AGING AIRCRAFT PROGRAM

REVIEW OF RECOMMENDED MODIFICATION FOR COMPLIANCE

Engr. Jesher Garde

TYPES OF
AGING
Technical Aging

Economic Aging

Financial Aging
TYPES OF
AGING
Technical Aging
- inherent effect of age on the aircraft over time

Factors Includes:
• Aircraft design, technology and material
• Maintenance
• Operating Parameters: aircraft utilization and
operations
• Aircraft Performance, reliability
TYPES OF
Economic Aging
AGING
- inherent effect of age on the aircraft over time factored by
economic data

Factors Includes:
• Maintenance Market
• Labor rates & efficiencies
• Economic conditions
• Contracts
TYPES OF
Financial Aging
AGING
When the maintenance costs are not paid at the time that the maintenance
event occurs, they may be provisioned. Financial aging is the method used to
account for these provisions.

Factors Includes:
• Operator Financial Policy
• Profit and Loss
• Accounting System
• Budget
ajor Factors Prompting the FAA’s Actions

• Design Service Goals

• Original Maintenance Plans’
Incapability
• 1988 Aloha Accident

Aging Airplane Safety Act of 1991

-required airlines to ensure that repairs and modifications
made to their airplanes are damage-tolerant
“How Old is too Old?”
No specific or definite retirement age or No single criteria for
judging the aircraft as old

“Design Economic Life” – certain period of operating life

keeping in view the aircraft’s designed strength, economics of
maintenance and availability of spares in the future.
20 years or 60,000 hours
 Issues for Aging Aircrafts
Funding
-inadequacy for research and development activities
Example of this is the use of inferior bonding techniques for
composite structures.

Fleet/Depot Planning/Procedures
- lack of support from operators for tail number tracking
used to determine damage and sources of damage. Operators
unaware of procedures/practices that cause damage to aircrafts
Processes of Aircraft Aging

Fatigue

Corrosion
Processes of Aircraft Aging
Fatigue
– occurs through cyclic loadings patterns. Common parts most
susceptible to fatigue are the wings, fuselage and engine(s). This
causes fatigue cracking and widespread fatigue damage

Design Techniques for Fatigue

1. Safe-Life
2. Fail-Safe
3. Damage Tolerance
Design Techniques for Fatigue
1. Safe-Life
- also known as safety by retirement. It specifies a safe lifespan
within which there is no significant risk of structural failure of a
component.

2. Fail-Safe
-uses backup structures and secondary load paths. “Redundancy”

3. Damage Tolerance or Safety by Inspection

-philosophy where damages can be understood and controlled.
Damage tolerance allows for damages as long as these damages are below
the critical point. Regular inspections are required.
Processes of Aircraft Aging
Fatigue

Widespread Fatigue Damage Cracking due to Fatigue

Processes of Aircraft Aging
Corrosion
– time dependent failure which occurs as a result of chemical or
electrochemical degradation of metals.
 Components that Age
Structures
Includes Fuselage, Wings, Empennage,
and Flight Control Surfaces. Structural
Reliability

Powerplant
Overhauled to replace components
susceptible to aging

Systems
Non-structural components. Includes wiring, lines,
pumps, etc. Occur in the form of wear,
deterioration, contamination, and embrittlement.

Aircraft’s Reliability Probability that the aircraft as a whole or particular system, subsystem
or component will function as intended for the duration of the flight
rategies for Aircraft Aging
1 Conduct Surveys
21 Identify & Prioritize Solutions

23 Establish Research & Development Roadmap

43
Obtain Management and Customer Approval

Execute Research and Development Efforts

45 Transition Technology to Operators

6
MPLYING with the Aging Aircraft Program
Airlines must have an improved damage-tolerance based maintenance
program

Operators will need to reassess their structural maintenance programs

and the way repair approvals are being considered. They are also
expected to develop and gain FAA approval of an Operator
Implementation Program that details how the operator will comply with
the requirements of the operational rules. The plan consists of new and
existing processes including:
• A process to identify repairs and alterations that will require damage tolerance
inspections which the FAA defines as maintenance actions necessary to detect or
preclude fatigue cracking that could contribute to catastrophic failure
• A process to obtain the inspection data and perform the needed inspections.
• A process to conduct surveys of airplanes to determine whether existing repairs
will require damage tolerance inspections.
MPLYING with the Aging Aircraft Program
To facilitate operator compliance to the operational rules and to assist in operator
development of their implementation plan, the FAA also has required type certificate
holders and design approval holders to make available certain new and updated
information under 14 CFR 26, Subpart E, including:
• Documents defining fatigue-critical structure.
• Fatigue-critical baseline structure lists.
• Fatigue-critical alteration structure lists.
• Updated published information with damage-tolerance-based maintenance data for
items affecting fatigue-critical structure, including:
• Structural repair manuals.
• Fleet-support service bulletins.
• Master-change service bulletins.
• Supplemental type certificates.
• Model-specific compliance documents that contain a repair evaluation guideline.
MPLYING with the Aging Aircraft Program
Acquisition of New Aircrafts
The Changes at the FAA
A.Pre-Aloha Incident
- Damage -Tolerance Approach to
Maintenance
B.New Policies
- ADs ~ extensive strengthening
- Supplemental Inspection
- More “hands-on”
- Program for mandatory modification
- Individual Life Limits
- Additional Limitations and Restrictions
The Changes at the FAA
C. New Procedures in an Old Environment
1. Problems at the FAA
- Incapability and Shortage of manpower
2. Other Obstacles
- Manufacturer – Operator – FAA relationship
Is Mandatory Retirement a Good Idea?”
FAA vs Government Approach

Factors to Consider
1. Safety
2. Cost

Legal Issues ~ “Is Mandatory Retirement an arbitrary or unreasonable regulation”

Just Compensation = Replacement

/ Cost of the Property taken
Is Mandatory Retirement a Good Idea?”
Airlines Perspective
- Economic Effects
- Common Good of the Industry
- Maintenance Costs
- Status of Used Aircraft Market
- Availability of New Models and Financing
- High Fuel Prices
- Noise Control Regulations
- Unlikely to retire willingly

Mandatory Retirement will not achieve significant safety goals. It

might not meet the high demand.
Higher Fares.
Industry will suffer unnecessarily.
Mandatory Retirement is NOT a Solution
FAA
- Oppose retirement plans
- No arbitrary age
- Safety, primary concern
- Regulations meet
economic factors
- With the House Resolution,
need for more inspectors
and financing.
- Needs more support
Industry
- Oppose retirement plans
- No arbitrary age
- Safety, primary concern
VS - Economics is another
concern
- Planes would grounded
- Make their own decisions
- Smaller Airlines
bankruptcy
- Raising Fares
Government
- Retirement is viable
- Testing at predetermined
critical age
VS - Safety, primary concern
- Economics should not
dictate decisions
- House Resolution
emphasizes safety than
FAA.
- Retirement as last resort