General Introduction
When dealing with the complex technical systems involved in air transport, the consequences of unreliable services become critical and may include – A high cost of operation, A loss of productivity, Incidents, and potential exposure to accidents.
Aircraft Maintenance activity has come a long way since the early days of commercial aviation when aircraft maintenance programs (AMP’s) owed more to the “perception” of the maintenance needs, as opposed to the analysed and justified needs.
Our mission is to share that the role of Maintenance Planning has the potential to provide significant savings whilst maintaining a fully compliant and safety focused maintenance management system.
Hard Time Primary Maintenance
The early attempts at delivering a more effective maintenance approach (in the early1960’s) saw hard time limits developed which resulted in aircraft being progressively dismantled, in what became known as Hard Time primary maintenance. All hard time components were then routed through an overhaul process and after an appropriate restoration process were considered as zero timed.
Essentially this meant that they were considered as zero life and good to go again for a full life – (The problem was that the overhaul process did not necessary impact the eventual life of the component)
Through the 1960’s representatives from both the FAA and a number of airlines formed a task force to investigate the capabilities of preventive maintenance. The data they gathered was analysed with the following outcomes:
a) The process of scheduled overhaul had little effect on the overall reliability of a complex equipment unless the equipment has a dominant failure mode. (Means unless there was a specific item which would wear out the entire overhaul process did not add value)
b) There are many items for which there is no effective application for scheduled hard-time maintenance.
On Condition (OC) Maintenance
The findings of the task force led to the development of a second primary maintenance process defined as On-Condition (OC). On-Condition requires that an appliance or part be periodically inspected or checked against some appropriate physical standard to determine whether it can continue in service.
The purpose of the standard is to remove the unit from service before failure during normal operation occurs.
From the regulatory perspective it is of primary importance to deliver effective oversight of aircraft operators’ maintenance programmes. Together with a viable assessment of the management of the continuing airworthiness process.
Sofema Aviation Services offers a dedicated 2 day course which is focused on the specific needs of persons (Competent Authority & Industry) who are required to audit the AMP process.
Assessing the Effectiveness of an EASA Compliant Aircraft Maintenance Program (AMP) – 2 Days
The training is delivered in a stimulating and dynamic environment, with a heavy focus on the practical aspects of an effective and efficient Maintenance Planning Process.
The course is delivered by industry practitioners with many years of real and relevant experience.
For further details of course availability please see www.sassofia.com or email office@sassofia.com
