Aviation Management

Manager's Perspective Paper 1: Aircraft Maintenance

Introduction

Businesses in the aviation industry strive by having reliable safe operations histories. One of the most influential aspects of aircraft safety and reliability is aircraft maintenance. Maintenance is a necessary part of aircraft operations. Any machine must be maintained to operate as designed. Aircraft are specifically held to a high standard because of the service they perform; flying people and cargo through the sky.

Aviation Maintenance Basics

Maintenance can be performed for many different reasons. Some maintenance requirements are periodic; others are required by the life cycle of a part. When aircraft are in operation they often incur faults, or failures of parts or components to operate as they should. To perform any of these activities, there must be a certificated repair station, and qualified maintenance technicians to perform the work.

Repair Stations are certified through the FAA under the FAR part 145. The FAR Part 145 is the Code of Federal Regulation outlining the federal requirements to operate a repair station. Some of the more important requirements include the creation of repair station manuals, to include quality control manuals, limitations to a Part 145 certificate, limitations to work performed off site and requirements for aviation maintenance technicians. Methods of maintenance completion and maintenance documentation requirements are also outlined by the FAR Part 145. This regulation is the base document which governs all commercial, FAA regulated aviation maintenance activities.

Aviation Maintenance Technicians (AMT) are those individuals skilled in repair or replacement of aircraft components relating to the Airframe, Power plant and Avionics of an Aircraft. They are certified under FAR Part 43. Many certificates exist under FAR Part 43 due to the different needs of aviation companies.

AMTs are usually rated to work on one, two, or all three of the aircraft...