MAINTENANCE PLANNING AND SCHEDULE

1. Aircraft Reliability Aircraft operators face with situation that demands priority of safety and the pressure of economy. These demands lead to a very reliable aircraft. Aircraft reliability or sometime refers as schedule reliability is defined as: Rair = 1 - Schedule interruptions (delay/cancellation) Total departure Other word, Rair is the probability of starting and completing a scheduled flight without interruption. An aircraft with Rair = 1 has the ideal reliability.

Example: An aircraft is fitted with two same components. After 100,000-flight hour and 80,000 departures:

Activity Total removal Unscheduled removal (failed or suspected) Failures Inoperative and caused system failure Caused schedule interruption

Times 100 80 50 26 4

Unjustified removal = Unscheduled removal failures = 80 50 = 30

The parts Mean Time Between Failures, MTBF MTBF = (no of part) (flight hour) failures = (2) (100,000) 50 = 4,000 flight hour

Mean Time Between Unscheduled removal, MTBUR MTBUR = (no of part) (flight hour) Unscheduled removal = (2) (100,000) 80 = 2,500 flight hour

Prepared by Associate Professor Sallehuddin Muham ad UTM City Campus

Therefore; Maintenance efficiency = MTBUR MTBF = 2,500 4,000 = 63%

Ideally, maintenance efficiency of 100% is what the operator aimed for.

2. Maintenance Concepts There are four maintenance concepts that are used in maintaining aircraft. They are: a) Fixed When It Breaks b) Hard Time c) On Condition

d) Condition Monitoring

Usage of these concepts varies with its importance to flight safety. The concepts (b) and (c) are useful in maintenance schedule.

a) Fix When It Breaks Using this concept aircraft parts are fixed or replaced when they failed. Unless their failure periods are known, aircraft operators have to make unscheduled removal and this can reduce aircraft reliability. Therefore, this concept can only be applied to unessential parts for flight operation and safety such as cabin lighting, cabin seats, and toilet.

b) Hard Time This concept is defined as a preventive process in which known deterioration of an item is limited to an acceptable level. Maintenance actions are carried out at a period related to time in the service scheduled maintenance control specified by: i) calendar time ii) number of cycles (takeoffs and landings) iii) flight hours

The prescribed actions normally include servicing, fully or partial overhaul, replacement according to instruction relevant documentation so that the part is restored to suitable condition for further use for a specified period.

Prepared by Associate Professor Sallehuddin Muham ad UTM City Campus

Performance

Replace parts

limit tlife month, flight hr, or cycles

Although this concept is convenient for scheduling, it is expensive and can be used on familiar items. It however reduces schedule interruption and thus increase aircraft reliability.

c)

On Condition It is also a preventive process. However, item is inspected or tested at specific periods against standards to determine whether it can continue in service. Thus, it requires collection of data at regular intervals. These data are analyzed and evaluated to ascertain airworthiness.

Performance

Replace parts limit month, flight hr, or cycles periodic inspections

This maintenance concept can extend the life of aircraft parts, thus reduces maintenance cost. However, it cost saving benefit may be overwhelmed by additional man-hour requirement to perform periodic inspections. It also causes schedule interruption due to part replacement. Therefore, this concept is used on parts that are easy to replace such as aircraft tires or parts with redundancy.

d) Condition Monitoring/Health Monitoring It is not a preventive process, which causes unscheduled removals. It is a process in which information on aircraft parts gained from operational experience is collected, analyzed, and interpreted on a continuous basis as a mean of implementing corrective procedures. Instruments are placed to monitor part performance.

Prepared by Associate Professor Sallehuddin Muham ad UTM City Campus

Performance

Replace parts limit

continuous inspections

month, flight hr, or cycles

Since it causes unscheduled interruption, it reduces aircraft reliability. It also requires regular inspection and thus expensive to apply. Usually, condition monitoring is used for new part that its hard time is not known yet.

