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Aircraft maintenance checks

April 11, 2024

Aircraft maintenance checks are periodic inspections that have to be done on all commercial and civil aircraft after a certain amount of time or usage. Military aircraft normally follow specific maintenance programmes which may, or may not, be similar to those of commercial and civil operators.[citation needed]

A United States Navy SH-60F Seahawk helicopter undergoing routine maintenance in 2005

Commercial aviation edit

Airlines and other commercial operators of large, or turbine-powered, aircraft follow a continuous inspection program approved by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in the United States,[1] or by other airworthiness authorities such as the Transport Canada Civil Aviation Directorate (TCCA), or the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA). Each operator prepares a Continuous Airworthiness Maintenance Program (CAMP) under its Operations Specifications or "OpSpecs".[2] The CAMP includes both routine and detailed inspections.

FAA Maintenance Review Board edit

In the United States the FAA directs that initial aircraft maintenance requirements be generated for each aircraft type in a Maintenance Review Board Report (MRBR)[3] based on the analysis performed as outlined in ATA "MSG-3 Operator/Manufacturer Scheduled Maintenance Development" document (MSG-3 is for Maintenance Steering Group – 3rd Task Force).[3] The MRBR is an approved set of aircraft initial maintenance requirements as prescribed by the Appendix H to para. 25.1529 of 14 CFR part 25. Modern aircraft with MSG-3-derived maintenance programs employ usage parameters —such as flight hours, calendar time, or flight cycles—for each required maintenance task included in the MRBR. This allows for more flexibility in the scheduling of maintenance to minimize aircraft downtime.

ABC check system edit

Airlines and airworthiness authorities casually refer to the detailed inspections as "checks", commonly one of the following: A check, B check, C check, or D check. A and B checks are lighter checks, while C and D are considered heavier checks. Aircraft operators may perform some work at their own facilities, but often checks, and especially the heavier checks, take place at maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) company sites.[4]

A check edit

The A check is performed approximately every 400-600 flight hours, or every 200–300 flights, depending on aircraft type.[5] It needs about 50-70 man-hours, and is usually performed in an airport hangar. The A check takes a minimum of 10 hours. The actual occurrence of this check varies by aircraft type, the flight cycle count, 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 edit

The B check is performed approximately every 6-8 months. It takes about 160-180 man-hours, depending on the aircraft, and is usually completed within 1–3 days at an airport hangar. A similar occurrence schedule applies to the B check as to the A check. B checks are increasingly incorporated into successive A checks, i.e. checks A-1 through A-10 complete all the B check items.[6]

C check edit

 
Transaero Boeing 757 undergoing C-check at the British Airways Engineering maintenance base, Heathrow (1996)

The C check is performed approximately every 20–24 months, or a specific number of actual flight hours (FH), or as defined by the manufacturer. This maintenance check is much more extensive than the B check, requiring a large majority of the aircraft's components to be inspected. This check puts the aircraft out of service for 1–4 weeks. The aircraft must not leave the maintenance site until it is completed. It also requires more space than A and B checks, therefore, it is usually carried out in a hangar at a maintenance base. The effort needed to complete a C check is up to 6,000 man-hours.

3C check edit

Some authorities use a type of check, known as a 3C check or Intermediate Layover (IL), which typically includes light structural maintenance, including checks for corrosion, or on specific high-load parts of the airframe.[7] The 3C check may also be used as the opportunity for cabin upgrades, e.g. new seats, entertainment systems, carpeting. This shortens the time the aircraft is out of service, by performing two distinct tasks simultaneously. As component reliability has improved, some MROs now spread the workload across several C checks, or incorporate this 3C check into D checks instead.[8]

D check edit

The D check, sometimes known as a "heavy maintenance visit" (HMV),[9] is by far the most comprehensive and demanding check for an airplane. This check occurs approximately every 6-10 years.[8] It is a check that more or less takes the entire airplane apart for inspection and overhaul. Even the paint may need to be completely removed for complete inspection of the fuselage metal skin. Such a check can generally take up to 50,000 man-hours, and 2 months to complete depending on the number of technicians involved.[10] It also requires the most space of all maintenance checks, and as such must be performed at a suitable maintenance base. The requirements and the tremendous effort involved in this maintenance check make it by far the most expensive, with total costs for a single D check in the million-dollar range.[11]

