Aircraft Maintenance Operations - Essay Example

Aircraft Maintenance Operations and Aircraft Maintenance OperationsIntroduction Maintenance schedules refer to the details of all the components that are to be maintained in an aircraft and the frequency of the task. These details are published my the manufacturer of the original equipment abbreviated as OEM. Kroes and Watkins et al., 1993 state that he OEM may also be the type certificate holder. Therefore, proper maintenance of an aircraft is very important since it creates efficiency and maintains the safety of an aircraft.

Maintenance programme This refers to the overall maintenance schedule collaborated with a string of procedures that are meant for continuous review of the applicability and effectiveness of the aircraft. The programme is only accepted when there is compliance with its intent. During this stage data about the aircraft is collected and compiled. These data show the flying hours and flight cycles and it helps to gauge the interval of maintenance. According to Friend, 1992 how often the maintenance takes place depends on how the aircraft is operated.

After this procedure, it follows that the operator writes to the CAD for approval of the maintenance. The CAD determines the eligibility of the proposal after which amendments are made by the operator. The new maintenance follows through the following: Management Review Board (MRB) The MRB is formed during the type certification process for big aircrafts that weigh more than 5.7 tonnes. It is composed of the national authorities and chaired by the authority of the state of design or manufacturer.

Wu and Cave, 2000 argue that the industry steering committee looks at the design of the aircraft from a maintenance perspective and reports to the MRB. If the MRB believes that the customer does not qualify then it calls for more specialists to participate. The operators contribute to the MRB as work groups within the industry steering committee. After this board has evaluated all the tasks and the chairperson sign’s the proposals, then the next stage is an analysis by the MSG. Maintenance Steering Group (MSG) Analysis This analysis is carried out by the work group and MRB to determine the types of the task and the frequency depending on the system failure that are even seen by the operating crew.

Maintenance Planning Document (MPB) It follows that after all the analysis has been carried out by the MSG, the MRB is obliged to publish a report on the same. Friend, 1992 the report becomes the source document the operator of the aircraft will follow when implementing the maintenance schedule. Certification Maintenance Requirements (CMRs) A CMRs is a periodic task that is established during the period of designing the certification of the aircraft as an operating limitation of the type certificate.

This result is formal and it involves the analysis of numerical computation to demonstrate how a failure of the aircraft maintenance would be lethal. Furthermore Brimm and Boggess, 1940 state that, the overall task of the CMR is to detect all attributes of failure or events that would lead to catastrophic conditions. Direct And Indirect Maintenance Cost Over the years operators of aircrafts have been seeking new ways to reduce the burden of the operating costs and make profits. Pearlman and Simpson 1966 the maintenance cost is categorized into direct and indirect cost which serves a good opportunity for revenue maximization.

However, cost minimization does not at any point interfere with the quality of maintenance. Direct cost is cost that is related to all operating expenses. This cost incurred by the operator is caused by factors such as fuel, cockpit crew and the maintenance of the aircraft which imply both component and repair costs. Thus the direct cost can be summarized as costs related to all that pertains the maintenance of the aircraft. On the other hand indirect cost is the cost that enhances the operation of the aircraft.

Pearlman and Simpson 1966 this cost is attributed to factors such as component storage cost, equipment costs hanger expenses among others. Maintenance cost varies from one airline to another because of the diversity of the fleet. Research has shown that one type of aircraft fleet is cost efficient since the maintenance cost is minimal. Conclusion The maintenance schedule is an important task for the aircraft operator. It is of significance that these procedures are followed and evaluated accordingly by the MRB for safety of the aircraft.

Regular maintenance of the aircraft implies a prolonged delivery of service by the aircraft. On the contrary, these procedures involve huge amounts of maintenance cost which are divided into direct and indirect cost. It should be noted that no matter the amount of the maintenance cost, the quality of maintenance should not be interfered with. List of references Kroes, M., Watkins, W., Delp, F. and Delp, F. 1993. Aircraft maintenance & repair. New York, N.Y.: Glencoe. Friend, C. 1992. Aircraft maintenance management.

Harlow, Essex, England: Longman. Pearlman, C. and Simpson, R. 1966. Maintenance cost studies of present aircraft subsystems. [Cambridge, Mass.]: Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Flight Transportation Laboratory. Brimm, D. and Boggess, H. 1940. Aircraft maintenance. New York: Pitman publishing corporation. Wu, C. and Caves, R. 2000. Aircraft operational costs and turnaround efficiency at airports. Journal of Air Transport Management, 6 (4), pp. 201-208.