3. Maintenance Program The Maintenance Program development methods have been revised through out the years in an effort to achieve higher levels of safety and cost-effectiveness. The initial philosophy of maintenance program was "to overhaul everything at a specific time" which was based on concept that primary failure mode was wear out. Since then, several philosophies have materialized and each superseding or evolving from its predecessors.

Historical Background i. In 1961 the Federal Aviation Authority (FAA)/Industry Reliability Program was developed aimed solely at the propulsion system reliability.

ii. In 1968, the aviation industries and FAA developed Maintenance Steering Group Revision 1 (MSG-1) Handbook, Maintenance Evaluation and Program Development, based on new analytic approach to maintenance of wide-body aircraft. The handbook was used developed the B747 schedule maintenance program.

iii. In 1970, MSG-2: Airline/Manufacturer Maintenance Planning Document was developed based on experiences gained with MSG-1. Amendments were made to exclude any specific B747 information to arrive at a universal document that could be used on subsequent new aircraft. Through this maintenance program, the concept of Hard Time, On Condition, and Condition Monitoring were introduced.

iv. In 1972, The Association of European Airlines developed EMSG-1 (European Maintenance System Guide) to overcome deficiencies in MSG-2. It was used to develop British Airline (BA)/ Aerospatiale Concorde and A300. An improved version EMSG-2 was introduced later.

Prepared by Associate Professor Sallehuddin Muham ad UTM City Campus

v. In 1978, the concept of Reliability-Centered Maintenance (RCM) was published by United Airlines under contract with the US Department of Defense. This concept contained many new ideas notably maintenance process on hidden functions and generally provide through logic analysis of maintenance program development process.

vi. With new regulation such as the structural damage tolerance rules (FAR 25.571) and new development and ideas in maintenance program, aviation industry felt that MSG-3 must be evolved. A task force was formed by Air Transport Association (ATA) in 1979 to produce MSG-3. In 1980, MSG-3 produced Airline/Manufacturer Maintenance Program Development

Document and this document was used on new aircraft such as B767, A310, and F50.

The objectives of an optimal scheduled maintenance program are: i.To ensure that equipment is maintained to the designed level of safety for aircraft safety.

ii. To ensure the equipment is maintained to the inherent level of reliability for aircraft operating efficiency.

iii. To restore any deterioration of inherent levels of safety and reliability of equipment.

iv. To prevent or minimize on-aircraft failures especially those resulting in delays, cancellation of services or loss of passenger good will.

v. To identify deficiencies in the inherent levels of safety and reliability of equipment and to seek and initiate product improvement through modification or redesign.

vi. To accomplish the above objectives at minimal total costs, inclusive of maintenance costs and the subsequent costs of residual failures.

There are two types of maintenance tasks contained within a maintenance program. They are:

a) Scheduled maintenance tasks The tasks are performed at specified intervals. Its objectives are to prevent deterioration of the inherent levels of safety and reliability. Tasks in the scheduled maintenance are: - Lubrication / servicing - Operating crew monitoring - Operational check - Combination of above work - Restoration - Discard - Inspection / functional checks

Prepared by Associate Professor Sallehuddin Muham ad UTM City Campus

b) Unscheduled maintenance task The tasks arise on ad-hoc basis because of the following: - Report of malfunction by operating crew or others (PIREP) - Data analysis findings - Scheduled task - Accidental damage

The objective of these tasks is to restore the equipment to an acceptable standard.

4. AirAsia Maintenance - maintenance is sustenance "Getting a rich partner is easy. Keeping a rich partner is tricky." AirAsia acknowledges maintenance is sustenance. AirAsia may be Asia's first and only low fare no frills budget air carrier. But in no way does AirAsia penny-pinch on caring for its fleets AirAsia conducts line checks at transits, night-stops, and "A" checks, low level maintenance checks that are conducted once a month. Hangar checks are "C" and "D" checks conducted once yearly for between 10 to 21 days. The line check is conducted by the AirAsia's maintenance crew, and the hangar check is conducted at the Singapore Airlines Engineering Company. The engineering team attained JAR OPS1 or more commonly referred to as M1 status. AirAsia is so well maintained; it has become more an expectation than a requirement.

