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There is a vast and challenging opportunities for jobs in aircraft maintenance. The main role is to maintain the aircrafts and the components in a good (airworthiness) condition. This to ensure that a safe aircraft is available to meet the flying schedule of the airline:
1. The Roles and Importance of Aircraft Maintenance in an Airline.
Airlines, whether a scheduled carriers or charter operators, or even a private owners, will require a safe and ready aircraft to to be made available to meet the flying schedules. The job of making the aircrafts are ready and safe (in airworthy condition) is the responsibility of the aircraft maintenance group.
The type of maintenance can be roughly divided into 4 different headings:
a. the ad-hoc repairs
As the aircrafts fly, the pilots will record all defects or faults in the aircraft system. Some of these faults can be deferred to a suitable time to repair, some are serious and require immediate repair before the aircraft can fly. The decision is made with reference to the aircraft’s manuals.
The defects of problems can be found by the maintenance crew,the mechanics or the aircraft engineers during the transit checks or the lay-over checks. All the defects are recorded in the aircraft logbook which are always kept in the aircraft cockpit.
b. Schedule Maintenance: Certain works have to be done at a fixed interval or schedule. This is normally detailed in aircraft maintenance schedule. If the works is intensive, the aircraft has to be brought into the hangar (its garage) where sufficient facilities are available to perform the works.
c. Modification : Sometime, a change is required on the existing system. This is normally initiated by the aircraft manufacturer or the aviation authorities.
You can also divide the tasks into line jobs or base maintenance jobs. In fact this is how most airlines divide the departments within the aircraft maintenance group.
2. Nature of the Jobs.
Most of the jobs are technical, the work is being done onto the aircrafts, engines or the components. There is a small percentage dealing with sales or customers relation.
A small groups will deal with documentations and records. When an aircraft is scheduled for hanger visit for its regular check, all the jobs to be done on the aircraft have to be transferred to the jobs cards. The equipments and spares have to made available.
As the works are being carried out, the jobs card are collated and accounted for. It is a legal requirement to have all the records properly kept and easily accessible.
3. The Organisation
Within the airline, Aircraft Maintenance is one of the necessary functions, which can be created internally or outsourced to an external third party. Even if the function is being outsourced, it is necessary to create a small core personnels to oversee the operation and performance of the contractors. The final responsibility to provide a safe airworthy aircraft is with the airline, although some of the tasks are being outsourced to an external supplier.
With the aircraft maintenance group, the department is further divided into different functions:
a. Quality Assurance – responsible for audit, records and possibly training. Quality is controlled and maintained by maintaining quality of the inputs, the processes and the output.
- quality of the inputs is controlled by controlling th spares and parts that are installed on the aircraft, all parts have to be purchased by the approved suppliers (by the quality department). The personnel working on the aircraft have to be tested and certified (by quality department).
- The works must comply to approved work manual by aircraft or components manufacturers. The facilities and equipments used in the maintenance must get the approval from quality department.
- The records must be properly kept and traceable. So it is easy to check ho had performed a certain job on a given aircraft.
b. Base Maintenance – responsible for the heavy jobs at the base. Normally it cover the heavier checks such as check C and D.
c. Line Maintenance – For jobs to be one at the terminals or smaller checks that does not require hanger.
d. Material and Spares – for the purchases and storage of spare parts including external repair arrangements.
e. Planning – Plan for the works to be performed on the aircraft. It includes the job contents, cards, spares and manpower. The works require close coordinations with other functions.
f. Workshop.- The airlines has to maintain a comprehensive range of workshops. Although most of the functions can be outsourced, the turn-around time will be greatly improved by having own workshop.
4. External Authorities
..to be written…
Although the ICAO (International Civil Aviation Organisation) provided the details on guidelines, but it does have the executive power. The authority rests on individual country. However some country opted to setup a common authority, example the EASA (for Europe)
5. Personnels/ Jobs
a.. Certified mechanics – some countries call it aircraft maintenance engineer. The person has to undergo 4 to5 years training and undergo through examinations conducted by the relevant authorities such as the FAA, EASA, JAR, CAA or the country’s civil aviation authority.
The work can be at the airport (the ram), the hanger or base maintenance or at the workshop.
b. Mechanics – This a a group of skilled staff but they are not certified through the exam.
c. Design Engineer – Work in the technical services department to provide the engineering supports. They are normally graduate engineers, aeronautical, mechanical, electrical or electronic or materials qualified personnel.
d. Purchasing and Supplies – spare parts, components or material.
Aircraft parts are very expensive and specially controlled.This is because the safety is involved. Each of the parts fitted to the aircraft are documented and traceable to the persons who fitted it and to the repairer or manufacturers.
e. Workshops -
f. Quality Assurance personnel -
g. Planners -
6. Outsource Model
I had selected a report by FAA on the outsource model. I hope this will give the readers some ideas on the issues in outsourcing maintenance.
http://www.tc.faa.gov/its/worldpac/techrpt/ar02-122.pdf
Practices and Perspectives in Outsourcing Aircraft Maintenance
copy of the abstract:
http://www.tc.faa.gov/its/worldpac/techrpt/ar02-122.pdf
7. MRO Model
The aircraft maintenance function is normally part of the main functions of an airline. Traditionally it is a department or a division of the airline. It can operate as a profit center, making it responsible to manage its cost and answerable for the revenue.
However as the division becomes bigger, the airline may float it as an independent company, making it responsible for its strategic future. However, most airline would want the golden controlling share to safe guard the interest of the airline. The airline may require, that it had to be given the first priority of the maintenance slot, with the normal planning time frame.
Many large company had done it successfully. One of them is
