ENGINES 1.qxp_Finance 26/01/2022 13:37 Page 1
ENGINES
Tips on Scheduling Engine Overhauls & Inspections Engine inspections and overhauls are crucial events in the calendar for business jet owners, helping ensure the safety and health of the aircraft. Gerrard Cowan asks what are the key differences, and what are the common challenges aircraft owners and operators face today?
he difference between an aircraft overhaul and an inspection is essentially related to scale. An aircraft inspection is usually conducted on-wing and can be done on site with limited maintenance, ensuring the engine is at optimal operational condition, while an overhaul is a larger, much more time-consuming operation. The aircraft engine inspection could involve the use of torches, mirrors and similar, relatively simple equipment to inspect various areas of the engine, such as fan blades or wiring. It is also likely to involve the use of a borescope, a camera on a cable that can be “manoeuvred through various parts of the engine to ensure the core parts are in proper condition”, Stewart D’Leon, Director, Environmental and Technical Operations at the National Business Aviation Association (NBAA), explains. By comparison, an overhaul must take place at
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14 Vol 26 Issue 2 2022 AVBUYER MAGAZINE
certain intervals, as determined by the engine manufacturer and outlined in the engine maintenance manual, says Robert Burda, engine product line specialist manager at Jet Support Services, Inc (JSSI), a provider of maintenance support and financial services to Business Aviation. Overhauls are the most detailed inspections that take place on an engine, encompassing the inspection of individual engine components against the allowable criteria set forth by the OEM. The allowable criteria in areas like cracks, burns and missing material are minimal at this inspection. “The reason for this is that the next overhaul inspection interval for this engine model could be thousands of hours into the future,” Burda says. “If these components were not repaired or replaced at the current overhaul, it could cause serviceability issues with the engine during continued operation.” JSSI provides a range of engine maintenance www.AVBUYER.com