenance programme(s) by developing and
running a Reliability Programme. Reliability Programme requires the collection
of data from different sources, analysis of such data to identify trends and
addressing any reliability issues by taking effective corrective actions. Such
corrective actions can be in the form of amending maintenance programme to
Vendor Manuals (For example CMM), so these should also be considered where
appropriate within the context of the AMP.
Each Maintenance task must be described fully in Instructions for Continued
Airworthiness (ICAW), for example the Aircraft Maintenance Manual (AMM).
The ATA numbering system which my be supplemented using the AMTOS process
provides a common system which is used across all the aircraft documents.
In general the documents which are used to support maintenance and trouble
shooting or subsequent rectification are:
AMM (Aircraft Maintenance Manual)
IPC (Illustrated Parts Catalogue)
SSM (System Schematics Manual)
FRM (Fault Reporting Manual)
FIM (Fault Isolation Manual)
SRM (Structural Repair Manual)
WDM (Wiring Diagram Manual)
MEL (Minimum Equipment List)
DDG (Dispatch Deviation Guide)
Checks time limits and intervals are spelled out in the operator's Maintenance
Specification Manual. These intervals are approved by the FAA and the
manufacturer. The airline can 'buy' the manufacturer's package or build their own
based on current operating data and trends. Again, approved by the FAA.
MSG-3
Description
Background
MSG-1 was first published in 1968 and used for developing scheduled maintenance
for B747. Subsequently MSG-2 was developed and used for developing scheduled
maintenance for 1970s aircraft such as L1011 and DC-10. MSG-2 was process
orientated and used a bottom-up approach. It also introduced condition monitored
maintenance concept. At the same time European Maintenance System Guide
(EMSG), which was an improved version of MSG-2, particularly on structure and
zonal analysis, was used for development of the MRBR for the Concorde SST and
completed in 1975. Based on the experience and the identified weaknesses of
MSG-2, the Original version of MSG-3 was first published in 1980 and it introduced
a top-down approach by focusing on consequences of failure. MSG-3 expected the
assessment of functional failures and the assignment of the consequences of those
failures into two basic categories, SAFETY and ECONOMIC. Unlike MSG-2, MSG-3
is a task orientated and this eliminated the confusion associated with the different
interpretations of Condition Monitoring, On-condition and Hard time. The other
fundamental improvement was the recognition of Damage Tolerance Rules and the
Supplemental Inspection Programmes. Since 1980, a number of revisions (Rev.1,
Rev. 2, Rev. 2001, Rev. 2003, Rev. 2005, Rev. 2007) have been made to MSG-3, the
most recent in 2009 but, as yet, MSG-4 has not followed. The latest version of
MSG-3 introduced some elements related to Structural Health Monitoring Systems
(SHMS), which was the result of issue papers published by the International
Maintenance Review Board Policy Board (IMRBPB) .