MRO- Maintenance, Repair &

Overhaul
The aircraft maintenance, repair and overhaul
services will ensure optimal quality and
reliability to achieve the highest quality for
commercial aircraft, engines and systems.
 MRO- Maintenance, Repair & Overhaul

• Aircraft MRO is the overhaul, repair,

inspection or modification of an aircraft or
aircraft component
• Maintenance includes the installation or
removal of a component from an aircraft or
aircraft subassembly, but does not include:
– Elementary work, such as spark plugs, checking
cylinder compression, etc
 MRO- Maintenance, Repair & Overhaul

– Servicing, such as refueling, washing windows

– Any work done on an aircraft or aircraft
component as part of the manufacturing process,
prior to issue of a certificate of airworthiness or
other certification document
 Types of Maintenance
• Each airline develops its own program, based
on manufacturer’s planning documents, but
includes adjustments for the airline’s own
operations
• Each aircrafts requires different operators and
programs
• BUT, aircraft of the same number of routine
maintenance hours during the program cycle
 MRO- Maintenance, Repair & Overhaul

• Maintenance of aircraft usually categorized into

– Product type (airframe, engine and components)
– Timing and purpose of work
• Then, resulted into 4 categories
– Routine scheduled maintenance
– Non-routine maintenance
– Refurbishments
– Modifications
 Routine scheduled maintenance
• Includes airframe and engine checks
• The most elementary is visual inspection of
the aircraft before flight- ‘walk-around’
• To ensure there are no leaks, missing rivets or
cracks
• Types of checks-In Grades
– Overnight
– A-Check
 Routine scheduled maintenance

– B-check
– C-check
– D-Check
• Overnight: Operate 1 to 1.5 hrs. inspection (End
of working day) to ensure the plane operating in
according to OEM ‘s (Original Equipment
Manufacturer) minimum list
• In, example installation of telephones and other
devices
7
 Routine scheduled maintenance

• A-Check: Done after 125flight hours (2-3 weeks)

– An amplified preflight visual inspection of plane's
power plants, avionics and accessories
• B-Check: Done approximately after 175 flight
hours (3 to 4 months)
– An open inspection for preventive maintenance
(exterior wash, engine oil)
– Oils filters are removed and checked, parts are
lubricated and carefully examined
 Routine scheduled maintenance

• C-check: Carried out approximately for every 3000

flight hours (15 months)
– Incorporates both A and B checks
– Components are repaired,
– Flights controls are calibrated
– Major internal mechanism are tested
– Other tests include minor structural inspections,
compressor, flight control rigging tests, engine,
compressor washes, aircraft appearance maintenance,
and post-check flight tests
 Routine scheduled maintenance

• D-Check: The most intensive, approximately

20, 000 flights hours (6-8 years)
– Cabin interiors (including seats, galleys, lavatories,
cockpit, furnishings, headliners and sidewalls) are
removed to enable careful structural inspections
– Flights controls are examined and the fuel system
is probed for leaks and cracks
– The aircraft is stripped to its shell and rebuilt to
return it to its original con
 Non-routine Maintenance
• Done due to unforeseen event such as
accident.
• An example of the first engine damage due to
bird ingestion or an airframe dented by a
catering truck
• Done also for an aging aircraft
 Refurbishments
• Any form of upgrading of cleaning, brighting,
or making it fresh again.
• To renovate and upgrade the aircraft
• For example: Cabin upgrades and exterior
painting
 Modifications
• Any form of small alteration, adjustment, or
limitation to fulfill the aircraft’s owner.
• Most modifications are carried out within the
interior design, not much on the airframe and
engine.
• For example: Installation of various kind of
entertainment in the cabin
Overhaul of airframes and Engines
• A plan where a series of seven minor overhauls
and one major check were conducted on
aircraft
• The major overhaul was designed to rework the
airplane to a like-new condition-to fit the bits
and pieces back together to the exactness of
current manufacturing tolerances
• seven minor overhauls are
• 1.Disassembly 2.Cleaning 3.Inspection 4.Repair
5.Reassembly 6.Testing 7.Storage
 Overhaul of engines and other components

• Components are brought in when either

operating time/ condition requires it
• The overhaul returns them to specifications
laid down by engineering and manufacturer
• BUT when practical, engine changes are made
during maintenance checks or airframe
overhauls
 Contract Maintenance
When?
• When the airline do not have the personnel and equipment to
perform maintenance
• When serving a distant airport at which they do not have
maintenance support
Why?
• Different types of aircraft requires different expertise from
different areas
• Low labor cost
• Important note:
– Some contracts extend to other functions, such as cleaning
and fueling the aircraft
SPECIAL INSPECTION:

1.SPECIAL INSPECTION PROCEDURES SHOULD BE

FOLLOWED TO DETERMINE IF DAMAGE TO THE
AIRCRAFT STRUCTURE HAS OCCURRED.

1.HARD OR OVERWEIGHT LANDING INSPECTION.

2.SEVERE TURBULENCE INSPECTION OR OVER G

3.LIGHTNING STRIKE

4.FIRE DAMAGE

5.FLOOD DAMAGE

6.SEAPLANE INSPECITON

7.AERIAL APPLICATION AIRCRAFT

 Aircraft Inspection
• Nondestructive testing is used
extensively during the
manufacturing of aircraft.
• NDT is also used to find cracks
and corrosion damage during
operation of the aircraft.
• A fatigue crack that started at the
site of a lightning strike is shown
below.
 Jet Engine Inspection
• Aircraft engines are overhauled after
being in service for a period of time.
• They are completely disassembled,
cleaned, inspected and then
reassembled.
• Fluorescent penetrant inspection is
used to check many of the parts for
cracking.
 Borescope / Eddy Current Example

Inspection through
advanced coating –
HVOF, D-Gun, etc.
Detect & characterize:
-Substrate
damage/defect regions
-Coating thickness &
Stage 1 – Bucket Aft Stage 2 – Z Shroud
bond defects
Inspections can be
performed without
removal of good
coatings

Stage 1 – Nozzle Cooling Stage 1 – Nozzle Aft

20 Crack Crack