Air Carrier Maintenance Program Review - Thesis Example

Figure 3. Indicative maintenance costs for aircraft models. Reprinted from "The Relationship Between an Engine’s Value and it’s Maintenance Status", by Aircraft Commerce, 2012, Aircraft Commerce, 35 (June/July), pp 5-9, Copyright 2012, by the Aircraft Commerce. 23 This document evaluates two important elements of aircraft carrier maintenance, personnel training, and record keeping. The findings indicate that regular training of personnel is essential to help in the maintenance and overhaul complex aircraft systems such as engine, structural, landing gear, and systems.

Record keeping is very crucial since FAA makes it mandatory for aircraft carriers to maintain detailed maintenance records; otherwise, the airplane is not given an airworthiness certificate. Flying machines such as aircraft and helicopters face high failure risks, and these risks include failure of engine, fuel system, structural failure, systems failure, and other types of failures (Kinnison & Siddiqui, 2012, p. 3). To ensure that only air worthy aircraft can fly, The Federal Aviation Administration - FAA, a US government body that oversees commercial aviation safety in US, has provided a number of guidelines and regulations concerning the maintenance and overhaul of all types of aircraft.

These are covered under the program continued analysis and surveillance system - CASS. Each aircraft manufacturer provides its own maintenance schedule, the Air Carrier Maintenance Program, for each model of aircraft, and the FAA regulations support these regulations (FAR/AIM, 2012, p. 12-14). This paper examines two important elements of this program, and discusses several important subjects on maintenance. The main types of maintenance are routine and preventive maintenance, and hard-time maintenance.

Routine and preventive maintenance involves cleaning, changing the oil, changing filters, and activities, where the full engine and critical components of the engine, propeller,