5. Planning and Control Planning and control is important to determine duration, tasks, and tools required during maintenance. Planning is a process that requires extensive analysis on problems so that plans can be executed properly. The objectives of planning are: a. to forecast the usage of resources, b. to forecast cost for comparing with the expected income, c. to prepare instructions and tasks for workers.

The outcome of planning is normally prepared in term of schedule. Resources are capital, workers, parts, and equipment. An effective planning must include short-term, mid-term and long term plans of an organization. i. Long-term Planning

Prepared by Associate Professor Sallehuddin Muham ad UTM City Campus

An airline must prepare a long-term maintenance plan for at least five years. The plan is used to prepare the airline fleet size, utilization of aircraft, number of workers, hangar size, tools, and capital. With large number of workers, aircraft time in hangar is reduced. Thus, increases flying hours at a higher maintenance cost.

ii.

Mid-term planning The mid-term planning covers 12 to 18 month of the airline operation. To ease scheduling, maintenance plan and flight plan are prepared simultaneously. In mid-term planning, maintenance dates for an aircraft is set.

iii. Short-term planning The short-term planning is prepared for 30 to 60 day operations. The plan covers types of aircraft, workload, hangar utilization and replacement parts requirement are prepared for daily schedule. The plan is constantly updated to fit the rate of failure and traffic delays.

6. Critical Path Method (CPM) Various methods were introduced in order to improve the effectiveness of planning and control. In the 50s, a work schedule system was developed to enable a project to be completed at a shorter time than previously required.

E.I. Du Pont de Nemours and Rand Corporation developed the Critical Path Method in 1956 to control the construction and maintenance of chemical plants. The method involves time calculation of an activity from the start to the end, based on the activity duration. It also analyzes float time in the planning so that other activities do not interrupt the whole project. In 1970s, this method is accepted and widely used.

The Critical Path Method is a management techniques in a project where its covers planning, scheduling of activities and controlling. The method is divided into three phases, which are: a. Planning Phase It lists the fundamental objective of a project. It also identifies appropriate activities for the project.

b. Scheduling of Activities Phase It is the continuation of the Planning Phase. In this phase, all plans are scheduled according to activity time with analysis on optimal resources requirements such as time, workload, and equipment.

c.

Controlling Phase

Prepared by Associate Professor Sallehuddin Muham ad UTM City Campus

In this phase, all activities for the project are controlled and updated so that they meet the plans. 7. Gantt Chart A Gantt chart is a horizontal bar chart developed as a production control tool in 1917 by Henry L. Gantt, an American engineer and social scientist. Frequently used in project management, a Gantt chart provides a graphical illustration of a schedule that helps to plan, coordinate, and track specific tasks in a project. Gantt charts may be simple versions created on graph paper or more complex automated versions created using project management applications such as Microsoft Project or Excel.

A Gantt chart is constructed with a horizontal axis representing the total time span of the project, broken down into increments (for example, days, weeks, or months) and a vertical axis representing the tasks that make up the project. Horizontal bars of varying lengths represent the sequences, timing, and time span for each task. A bar on the graph represents the amount of time expected to spend on a task. Other tasks are added below the first one and representative bars at the points in time they were undertaken. The bar spans may overlap if more than one task is conducted during the same time span. As the project progresses, secondary bars, arrowheads, or darkened bars may be added to indicate completed tasks, or the portions of tasks that have been completed. A vertical line is used to represent the report date.

Gantt charts can be used:

Prepared by Associate Professor Sallehuddin Muham ad UTM City Campus

a. To schedule and monitor tasks within a project. b. To assess time characteristics of a project. c. To show links between scheduled tasks.

d. To give a clear illustration of a project status.

