Aviation Stack Exchange
Aviation Stack Exchange

Questions tagged [aircraft-maintenance]

Use this tag for questions pertaining to the maintenance of aircraft, including owner-performed maintenance and required inspections (annual, 100-hour, etc.)

Aircraft maintenance refers to the routine (and not-so-routine) work required to keep an aircraft in an operable and airworthy condition.

Aircraft maintenance questions can include questions about:

  • Work performed by aircraft maintenance technicians, mechanics, and repair shops
    Things like as pitot-static system tests, annual inspections, and engine overhauls)
  • Specialty shop work
    Interior refits and aircraft painting
  • Preventive maintenance
    Typically items covered under FAR 43 Appendix A and can be performed by a mechanic or a certificated pilot under 91
  • Authorized owner-performed maintenance
    Such as what can be done on a Light-Sport aircraft with a repairman's certificate, an experimental aircraft by the builder, or work on a Canadian aircraft registered as "Owner Maintenance".
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Why isn't there a "check engine" light in airplanes?

Why don't small airplanes (like Cessna or Cirrus) have "Check Engine" lights, like cars do? For the most part, the people flying these airplanes don't know much more about the plane than they do their car. Wouldn't a "Check Engine" light be useful…
Keegan
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What should I wash my plane with?

What should I wash my airplane off with? As a new aircraft owner, any help would be appreciated. I am pretty sure using dish washing detergent is not the best here as we are told not to use the stuff on our cars.
Yogwhatup
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How to replace two propellers on the same aircraft reaching the time limit?

When both propellers of the aircraft reach the time limit (60 month) and need to be replaced, can both propellers be replaced at the same time and perform only one flight test to reduce time on ground or should they be replaced one at a time just…
Tom Sreepat
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Are an aircraft's nuts and bolts generally either all Imperial or all Metric, or can they be mixed?

This is a low-tech question, but I was wondering about the distribution of imperial vs metric hardware on aircraft. When current commercial aircraft land at major airports, a mechanic will know which set of wrenches to grab. Still, I wonder is…
uhoh
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It is possible for an airplane to get infested by animals?

Is it possible for an airplane to become infested by animals like mice or rats? Is it possible for them to survive? Do airliners do anything to prevent a scenario like this? Has it ever happened before?
Maccetto
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Is there any limit by FAA on the age of aircraft to be operational?

Is there any restriction by FAA that one can not fly a plane older than 'X' years? If someone is maintaining an older plane (e.g. from 1990s), are there any regulations which prevents or restricts that person to fly that airplane? I am interested in…
NitinG
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Are task cards still used in aircraft maintenance?

I used to work for a company making maintenance software for the shipping industry. Each component, from a cylinder in an engine to the furnace has to be inspected after (e.g.) 10,000 running hours, or every 2 years, etc. My question is: Are task…
Danny Beckett
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I need to clean my aircraft's windows - what do I use?

I need to clean my aircraft's windows what do I use? Note: I hope this is not a "subjective" question, as I don't want to put a potential harmful substance on my aircraft's windows and as a new aircraft owner, I would think this would be a logical…
Yogwhatup
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How should the number of maintenance hours per flight hour for the C-17 be interpreted?

While reading up on the Boeing C-17 Globemaster III, I came across a reference to its maintenance man-hours which surprised me. As listed in the spec sheet (emphasis mine): These requirements include an aircraft mission completion success…
Lilienthal
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Why did older versions of B747 use radioactive material?

What was its purpose and in which part of the aircraft was it being used?
Ludwig T
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Who decides an aircraft's maintenance schedule?

I've found a 737 maintenance planning data document produced by Boeing, which gives a suggested schedule on page 6. I've also found a British Airways Fact Book document, which on the last page gives a schedule. So who decides how often an aircraft…
Danny Beckett
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How much of a plane is replaced over the lifetime of an aircraft?

A photo of an OC-135 with (presumably) P&W TF33-P-5 engines made me wonder how many of the components had been replaced, and what was left of the original airframe, engines, and other parts. There are many aircraft operated today that are at least…
zymhan
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What is the difference between a functional check and an operational check?

Can anyone explain what is the difference between a functional check and an operational check in aviation? Basically I faced a problem to prepare the task card for functional and operational check of a FDR (Flight Data Recorder).
ankon
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Are there differences in tool standards between aircraft manufacturers?

As a follow up to "What is the measurement system used in the aviation industry?" which specified about measurement units during operations, another question that comes to my mind is: are there differences used in tools for maintenance and repairs…
Fabrizio Mazzoni
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How feasible is BAE Smart Skin?

I just came across this article on LinkedIn, and I have a few questions about it. Some of BAe's claims are things such as: Aircraft set to become more human as engineers develop smart skins which can detect injury The revolutionary ‘smart skin’…
JasonR
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