Because of the nature and the cost of a D 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 comparison to the aircraft's value.[12] On average, a commercial aircraft undergoes two or three D checks before being retired.[13]

Manufacturers often underestimate the cost of the D check. Boeing underestimates the cost for four of its aircraft, and the expectation is that it has underestimated it for the B787-9 which in 2018 had not been in service for long enough to have been put through a D check.[14]

All amounts in millions of United States dollars, as of 2018.[14]

Aircraft Estimated Actual
B777-200ER $2.5 $4.0
B777-300ER $2.7 $4.5
B747-400 $4.0 $6.0
B737-800 $0.65 $1.0

Offshore Maintenance Facilities edit

As of 2015, there are 731 foreign repair shops certified by the FAA performing critical maintenance inspections and repairs for airplanes operating in the United States. This includes repair facilities performing the "heavy maintenance", D Checks, such as the Aeroman facility located in El Salvador, where one in eight mechanics are FAA certified. At a major overhaul base used by United Airlines in China, the ratio is one FAA-certified mechanic for every 31 non-certified mechanics.[15]

Comparison edit

flight hours maintenance intervals[16]
Model A Check C Check D Check
Airbus A220[17] 850 8,500
Airbus A320 family[18] 750 (or 750 cycles or 4 months) 12,000 (or 8,000 cycles or 36 months) 6/12 years
ATR 42/ATR 72[19] 750 5,000 2/4/8 years
Bombardier CRJ700 series[20] 800 8,000
Bombardier Dash 8[21] 800 8,000
Bombardier Global 7500[22] 850/36 months 8,500 cycles / 12 years
Embraer E-Jet family 850 8,500
Embraer E-Jet E2 family 1,000 10,000
Mitsubishi Regional Jet 750 7,500
Boeing 737 NG[23] 150/600 7,500 (or 730 days)
Boeing 767-300ER 750 (or 300 Flight Cycles) 6,000 (or 3,000 Flight Cycles or 18 Months)
Boeing 747-400/747-8[24] 600/1,000 7,500/10,000 6 years (systems)

8/8/6 years (most structures and zonal)

