Got places to go and things to see inside airframes and engines? Well, today’s new borescopes, fiberscopes, and videoscopes can boldly take you where no technician has gone before. And they can do a lot more than show you a picture when they get there.

It’s no news that new airplanes aren’t flying off of the assembly lines, which means our already old fleet is just going to get older. And one of the big challenges that comes with maintaining those aging aircraft is needing to do better, more thorough and detailed inspections of airframes and engines, and do them more efficiently than ever.

One category of tools can help do just that: put the right borescope, fiberscope, or videoscope in the hands of an experienced technician and amazing things can happen. The only thing standing in the way of finding the perfect tool to do the work is keeping up with advances in products and technologies—it seems like there’s something new every day.

Aviation Maintenance is here to help. The following is AM’s annual look at what’s new in remote visual inspection equipment and technology. Take a look. It may change the way you do your job.

 

Everest VIT

For technicians who have been salivating for a new full-color videoscope system, but just can’t justify the cost, Everest VIT has some good news: by the time you read this, Everest’s new VideoProbe 300 will be available. "This is a lower cost videoprobe system that we have created to fill the needs of corporate operators who cannot justify the cost of our high-end, fully-featured XL PRO product," said Joe Lopez, product line manager for Everest VIT. "It delivers videoscope performance at a high-end fiberscope price."

Lopez said that in creating the new VP 300 package, Everest VIT included features that would be of the most benefit to target customers. For example, it has a 24-Watt Solarc metal halide arc lamp, a 1/6-inch CCD camera, a 5-inch active matrix color LCD display, and a 360-degree all-way articulating tip with Everest’s "automatic home" tip-centering function. And while it does not have video-capture capabilities, it does include S-video and component video outputs for easy connection to any off-the-shelf VCR, camcorder, or other video-capture device.

To further help control costs, the company made a strategic decision to offer the VideoProbe 300 in predetermined diameter/length combinations: 5 mm/1.5 meter; 6 mm/2 meter; and 8 mm/3 meter. "Those are the size/length combinations that will offer the best capabilities to our target turboprop and turbojet users," he added. "Even users who couldn’t afford a video system before can have one now. You just can’t deny the allure of a videoprobe once you’ve seen one." And now you won’t have to.

Everest VIT
Phone: 888-332-3848 or 973-448-0077
www.everestvit.com

 

Gradient Lens

To make airframe and foreign object damage (FOD) inspections easier and more effective, Gradient Lens recently began offering the new 1-meter (39-inch) Hawkeye flexible borescope to the aviation industry. With its 8-mm diameter and a new gooseneck sheath, this kit makes it easy to "shape the scope" and get to some very confined locations. "It’s actually easier to use than floppy fiberscopes," explained Doug Kindred, president of Gradient Lens, "which often require a ‘rigidizer’ or guide tube."

"This scope can be used for many engine inspections where it is too difficult to use a rigid ‘scope," he added. "And the optics are incredibly good. With a very high quality medical-grade fiber optic image bundle, it gives you great resolution and contrast."

Just like the other Hawkeye ‘scopes, the flexible scope is a high quality, easily portable product that delivers exceptional performance at a low cost. The kit includes the ‘scope, a 90-degree adapter, and the super-bright, rechargeable NOVA light kit, all in a sturdy aluminum case for around $2,000.

Another new product from Gradient Lens is the Hawkeye Blue Rigid Borescope. This new line combines high quality borescopes with fine precision German optics, making them ideal for combustion chamber inspections. The units are compatible with any Hawkeye or Luxxor light source or video system.

Gradient Lens
Phone: 800-536-0790 or 585-235-2620
www.gradientlens.com

 

Instrument Technology, Inc.

There are two kinds of technicians; those who have broken the articulating tip or tiny control cables on a fiberscope and those who will. Thankfully for both groups, Instrument Technology Inc. (ITI), has developed the patented ProTecht overtorque protection system that automatically releases any tension caused by overtorqueing the articulated tip or control cables.

