Training Centre Module 7 - MAINTENANCE PRACTICES

Category Aerospace Sub Module 7.20 - Maintenance Procedures

MODULE 7
Sub Module 7.20

MAINTENANCE PROCEDURES

ISO 9001:2008 Certified For Training Purpose Only

7.20 CAA Approval No: HQCAA/2231/44/AW Dated: 11th Sept, 09 Rev. 00
Nov 2009
 Training Centre Module 7 - MAINTENANCE PRACTICES
Category Aerospace Sub Module 7.20 - Maintenance Procedures

Contents

MAINTENANCE PROCEDURES --------------------------------------------------- 1

MAINTENANCE PLANNING ------------------------------------------------------- 1
MODIFICATION PROCEDURES --------------------------------------------------- 1
STORES PROCEDURES ------------------------------------------------------------- 2
CERTIFICATION PROCEDURES --------------------------------------------------- 3
INTERFACE WITH AIRCRAFT OPERATION ------------------------------------- 3
ADDITIONAL MAINTENANCE PROCEDURES---------------------------------- 4
CONTROL OF LIFE LIMITED COMPONENTS ----------------------------------- 4

ISO 9001:2008 Certified For Training Purpose Only

7.20 - i CAA Approval No: HQCAA/2231/44/AW Dated: 11th Sept, 09 Rev. 00
Nov 2009
 Training Centre
Category Aerospace
MAINTENANCE PROCEDURES
An aircraft has to receive regular maintenance, of varying
depths to remain fully airworthy at all times. This is achieved in
most circumstances by making various checks, at intervals,
throughout the life of the aircraft. These intervals can be stated
in quantities of flying hours, calendar time or combinations of
the two systems.
MAINTENANCE PLANNING
The periods of maintenance can be small or large. The aircraft
can be in for a short period of maintenance over-night (or
perhaps no longer than two days), whilst, on a large
maintenance period, the aircraft might be in the hangar for a
week or two, depending on the type of aircraft.
It is normal to apply what is known as a back-stop to each
period for safety. For example, if the frequency of each
maintenance action is every 100 flying hours, then there will
probably be a calendar back-stop of one month. This means
that if the aircraft is only flown for 25 hours during one month,
then it will have its maintenance done on the last day of that
month, regardless if its low hours.
Equally, if the aircraft is intensively flown day-and-night, it might
reach its 100 hours after 19 days. It will then receive its
maintenance at that time, as a result of its intensive flying. The
decision as to the frequency and depth of this maintenance is
controlled by the Type Design Organization, the organization
which designed the aircraft.
ISO 9001:2008 Certified
7.20 - 1 CAA Approval No: HQCAA/2231/44/AW Dated: 11th Sept, 09
Module 7 - MAINTENANCE PRACTICES
Sub Module 7.20 - Maintenance Procedures
The maintenance program contains a list of the most significant
items and recommendations as to the maintenance actions,
recommended frequencies and sampling/inspection points. It
will also contain a program that monitors engine critical parts
and the inspections to be done on those parts.
All aircraft have a list of critical parts, with which it cannot fly
without them being serviceable, or which can be dispensed
with, providing other parts can cover for the missing part.
MODIFICATION PROCEDURES
Modifications are changes made to a particular aircraft,
including all its components, engines, propellers, radio
apparatus, accessories, instruments, equipment and their
respective installations.
With the exception of modifications which the NAA agree to be
of such a minor nature that airworthiness is unaffected, all
modifications must be approved in accordance with the relevant
parts of EASA regulations. The modifications are approved by
the NAA or by the Approved Organization carrying out the
modification program.
Modifications must be such that the design of the aircraft, when
modified, complies at least with the requirements which applied
when the aircraft was originally certified.
When a modification is being designed, a decision has to be
made as to whether the modification is to be classified as
Minor or Major. The installing of a new type of engine would
most definitely be a major modification, whilst changing the type
For Training Purpose Only
Rev. 00
Nov 2009
 Training Centre
Category Aerospace
of clips holding cables together would be a minor one. It is
somewhere in the middle when the decision as to the grading of
a modification has to be decided by the NAA.
MAJOR MODIFICATIONS
The organization request approval from NAA and, when
approved, an approval note is returned to the organization. This
allows the modification to be embodied.
MINOR MODIFICATIONS
The organization writes to the NAA, requesting permission to
embody the modification and, when approved, the NAA sends a
form, back, to permit embodiment.
If the organization has NAA approval, it is permitted to approve
its own modifications. All the organization has to do is to keep
full records of the design and embodiment of the modification.
All modifications are recorded in the aircraft documentation,
either inside the Airframe Log Book, if the aircraft weighs less
than 2730 kg or in a separate Modification Record Book if the
aircraft weighs more than 2730 kg.
ISO 9001:2008 Certified
7.20 - 2 CAA Approval No: HQCAA/2231/44/AW Dated: 11th Sept, 09
Module 7 - MAINTENANCE PRACTICES
Sub Module 7.20 - Maintenance Procedures
STORES PROCEDURES
All aircraft and component manufacturing and maintenance
establishments will have a stores department, whose object is
twofold. Its purpose, firstly, is to ensure that all materials, parts,
components etc. used on aircraft are to the correct specification.
The second purpose of the stores is to enable the history of any
important part to be traced back to its original manufacture and
its raw materials.
All stores transactions use the same forms throughout the
EASA system as well as the USA and Canada. This system
ensures that a store in one part of this country will receive a
component from within the UK, all EASA countries or North
America on the same form. This is known throughout the EASA
system as the EASA Form 1.
Stores that operate within an organization that is approved by