References edit

  1. ^ AFS-600 (2008). . Aviation Maintenance Technician Handbook (pdf). Federal Aviation Administration. pp. 8–15. FAA-H-8083-30. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2014-11-22. Retrieved 2014-12-01.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  2. ^ AFS (2009). "Vol. 3 Chapters 18 & 43". Flight Standards Information Management System. CHG 80. Federal Aviation Administration. Order 8900.1. Retrieved 2010-01-12.
  3. ^ a b Maintenance Review Boards, Maintenance Type Boards, and OEM/TCH Recommended Maintenance Procedures (pdf). Federal Aviation Administration. 2012. Advisory Circular 121-22C. Retrieved 2019-05-16.
  4. ^ "UK Aerospace Maintenance, Repair, Overhaul & Logistics Industry Analysis" (PDF). UK Government Department for Business, Innovation & Skills. p. 16. Retrieved 14 December 2017.
  5. ^ Kinnison, Harry; Siddiqui, Tariq (2011). Aviation Maintenance Management (2 ed.). McGraw-Hill. p. 122. ISBN 978-0-07-180502-5.
  6. ^ "The A, C and D of aircraft maintenance". Qantas.
  7. ^ "Major maintenance due for A380s". MRO Network. Retrieved 14 December 2017.
  8. ^ a b . Lufthansa Technik. Archived from the original on 11 October 2014. Retrieved 14 December 2017.
  9. ^ . Monarch Engineering. Archived from the original on 14 December 2017. Retrieved 14 December 2017.
  10. ^ . Lufthansa Technik. Archived from the original on 26 September 2014. Retrieved 14 December 2017.
  11. ^ Fabozzi, Frank, ed. (2000). Investing in asset-backed securities. New Hope, PA: Frank J. Fabozzi Associates. p. 156. ISBN 1883249805. Retrieved 14 December 2017.
  12. ^ "The Relationship between an Aircraft's Value and its Maintenance Status" (PDF). Aircraft Monitor. Retrieved 14 December 2017.
  13. ^ Scheinberg, Ronald (2017). The Commercial Aircraft Finance Handbook. Routledge. ISBN 1351364219. Retrieved 5 August 2018.
  14. ^ a b "Maintenance Reserves Need to Account for Realistic D Check Costs". Aircraft Value News. October 29, 2018.
  15. ^ Steele, James B. (9 November 2015). "The Disturbing Truth About How Airplanes Are Maintained Today". Vanity Fair. Condé Nast.
  16. ^ Bernie Baldwin (Sep 7, 2018). "Profitability Is Aim Of Crossover Jets' Better Maintainability". Aviation Week & Space Technology.
  17. ^ Michael Gubisch (14 July 2017). "How has the CSeries performed in service?". Flightglobal.
  18. ^ "Extension lead". MRO management. March 2017.[permanent dead link]
  19. ^ (Press release). ATR. 25 February 2019. Archived from the original on 1 April 2020. Retrieved 25 February 2019.
  20. ^ "CRJ Series Certified for Higher Maintenance Intervals" (Press release). Bombardier. September 24, 2018.
  21. ^ "Singapore: Bombardier to take Q400 up to 90 seats". flightglobal. 17 February 2016.
  22. ^ Fred George (Mar 25, 2019). "Bombardier Global 7500: A Personal Flying Flagship Without Equal". Business & Commercial Aviation.
  23. ^ . Turkish Technic. November 2013. Archived from the original on 2018-10-29. Retrieved 2018-10-29.
  24. ^ "747‑8 Offers Operational Improvements and Cross-Model Commonality" (PDF). AERO Quarterly. Boeing. Oct 2010.

External links edit

  • Description of a D-check at Aerosphere
  • Air Transport Association
  • Federal Aviation Administration
  • FAA Flight Standards Information Management System (FSIMS)
  • Description of Checks in relation to the Airworthiness System on SKYbrary
  • Alex Derber (Aug 29, 2018). "How The A320 Overtook The 737, And MRO Implications". Aviation Week Network.