"With ProTecht, if a technician accidentally tries to remove the scope with the tip articulated, it won’t damage the unit," explained Jay Mulligan, Instrument Technology’s general sales manager. "The patented design automatically takes up the extra load on the tip and control cables and reduces the chance of breakage. Repairing those types of breaks can cost up to 50 percent of the price of the ‘scope."

Mulligan said that ITI offers the ProTecht system on its line of fiberscopes and videoscopes, bringing this money- and embarrassment-saving feature to anyone doing sophisticated remote visual inspections. He also pointed out that because ITI builds all of its own components in the U.S., ‘scopes with ProTecht are comparably priced with standard video- and fiberscopes on the market.

Another feature that ITI makes available on many of its products is a� tungsten steel outer jacket that protects the probe in harsh environments. "Our unique way of braiding the tungsten makes it strong and very flexible," Mulligan said. "And to make it even better, we’ve introduced a unique way of applying Teflon to the jacket to add lubricity to make it easier to slip it inside of dirty engine sections."

Instrument Technology, Inc.
Phone: 413-562-3606
www.scopes.com

 

Karl Storz

Karl Storz has introduced a new swing prism borescope that is approved and qualified by Pratt & Whitney for inspections of its F100 military engines. Featuring a new swing prism mechanism, this ‘scope allows the inspecting technician to scan large internal areas, from fore oblique to retrospection along the axis of insertion with one unit. A 400-degree shaft rotation provides for full 360-degree internal viewing along the circumference of the tube.

This not only cuts down on the time it takes to do an inspection, but it also eliminates the need to have multiple ‘scopes to complete the task. The new swing prism borescope operates with Karl Storz’s lightweight, portable Techopack, which provides complete image management and audio annotating capabilities. Designed for use on the flight line and in the shop, the Technopack features a high-resolution video monitor that can be placed on the ‘scope body, on the work piece, or mounted on the Technopack itself.

The ‘scope’s body-mounted trigger controls the position of the prism and the viewing direction, while the thumb wheel rotates the insertion tube for targeted viewing. Both permit comfortable left- or right-handed use. A small index indicator in the image defines the image position relevant to the ‘scope’s user, which helps identify the engine section they are viewing.

Karl Storz
Phone: 800-421-0837, ext 4283
Web: www.karlstorz.com

 

Lenox Instrument Company

If you are a technician who does a lot of work on piston engines, then you want to take a look at Lenox’s Autoscope, a battery-powered, rigid borescope. No, it’s not new. The Autoscope has been a perennial part of Lenox’s product line for nearly 20 years. But it just keeps on doing the job. And one job it is particularly suited for is spelled out in a recent Teledyne Continental Motors (TCM) service bulletin calling for a borescope inspection to determine the internal condition of the cylinders.

Why did TCM specify the Autoscope in its bulletin? "Our ‘scope has the proper level of illumination, wide field-of-view, and excellent optics you need," explained Bill Lang, Lenox’s marketing manager. "The Autoscope is a proven product," he added, "and it’s popular with technicians working on everything from single-engine airplanes to Boeing 747s."

Available in lengths from 9 to 15 inches, the Autoscope provides a 70-degree field of view with a probe diameter in the choice of 6-mm or 8-mm and can focus from a quarter inch to infinity. And the best part is Lenox packs all this in the Autoscope and prices it at just $995.

Lenox Instrument Company
Phone: 800-356-1104 or 215-322-9990
www.lenoxinst.com

 

Machida Borescopes

It happens all the time; you’re doing an inspection on a turbine engine and you see salt or dirt build-up on the blades and you need to clean it off; or maybe someone has dropped a bolt or tool deep inside an engine. How do you get in there to do what you need to? Machida Borescopes has the answer. The new FOD (foreign object damage) Scope will get you in to do the job without disassembling the engine.

Along with the high-quality fiber optics that Machida is famous for, the ‘scope features a built-in working channel that allows you to pass various tools through to accomplish a number of jobs. Machida has created a cleaning brush; mechanical fingers for grabbing small objects; a snare for larger, heavier object retrieval; a tube that can be used either to inject liquids or vacuum out small debris; and a hook.

