Aircraft Maintenance Programs

by Ashish
(Mumbai, India)

How do I prepare an aircraft maintenance program?

ANSWER: The FAA defines a maintenance program as "the performance of tasks required to ensure the continuing airworthiness of an aircraft, including any one or combination of overhaul, inspection, replacement, defect rectification, and the embodiment of an alteration or repair."

So each of these items must be addressed in a maintenance program.

The easiest way to prepare a maintenance program is to adopt the manufacturers recommendations exactly. All manufacturers are required to publish maintenance and inspection requirements or instructions for continued airworthiness for each aircraft they build.

Most operators choose this method. As they gain operational experience with a specific type of aircraft, they may choose to alter the program to best suit their operations, as long as continued airworthiness and safety can be shown.

Of course these changes to the program would have to be approved by the aviation authority having jurisdiction over the operator before they could be implemented.