April 11, 2024
aircraft, maintenance, checks, periodic, inspections, that, have, done, commercial, civil, aircraft, after, certain, amount, time, usage, military, aircraft, normally, follow, specific, maintenance, programmes, which, similar, those, commercial, civil, operato. Aircraft maintenance checks are periodic inspections that have to be done on all commercial and civil aircraft after a certain amount of time or usage Military aircraft normally follow specific maintenance programmes which may or may not be similar to those of commercial and civil operators citation needed A United States Navy SH 60F Seahawk helicopter undergoing routine maintenance in 2005 Contents 1 Commercial aviation 1 1 FAA Maintenance Review Board 1 2 ABC check system 1 2 1 A check 1 2 2 B check 1 2 3 C check 1 2 4 3C check 1 2 5 D check 1 3 Offshore Maintenance Facilities 2 Comparison 3 References 4 External linksCommercial aviation editAirlines and other commercial operators of large or turbine powered aircraft follow a continuous inspection program approved by the Federal Aviation Administration FAA in the United States 1 or by other airworthiness authorities such as the Transport Canada Civil Aviation Directorate TCCA or the European Aviation Safety Agency EASA Each operator prepares a Continuous Airworthiness Maintenance Program CAMP under its Operations Specifications or OpSpecs 2 The CAMP includes both routine and detailed inspections FAA Maintenance Review Board edit In the United States the FAA directs that initial aircraft maintenance requirements be generated for each aircraft type in a Maintenance Review Board Report MRBR 3 based on the analysis performed as outlined in ATA MSG 3 Operator Manufacturer Scheduled Maintenance Development document MSG 3 is for Maintenance Steering Group 3rd Task Force 3 The MRBR is an approved set of aircraft initial maintenance requirements as prescribed by the Appendix H to para 25 1529 of 14 CFR part 25 Modern aircraft with MSG 3 derived maintenance programs employ usage parameters such as flight hours calendar time or flight cycles for each required maintenance task included in the MRBR This allows for more flexibility in the scheduling of maintenance to minimize aircraft downtime ABC check system edit Airlines and airworthiness authorities casually refer to the detailed inspections as checks commonly one of the following A check B check C check or D check A and B checks are lighter checks while C and D are considered heavier checks Aircraft operators may perform some work at their own facilities but often checks and especially the heavier checks take place at maintenance repair and overhaul MRO company sites 4 A check edit The A check is performed approximately every 400 600 flight hours or every 200 300 flights depending on aircraft type 5 It needs about 50 70 man hours and is usually performed in an airport hangar The A check takes a minimum of 10 hours The actual occurrence of this check varies by aircraft type the flight cycle count 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 edit The B check is performed approximately every 6 8 months It takes about 160 180 man hours depending on the aircraft and is usually completed within 1 3 days at an airport hangar A similar occurrence schedule applies to the B check as to the A check B checks are increasingly incorporated into successive A checks i e checks A 1 through A 10 complete all the B check items 6 C check edit nbsp Transaero Boeing 757 undergoing C check at the British Airways Engineering maintenance base Heathrow 1996 The C check is performed approximately every 20 24 months or a specific number of actual flight hours FH or as defined by the manufacturer This maintenance check is much more extensive than the B check requiring a large majority of the aircraft s components to be inspected This check puts the aircraft out of service for 1 4 weeks The aircraft must not leave the maintenance site until it is completed It also requires more space than A and B checks therefore it is usually carried out in a hangar at a maintenance base The effort needed to complete a C check is up to 6 000 man hours 3C check edit Some authorities use a type of check known as a 3C check or Intermediate Layover IL which typically includes light structural maintenance including checks for corrosion or on specific high load parts of the airframe 7 The 3C check may also be used as the opportunity for cabin upgrades e g new seats entertainment systems carpeting This shortens the time the aircraft is out of service by performing two distinct tasks simultaneously As component reliability has improved some MROs now spread the workload across several C checks or incorporate this 3C check into D checks instead 8 D check edit The D check sometimes known as a heavy maintenance visit HMV 9 is by far the most comprehensive and demanding check for an airplane This check occurs approximately every 6 10 years 8 It is a check that more or less takes the entire airplane apart for inspection and overhaul Even the paint may need to be completely removed for complete inspection of the fuselage metal skin Such a check can generally take up to 50 000 man hours and 2 months to complete depending on the number of technicians involved 10 It also requires the most space of all maintenance checks and as such must be performed at a suitable maintenance base The requirements and the tremendous effort involved in this maintenance check make it by far the