The advantages of Gantt charts are: a. A wide audience can understand it. b. It is easily comprehended for a small project. c. It can coordinate activities to avoid inferences.

d. It provides a graphic schedule for the planning and controlling of work, and recording progress towards stages of a project.

However, Gantt charts have these limitations: a. It is not suitable for big activities (more than 30 activities). b. It communicates relatively little information per unit area of display. c. It does not represent the size of work elements; therefore, the magnitude of a behind-schedule condition is easily misunderstood. d. All activities show planned workload as constant. In practice, many activities have front-loaded or back-loaded work plans.

The PERT chart, another popular project management charting method, is designed to do this. Automated Gantt charts store more information about tasks, such as the individuals assigned to specific tasks, and notes about the procedures. They also offer the benefit of being easy to change, which is helpful. Charts may be adjusted frequently to reflect the actual status of project tasks as, almost inevitably; they diverge from the original plan.

An example of an overhaul process flow chart for a PT6A engine with its Gantt chart is shown in the class.

8. Maintenance Scheduling Maintenance schedule lists works required on an aircraft through out its operational life. There are two ways to prepare the schedule. They are: a) Pyramid system b) Progressive system

a.

Pyramid System In the Pyramid system, a set of works is grouped on a basic period, for an example every 200-flight hour. Another set of work will be performed at double period (i.e. 400, 800 and 1600

Prepared by Associate Professor Sallehuddin Muham ad UTM City Campus

flight hours).

The advantages of this system are: ii. It reduces number of long inspection.

iii. Preparation and completion of job at each inspection. iv. Optimize utilization of workers. v. Planning and controlling the work is easy since each set of work has its own tasks.

Nevertheless, this system has the following disadvantages: i. Workers idle time between inspections is large for air operators with small number of aircraft. ii. Long down time for inspection especially in the later period.

b.

Progressive System In the Progressive system, works are distributed through out the aircraft operational life so that aircraft inspections and repairs can be performed at short intervals, thus reducing aircraft down time. Factors affecting this system are: i. Aircraft flight pattern and schedule.

ii. Number of aircraft per type. iii. Aircraft reliability and failure rate. iv. Number of workers. v. Reliability to get spares. vi. Maintenance cost

The aircraft Maintenance Schedule are divided into three categories, which are: a) Line maintenance b) Periodic maintenance c) Heavy maintenance (overhaul)

a) Line Maintenance Line maintenance is conducted daily and at every stopover. It is conducted prior to fly as preflight check, correcting aircrew write-up (post-flight check) and routine airworthiness inspections.

In civil aircraft, these checks are called transit check, stayover check, and supplement stayover check. The Malaysia Airlines (MAS) line maintenance is given as follows:

Prepared by Associate Professor Sallehuddin Muham ad UTM City Campus

Aircraft

Transit

Stayover 6 hr planned 12 hr unplanned 6 hr planned 12 hr unplanned 6 hr planned 12 hr unplanned Daily Daily Daily Every night stop

Supplement Stayover 7 days 18 days 7 days 125 hr or 75 days

B747-200/300/400 Every stop DC10 A300 B737-400 B737-200 F50 DHC6 Every stop Every stop Every stop Every stop Every stop Every stop

In military aircraft, these checks are labeled alphabetically. Check A B C D E S Description of Check Preflight check (prior to the first flight of a day) End of day check (before night stop) Turn around check (between stops/ transit) Additional check (every 25 hr for Alluette III B helicopter) Cleaning (weekly-normal or daily for sea operation) Standby check (armament check)

b) Periodic Maintenance The periodic maintenance is performed at specific intervals (flight hours, cycles, or days) as prepared in maintenance program. These inspections determine the condition of an aircraft and the maintenance required to return the aircraft to an acceptable airworthiness condition. Functional checks and repairs are performed.

i)

Small aircraft (less than 12,500 lb) Small aircraft undergoes its annual and 100-h inspection to determine its airworthiness. Checks are performed according to manufacturer checklists. However, aircraft operator can prepare its own checklists but the checklists must be approved by the relevant authority. Example - Pyramid system - Progressive system

ii)

