A couple of months ago we featured our aircraft maintenance hub at La Muñoza near Barajas Airport. Here we´ll go a bit more in depth about the different types of maintenance, as well as the training required to get into this line of work.
What Exactly Is Aircraft Maintenance?
It´s fairly straightforward, of course: all the routines of inspections and repairs continuously performed by all airlines on a prescheduled basis. And as you can imagine, these are far from random but done according to strict protocols designed by the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) as well as the USA´s Federal Aviation Authority (FAA).
Known by the acronym MRO (maintenance, repair and overhaul). this concept covers a number of disciplines and requires many different types of specialisation, as we´ll see below.
In Spain, the inspection programme of the Agencia Estatal de Seguridad Aérea (State Agency for Air Security) is governed by the reglamento UE 1321/2014. La seguridad a bordo siempre ha sido una bandera en el transporte aéreo: de ahí que, como vamos a ver a continuación, el nivel de inspecciones y la frecuencia sean abrumadores.
The 10 Preventive Aircraft Maintenance Reviews
Type A
There are four types of so-called “chart reviews”: A, B, C and D. Type A reviews are performed in hangars on the ground every 400-600 flight hours or every 200-300 cycles (a flight cycle is considered to be one takeoff plus one landing).
Type A inspections last a minimum of ten hours and are estimated to require between 50 and 70 man-hours, which means that during those ten hours there will be between five and seven professionals carrying out the work.
Type B
They are carried out in airport hangars with a frequency usually varying between six and eight months, and they last between one and three days, using around 160-180 man-hours.
Type C
These are even more thorough than A and B, since a greater number of aircraft parts must be inspected. The estimated frequency is around 20-24 months, although the regularity can also be established by the manufacturer. They are carried out in maintenance base hangars due to the large space they occupy. They take some 6,000 man-hours during between one and two weeks.
Type D
These are the most exhaustive and demanding of the four types, inspection and repair protocols with a frequency of approximately six years. Some 50,000 man hours are invested in them, they usually last two months. And given the time that the aircraft is out of circulation, it´s often used to implement improvements to it (renew seats, incorporate more modern entertainment screens, etc.). The aircraft is inspected so thoroughly that even the paint is removed to thoroughly examine the fuselage. Given their complexity, they are scheduled very far in advance (about two years), to give the airline the ability to organise the operation perfectly.
In-Transit Checks
Usually performed on the tarmac before a plane takes off, they´re quick inspections of oil level, tire pressure, etc.
Daily Checks
Carried out to check the oil level, between 15 and 30 minutes after the engines are turned off in order to be accurate.
48-Hour Checks
More complex than the daily checks, here tyres and brakes are checked; fluids are replaced; the oil in the auxiliary power unit is monitored and replaced; and a visual inspection of the wings, cabin, interior and fuselage is done.
Time-Limit Checks
These are carried out based on the number of hours that the aircraft has been flying. They inspect engines, controls and other systems that have been operating continuously.
Review of Operating-Limit Cycles
Keeping in mind that an operating cycle includes one takeoff plus one landing, there are elements of the aircraft whose status depends on these cycles. For example, the landing gear, which is only used for these two functions. These and other elements such as the structure, engine, turbine blades, etc., will require these maintenance tasks depending on their cyclical efforts.
Periodic Service Checks
These visual inspections are carried out every two or three days at a rate of approximately two hours of work.
Corrective Maintenance
In addition to these structured inspections, one may be requested for a specific problem with an aircraft, to repair or restore the part or piece of the ship that has been damaged so that it can return to normal activity.
Maintenance Technician Training in Spain
There are different levels of vocational training to qualify as a technician, all of which must be approved by Spain´s General Directorate of Civil Aviation and of course, also in accordance with European regulations.
In addition to the the training they select – from a wide range of available at various educational centres throughout the country – aspiring technicians must obtain an aircraft maintenance licence (LMA), information about which can be found on the website of the Spanish Aviation and Security Agency (AESA) and the exam for which is essential to be able to work in this sector. The degree of specialisation will be determined by the training chosen.
Photo| Hispanolistic