most expensive with total costs for a single D check in the million dollar range 11 Because of the nature and the cost of a D 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 comparison to the aircraft s value 12 On average a commercial aircraft undergoes two or three D checks before being retired 13 Manufacturers often underestimate the cost of the D check Boeing underestimates the cost for four of its aircraft and the expectation is that it has underestimated it for the B787 9 which in 2018 had not been in service for long enough to have been put through a D check 14 All amounts in millions of United States dollars as of 2018 14 Aircraft Estimated ActualB777 200ER 2 5 4 0B777 300ER 2 7 4 5B747 400 4 0 6 0B737 800 0 65 1 0Offshore Maintenance Facilities edit As of 2015 there are 731 foreign repair shops certified by the FAA performing critical maintenance inspections and repairs for airplanes operating in the United States This includes repair facilities performing the heavy maintenance D Checks such as the Aeroman facility located in El Salvador where one in eight mechanics are FAA certified At a major overhaul base used by United Airlines in China the ratio is one FAA certified mechanic for every 31 non certified mechanics 15 Comparison editflight hours maintenance intervals 16 Model A Check C Check D CheckAirbus A220 17 850 8 500Airbus A320 family 18 750 or 750 cycles or 4 months 12 000 or 8 000 cycles or 36 months 6 12 yearsATR 42 ATR 72 19 750 5 000 2 4 8 yearsBombardier CRJ700 series 20 800 8 000Bombardier Dash 8 21 800 8 000Bombardier Global 7500 22 850 36 months 8 500 cycles 12 yearsEmbraer E Jet family 850 8 500Embraer E Jet E2 family 1 000 10 000Mitsubishi Regional Jet 750 7 500Boeing 737 NG 23 150 600 7 500 or 730 days Boeing 767 300ER 750 or 300 Flight Cycles 6 000 or 3 000 Flight Cycles or 18 Months Boeing 747 400 747 8 24 600 1 000 7 500 10 000 6 years systems 8 8 6 years most structures and zonal References edit AFS 600 2008 Chapter 8 Inspection Fundamentals Aviation Maintenance Technician Handbook pdf Federal Aviation Administration pp 8 15 FAA H 8083 30 Archived from the original PDF on 2014 11 22 Retrieved 2014 12 01 a href Template Cite book html title Template Cite book cite book a CS1 maint numeric names authors list link AFS 2009 Vol 3 Chapters 18 amp 43 Flight Standards Information Management System CHG 80 Federal Aviation Administration Order 8900 1 Retrieved 2010 01 12 a b Maintenance Review Boards Maintenance Type Boards and OEM TCH Recommended Maintenance Procedures pdf Federal Aviation Administration 2012 Advisory Circular 121 22C Retrieved 2019 05 16 UK Aerospace Maintenance Repair Overhaul amp Logistics Industry Analysis PDF UK Government Department for Business Innovation amp Skills p 16 Retrieved 14 December 2017 Kinnison Harry Siddiqui Tariq 2011 Aviation Maintenance Management 2 ed McGraw Hill p 122 ISBN 978 0 07 180502 5 The A C and D of aircraft maintenance Qantas Major maintenance due for A380s MRO Network Retrieved 14 December 2017 a b Aircraft maintenance at Lufthansa Technik Lufthansa Technik Archived from the original on 11 October 2014 Retrieved 14 December 2017 Glossary of aircraft maintenance terms and abbreviations Monarch Engineering Archived from the original on 14 December 2017 Retrieved 14 December 2017 Overhaul Lufthansa Technik Archived from the original on 26 September 2014 Retrieved 14 December 2017 Fabozzi Frank ed 2000 Investing in asset backed securities New Hope PA Frank J Fabozzi Associates p 156 ISBN 1883249805 Retrieved 14 December 2017 The Relationship between an Aircraft s Value and its Maintenance Status PDF Aircraft Monitor Retrieved 14 December 2017 Scheinberg Ronald 2017 The Commercial Aircraft Finance Handbook Routledge ISBN 1351364219 Retrieved 5 August 2018 a b Maintenance Reserves Need to Account for Realistic D Check Costs Aircraft Value News October 29 2018 Steele James B 9 November 2015 The Disturbing Truth About How Airplanes Are Maintained Today Vanity Fair Conde Nast Bernie Baldwin Sep 7 2018 Profitability Is Aim Of Crossover Jets Better Maintainability Aviation Week amp Space Technology Michael Gubisch 14 July 2017 How has the CSeries performed in service Flightglobal Extension lead MRO management March 2017 permanent dead link ATR extends Type A Maintenance Visit Intervals Press release ATR 25 February 2019 Archived from the original on 1 April 2020 Retrieved 25 February 2019 CRJ Series Certified for Higher Maintenance Intervals Press release Bombardier September 24 2018 Singapore Bombardier to take Q400 up to 90 seats flightglobal 17 February 2016 Fred George Mar 25 2019 Bombardier Global 7500 A Personal Flying Flagship Without Equal Business amp Commercial Aviation Company presentation amp improvements Turkish Technic November 2013 Archived from the original on 2018 10 29 Retrieved 2018 10 29 747 8 Offers Operational Improvements and Cross Model Commonality PDF AERO Quarterly Boeing Oct 2010 External links editDescription of a D check at Aerosphere Air Transport Association Federal Aviation Administration FAA Flight Standards Information Management System FSIMS Description of Checks in relation to the Airworthiness System on SKYbrary Alex Derber Aug 29 2018 How The A320 Overtook The 737 And MRO Implications Aviation Week Network Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Aircraft maintenance checks amp oldid 1211073635 C check, wikipedia, 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