For civil aircraft larger than 12500lb or turbine-power multiengine aircraft, its periodic checks are divided into four series of checks with specific recurring frequency. The checks are: A-check: primary inspection to disclose general condition

Prepared by Associate Professor Sallehuddin Muham ad UTM City Campus

B-check: intermediate check C-check: system and component check, airworthiness evaluation D-check: structural inspection, determine airworthiness

An example of the periodic checks for large civil aircraft is shown in the following table. Aircraft A-check B-check 1000FH C-check C1 to C2: 5,000 FH D-check

B747-400 500FH or B1 to B2: 7 weeks B2 to B1: B1 to B1: B737-400 375FH B1 to B2: B2 to B1:

25,000 FH or st 6 yrs on1 cycle. 1000FH or C2 to C1: 5,000 FH or 20000 FH or 5yrs on 14 wk 18 mth subsequent cycle 2000FH or 28 wk 750FH C1 to C2: 3,000 FH H1 to H2: 10,000FH H2 to H1: 10,000FH H1 to H1: 20,000FH 750FH or C2 to C1: 3,000 FH 5 mth C1 to C2: 3,000 FH

F50

500FH or 1,000FH or 6 month 3 month

D1 to D2: 12,000FH

C2 to C1: 3,000 FH or D2 to D1: 12,000FH 18 mth or 6 yrs

iii) For military aircraft, the periodic checks are numbered from 1 to 5. Check 1 and check 2 are called Ordinary Level Maintenance (OLM) while Check 3 and Check 4 are called Intermediate Level Maintenance (ILM). The final check, Check 5 is Depot Level Maintenance (DLM). An example of the Periodic Maintenance for military aircraft is as follow:

Check 1 2 3 4 5

Type of Maintenance Ordinary Level Maintenance

S61A-Nuri 60 hr 180 hr 540 hr 1080 hr 4320 hr

Alluette III B 150 hr (6mth) 300 hr (12 mth) 900 hr (36 mth) 1800 hr (72 mth) 3600 hr (108 mth)

Intermediate Level Maintenance Depot Level Maintenance

c) Heavy Maintenance Heavy Maintenance or generally known as overhaul involve major structural inspection. It involves dismantling the aircraft, inspect all components, repair, and rebuild it required; systems and parts are tested and repaired or replaced if necessary. Some modifications are made during heavy maintenance.

9. Computerized Aircraft Maintenance Management Maintenance of an aircraft is a complicated task since it involves pilots, mechanics, engineers,

Prepared by Associate Professor Sallehuddin Muham ad UTM City Campus

inspectors, and aircraft owners. In addition, the amount of information involved the process is very large. This information is typically multi-modal and available in multiple storage media. Commonly, this information is also geographically distributed. A major goal of the maintenance process is to perform the most appropriate repairs on the most efficient way in the short time. Since maintenance-related process relies on relevant information, comprehensive and timely information delivery to the individuals involved in the maintenance can be significantly benefit the process.

Computerized Aircraft Maintenance Management (CAMM) system ease the task of keep tracking of aircraft maintenance schedule. At the end of a flight or the day, pilot enters all of the recorded flight data such as flight time, number of engine and airframe cycles, and over limit events in the CAMM system. For each part, the cumulative number of hours of flight time is compared with the life-cycle data specified in the maintenance documentation. These reference parameters are initialized when the CAMM system is installed and updated whenever the aircraft manufacturer issues modifications to the maintenance documentation. The results of the comparison are used to define what maintenance work needs to be carried out on the aircraft, and allows maintenance schedules to be drawn up.

Being able to plan maintenance work gives the operator a better overview of inventory movements and allows new stocks to be ordered at the appropriate time. This enhanced predictability also improves the management of invoicing procedures and the qualification management of pilots, crews, and engineers.

Prepared by Associate Professor Sallehuddin Muham ad UTM City Campus