"The hook was the first tool created for the ‘scope," explained Jitu Patel, vice president of Machida’s Industrial Division. "You couldn’t get a regular ‘scope deep inside the engines for inspection so it was designed so a technician could catch the hook on a turbine engine’s blade, then by slowly turning the blade, the fiberscope can be drawn inside the engine to allow the inspection of the interior vanes."

"There are some unique applications for this ‘scope," he continued. "You don’t have to buy special tools. One ‘scope can now do inspections, cleaning, and FOD retrievals. Every airline needs to have at least one."

Machida Borescopes
Phone: 800-431-5420 or 845-365-0600
www.machidascopes.com

 

Olympus Industrial America

One of the hardest problems about doing a remote visual inspection is trying to accurately determine the extent or size of the damage to a part. After all, you are seeing in only two dimensions. Olympus has changed all that. With its new 3D Eye-Trek wearable display unit, you "can put yourself right inside the object you are inspecting," according to the company. With the ability to display images in three dimensions, Eye-Trek takes a lot of the guesswork out of remote visual inspection. Now you can accurately examine interiors from every angle and explore surface textures with lifelike color, texture, and clarity. The 3-D capability makes it possible to find and analyze defects that you may never have seen with the standard two-dimensional probe.

Eye-Trek is an option to Olympus’s new IPLEX industrial videoscope system. The IPLEX package is one of the most capable and functional portable videoprobe systems yet introduced. The system is a self-contained unit that combines the ease of logical, finger-tip control of the motorized tip articulation; the convenience of a large 5.6-inch color LCD display; and the versatility of IPLEX Manager software, which allows you to measure damaged areas and manage, create, and edit inspection reports. The software even makes it easy to e-mail color images.

And with just a 4.4-mm probe diameter, the IPLEX system also features one of the industry’s narrowest insertion tubes, letting technicians approach the areas in question from positions that may have been difficult, if not impossible, to achieve with larger probes.

Olympus Industrial America
Phone: 866-642-4275
www.olympusindustrial.com�

 

Borescope Training: Learning the ‘Scopes

Like the majority of aircraft maintenance tasks, when it comes to borescope training most technicians learn by doing. Which is not the most efficient and effective way to find out how to use a complex piece of equipment. Well, one company has created a new training program that combines the best of online training with hands-on classroom experience.

The company is Aviation Learning and the program is the Blended Training Solution. "When we entered into the market we wanted to be a technology-based training company," explained Mark Rider, executive vice president. "What we found was that the marketplace just wasn’t ready for a totally computer-based program, so we focused on developing our Blended Training Solution.

"It is superior and more acceptable to technicians because it combines the strengths of computer-based training with traditional instructor-lead classroom training," he added. "Students can do the online part at their own pace then more can be accomplished in the classroom."

Currently, Aviation Learning offers the program in two packages: the "Fundamentals of Borescopes" and the intermediate "Engine Type Specific" courses. Both programs are divided into structured on-line training followed by the on-site, instructor-lead training. Rider said that the big benefit to the program is that after completing the four hours of online training all of the students in the class have the same knowledge level, which makes it a lot easier for the instructor because all of the material will be pertinent to the students’ needs.

Rider also explained that along with giving students effective basic or refresher training, all of Aviation Learning’s programs qualify the student to receive credit towards the FAA’s AMT Awards Program. Another benefit is that after a technician is signed up, he or she can go online and review the specific information anytime they want for as long as they want. "It’s a great way to get refamiliarized with a specific engine type or procedure," he added. "Especially if it’s been a couple of years since they received training on a specific engine. They can go to the computer and call up the information in minutes."

Aviation Learning currently offers online borescope inspection training programs for the majority of engines found on commercial airliners as well as the venerable Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6 series. The cost for the online portion of the training averages about $300 per technician. The rate for the on-site classroom training varies by the number of students in the class.

Aviation Learning
Phone: 888-458-5042, ext. 232 or 585-328-5000, ext. 232
Web: www.aviationlearning.com