the NAA to operate, with little control or supervision from the
NAA, is known as an Approved Stores.
An Approved Store will contain three main departments:
1. A quarantine store, which accepts items from other
companies and checks that they are satisfactory.
2. A bonded store which takes items from the quarantine
store, after approval, and, when requested, issues those
components to the servicing technicians.
3. An office or administration centre, which keeps adequate
files and records, to enable cross-checking of any
transaction through the store system.
For Training Purpose Only
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Nov 2009
 Training Centre
Category Aerospace
CERTIFICATION PROCEDURES
Any maintenance done on an aircraft that has a Certificate of
Airworthiness (C of A) has to be certified by the technician(s)
doing the work. Depending on the company they work for, the
technicians can have either personal certification or approval by
their own company. The legal requirement is quoted as: An
aircraft shall not fly unless there is in force a Certificate of
Release to Service issued in respect of any overhauls,
modifications, repairs or maintenance to the aircraft or its
equipment.
Normally the work is either certified by an approved engineer or,
completed by a non-approved engineer and certified by another,
approved engineer. This certification is known as a Certificate of
Release to Service.
The wording on the document for signature is to a standard
format and certifies that the work has been done in accordance
with EASA 145 and that the aircraft is fit for release back to
service.
The certification should also contain particulars of the work
done or the inspection completed and the organization and
place at which the work was done. It is also required that the
aircraft type and registration or component type, part and serial
number shall be recorded as applicable. There are a number of
minor maintenance operations that do not require certification/
release to service. This can include minor maintenance, done
by the pilot, on a small private aircraft.
ISO 9001:2008 Certified
7.20 - 3 CAA Approval No: HQCAA/2231/44/AW Dated: 11th Sept, 09
Module 7 - MAINTENANCE PRACTICES
Sub Module 7.20 - Maintenance Procedures
INTERFACE WITH AIRCRAFT OPERATION
There are many links between aircraft maintenance and the
flying done by both commercial and private operations. These
links, or interfaces, include the legislation that dictates how the
two operations are to work together.
For the larger commercial companies, all the legislation is
currently laid down under JAR-OPS, produced by the JAA JAR-
OPS controls many facets of commercial flying. This can
include how the company maintains its aircraft, (or how it sub-
contracts the work elsewhere); how the documentation and
publications record all the information needed for both the
engineers and the flight crew and how the quality of the whole
operation is kept to an acceptable standard. The communication
of information between maintenance and flying personnel is
normally via a number of different publications such as:
I. The Technical Log Book (Tech. Log)
II. The Log Books (Aircraft, Engine and Propeller)
III. The Modification Records.
The Tech. Log contains all details of the sector by sector flight
operations, such as flight times, defects, fuel (on arrival and
uplifted), other ground maintenance and replenishments.
The Log Books are usually kept within the records department,
but they are a long term record of not only the total flying hours,
but of the life remaining on engines and propellers and the
maintenance checks done on the aircraft.
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Category Aerospace
The Modification Records allow all to see what changes,
(modifications), have been embodied to the aircraft. These
changes might require different flight operations or maintenance
actions than prior to their embodiment.
ADDITIONAL MAINTENANCE PROCEDURES
Apart from the regular maintenance checks, listed in the
Maintenance Manual, there are a number of additional
maintenance procedures that are done at irregular intervals.
These could include washing the aircraft, de-icing it in the
winter, weighing it after certain operations and painting it when
its condition warrants it. The information and the correct
procedures will probably be found in the maintenance manuals.
(Under Washing, De-icing, Weighing and Painting).
Other work done, in addition to the normal regular maintenance,
might include an on-going sampling program or condition
monitoring, which is done during the normal day-to-day
operation of the aircraft. These tasks would probably be
organized at the request of the local CAA office, to comply with
an airworthiness request from the manufacturer.
ISO 9001:2008 Certified
7.20 - 4 CAA Approval No: HQCAA/2231/44/AW Dated: 11th Sept, 09
Module 7 - MAINTENANCE PRACTICES
Sub Module 7.20 - Maintenance Procedures
CONTROL OF LIFE LIMITED COMPONENTS
On almost any aircraft, there will be a number of components
that have a stated life, usually quoted in flying hours, cycles,
calendar time or operating hours.
The correct terminology for life is Mandatory Life Limitation.
The components will have been given a life for various reasons.
For example, a fatigue life on a structural component in flying
hours; the landing gear legs due for retirement after 10,000
landings, the batteries due for replacement after 3 or 4 months
and a retirement life on an APU measured in hours running
time.
The control of the replacement of components, on completion of
their lives, rests with the Technical Control/Records department,
which monitors all of the aircraft documents.
When an item is due for replacement, the work is often
synchronized with a scheduled maintenance check, so that the
aircraft is out of service for the minimum amount of time. It is
normal, however, for small items such as batteries, to be
changed on the flight line, often at the end of the days flying,
with the battery replacement being done at the same time as
the daily inspection.
For Training Purpose Only
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Nov 2009