Archives :: Aviation Maintenance Magazine :: Issue :: Technology Focus
Displaying 1 - 20 of 81 stories.
August 1, 2009
The historic fly-in of more composite intensive aircraft has already begun, from Bombardier’s Learjet 85 to Cessna’s Corvalis 350/400TT models to the Boeing 787 and Airbus A380, in fifth-generation F-22 and F-35 fighters and multiple unmanned aerial vehicles. Most helicopter manufacturers have switched to composite rotor blades, and new engines from both GE and CFM feature composite turbofan...June 1, 2009
Everyone wants to reduce service delays without sacrificing safety. Some heavy hitters believe that RFID can help do just that. You get the order to find a special tool for an emergency service call. It’s the size of a minivan, but the maintenance depot is the size of four football fields. If computerized work-in-progress data isn’t up to the minute, it might take no less than an avenging angel...March 1, 2009
In conjunction with ExxonMobil’s September 2008 introduction of a new hydraulic fluid called HyJet V for commercial aircraft applications, engineers at the company have produced a technical paper that discusses the stability characteristics of phosphate esters. The information should be useful to aircraft engineers and maintenance personnel. In particular, the document explores why hydraulic fluids...January 1, 2009
Several years ago, the FAA estimated that unapproved parts played a role in 174 U.S. aircraft crashes or less serious accidents between May 1973 and April 1996, causing 17 deaths and 39 injuries, although none involved a major airline. Every year, with the help of the industry, FAA finds "suspected unapproved parts" in the supply chain. While the number of unapproved parts flagged by FAA’s...December 1, 2008
In the U.S. Navy, where operational readiness is directly tied to the mission capability of highly complex aircraft, preventive maintenance is the difference between mission success or mission failure. For more than seven years, the Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) Wiring Systems Branch of the Propulsion and Power Engineering Department has been working to address wiring system problem areas. The...November 1, 2008
Non-destructive testing is a maintenance function. But the rules can be confusing. David Schober takes a stab at defining the rules, setting the limits and areas of caution for maintainers. When dealing with aircraft, the world of certification for nondestructive testing (NDT) can be very confusing. The first place to look for clarification is the FARs. If we perform a search within the FARs, we find that...October 1, 2008
Long viewed as a black art, composite repair is adding more science to boost a mechanic’s confidence. On any given day, thousands of aircraft repairs occur involving composite components, utilized in various applications from nose to tail within every military and commercial aircraft category. Use of these materials onboard aircraft go back 50 years, with wet layup repair mostly conducted hands-on...September 1, 2008
It’s hard to believe that in the nearly 40 years since the first Cessna Citation took to the skies, the brand has grown from the punch line of "near jet" jokes to a global fleet of over 5,100 aircraft. Today, the Citation family ranges from the Mustang very light jet up to the Citation X — the fastest production airplane you can fly without collecting a government paycheck — so...August 1, 2008
It doesn’t take Sherlock Holmes to find a good maintenance tracking software, just some good research. Here we have done the sleuthing for you and have looked at a variety of levels of software ranging from airline-worthy to small shop ready to software designed for individual maintenance departments. Maintenance tracking software programs are as varied as the industry they serve. Products run from...July 1, 2008
For all its glamour, aviation is a dangerous business. Pilots and mechanics are well aware of the risks and are highly trained to manage them. But the same can not be said for many of the ground support workers in aviation ramps and hangars. The lack of a standard approach to training, the relentless time pressures which many of these workers face, their congested and sometimes confusing workspaces, and...June 1, 2008
A 3D modeling technique, digital shape sampling and processing (DSSP), improves analysis of aircraft parts and assemblies. This technique may ultimately help airplanes return to flight much sooner. Maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) has long been part of the aerospace vernacular. But only recently have service providers adopted automated tools to streamline the up-front process of capturing and...May 1, 2008
Spurred by environmental regulations and ever rising fuel costs, jet engine manufacturers are developing products that reduce emissions and noise pollution. Researchers in Europe and America are focusing on next-generation concepts such as open rotor and embedded engines to increase efficiency and reduce noise. But today’s new engines such as the Rolls-Royce Trent 1000, the General Electric GEnx and...April 1, 2008
Airplanes, like humans, deteriorate physically during their long lives. Accumulating stresses make it important to have regular checkups and, as the years go by, more frequent visits to specialists. Like geriatric medicine, aircraft aging science has become more proactive. The aim is not only to detect and repair damage, but also to delay or even prevent the onset of certain problems. There are two poles...April 1, 2008
Suppliers discuss the improved efficiency, visibility and connectivity possible through comprehensive and modular software systems. In Greek mythology, a king named Sisyphus must forever roll a boulder up a steep hill. In some sense, the volume of data required to keep commercial and military fleets flying seems like that boulder, and the hill is the perpetual demand for base and line maintenance during...March 6, 2008
Radio frequency identification (RFID) technology is a well-accepted means of improving the efficiency of manufacturing operations. Data embedded in RFID “tags” attached to items that are shipped to a customer can be “read” automatically by devices at the receiving end, without even opening the crate. The computer systems that recognize the individual parts can generate electronic...December 1, 2007
Electronic flight bags (EFBs) may be on the verge of making a more effective business case for fleet wide adoption. Plus a new logging feature offers a proactive, real-time link between flight and maintenance operations. You don’t expect to find a 50-pound "brick" aboard commercial aircraft, but that’s about the weight of leather flight bags loaded with printed aircraft operating and...November 1, 2007
Unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) are a growing factor in the aviation community, spurred by the military but looking to expand into the civilian commercial market. What are the maintenance requirements for this new genre of aircraft and what skills should be required of maintainers? Spurred by military needs, the unmanned vehicle industry is booming and manufacturers are targeting commercial niches, from...June 1, 2007
Pratt & Whitney’s PW6000 engine design has focused on reducing maintenance and acquisition costs since day one. From wrench jockeys to numbers crunchers, this powerplant will make their day. Handling the high-cycle rigors of short-route flights in the single-aisle, 100-passenger commercial aircraft segment is the mission of Pratt & Whitney’s latest engine, the PW6000. Nine years in...May 1, 2007
During the past three years, there has been an increase of technology within the Remote Visual Inspection (RVI) community. This advance in technology has given the mechanic the ability to fly IFR, with complete accuracy. We no longer have to "scud run" our way through visual inspections. We now have the ability to see and inspect every inch of an aircraft with precision laser measuring and color...March 1, 2007
In 2006, the FAA presented a workshop for the National Center for Atmospheric Research, informing participants that weather is more than twice as likely to cause general aviation fatalities than any other factor and is also the largest cause of general aviation fatalities in the United States, equating to 200 deaths annually. Weather uplinks in the cockpit, when combined with a thorough preview of the...
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