Light Maintenance outdoors
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Light Maintenance outdoors
Anyone have any experience of of carrying out LM outdoors? IE A checks on narrow body fleets without a hangar? Interested in temperate climates and not so much hot and sunny locations
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What exactly do you want to know?
I've done A & C check tasks on A320's pulled out of the hangar due to simultaneous tasks (fuel venting req'd etc) or lack of space in the hangar, during beautiful 21°C days where everyone was singing and smiling, waving their hands in the air, then seen mass panic as thunderstorms rolled through.
Line maintenance on the other hand has been in hot, cold and freezing weather, wet and dry, no exceptions, night and day. Job gets done.
Are you trying to figure out if it is comfortable/cost effective/hazardous?
I've done A & C check tasks on A320's pulled out of the hangar due to simultaneous tasks (fuel venting req'd etc) or lack of space in the hangar, during beautiful 21°C days where everyone was singing and smiling, waving their hands in the air, then seen mass panic as thunderstorms rolled through.
Line maintenance on the other hand has been in hot, cold and freezing weather, wet and dry, no exceptions, night and day. Job gets done.
Are you trying to figure out if it is comfortable/cost effective/hazardous?
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B737 No problem doing A checks outside. Major factor is that in significantly increases the time required to carry out the check. Also from experience if a defect was discovered durIng the check, for example flap bushing, then aircraft would be moved to a hangar to be rectified.
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working out side
when snowing if you put any thing down it disappears.
need flood lighting, torches, or lamp on head.
it is hard working with gloves on.
if you wear spectacles and it is raining you cannot see any thing clearly.
it is a long walk to stores toilets canteen.
need flood lighting, torches, or lamp on head.
it is hard working with gloves on.
if you wear spectacles and it is raining you cannot see any thing clearly.
it is a long walk to stores toilets canteen.
My employer, before I retired, used to have in the schedule "Line A" and "A" checks.
The Hangar A was more intense than the line A and obviously the line A was halfway between full A checks.
In dire operational need we could extend a Hangar check provided we carried out a line A.
Being Northern softies in the depths of winter we would bung it into the hangar to do a line A.
The Hangar A was more intense than the line A and obviously the line A was halfway between full A checks.
In dire operational need we could extend a Hangar check provided we carried out a line A.
Being Northern softies in the depths of winter we would bung it into the hangar to do a line A.
Not sure which regs you're working under? With EASA if its in the MOE you can do it,but with the caveat that;
"the working environment for line maintenance is such that the particular maintenance or inspection task can be carried out without undue distraction. Therefore where the working environment deteriorates to an unacceptable level in respect of temperature,moisture, hail, ice, snow, wind, light, dust/other airborne contamination, the particular maintenance or inspection tasks must be suspended until satisfactory conditions are reestablished.
EASA 145.A.25.(c) 6
"the working environment for line maintenance is such that the particular maintenance or inspection task can be carried out without undue distraction. Therefore where the working environment deteriorates to an unacceptable level in respect of temperature,moisture, hail, ice, snow, wind, light, dust/other airborne contamination, the particular maintenance or inspection tasks must be suspended until satisfactory conditions are reestablished.
EASA 145.A.25.(c) 6
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Fortunately my very ex company didnīt ask to do any other maintenance outside than normal line checks or some unscheduled repairs during flight day. (A.O.G)
A-check is usually too "big" to perform outside, too much noise-possible rain/wind-lighting issues. Tooling and equipments need to be carried...
Not even on sunniest mid summer day.
My strong opinion is: all planned maintenance should be carried in hangar, line checks and some smaller limited works can be done outside. (wheel change etc etc)
Doing work outside you always risk work quality just for unnecessary distractions etc etc
Bright sun is not best working light, or dark night just with headlamp and ramp lighting either.
Been working for company which hangar was too small for all incoming planned works, and getting aircraft from apron to hangar was/is silly complicated due to stupid airport layout and too busy??? ground handling. We did lots of work outside and i never understand how it can be ok for monsters EASA / CAA UK.
Hangar for maintenance, apron for parking or flight operations, heliolatry for days off.
A-check is usually too "big" to perform outside, too much noise-possible rain/wind-lighting issues. Tooling and equipments need to be carried...
Not even on sunniest mid summer day.
My strong opinion is: all planned maintenance should be carried in hangar, line checks and some smaller limited works can be done outside. (wheel change etc etc)
Doing work outside you always risk work quality just for unnecessary distractions etc etc
Bright sun is not best working light, or dark night just with headlamp and ramp lighting either.
Been working for company which hangar was too small for all incoming planned works, and getting aircraft from apron to hangar was/is silly complicated due to stupid airport layout and too busy??? ground handling. We did lots of work outside and i never understand how it can be ok for monsters EASA / CAA UK.
Hangar for maintenance, apron for parking or flight operations, heliolatry for days off.
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In the services on large pax jets we did very little line work inside, from engine changes to fuel tank work we did it on the aprons, hangarage was at a premium.
Big Airways used to do Line 'A' Checks outside at BHX on their A319 fleet before they shut up shop. They did have access to an inflatable tent that would fit over an engine if the weather was bad. 
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What
Fortunately my very ex company didnīt ask to do any other maintenance outside than normal line checks or some unscheduled repairs during flight day. (A.O.G)
A-check is usually too "big" to perform outside, too much noise-possible rain/wind-lighting issues. Tooling and equipments need to be carried...
Not even on sunniest mid summer day.
My strong opinion is: all planned maintenance should be carried in hangar, line checks and some smaller limited works can be done outside. (wheel change etc etc)
Doing work outside you always risk work quality just for unnecessary distractions etc etc
Bright sun is not best working light, or dark night just with headlamp and ramp lighting either.
Been working for company which hangar was too small for all incoming planned works, and getting aircraft from apron to hangar was/is silly complicated due to stupid airport layout and too busy??? ground handling. We did lots of work outside and i never understand how it can be ok for monsters EASA / CAA UK.
Hangar for maintenance, apron for parking or flight operations, heliolatry for days off.
A-check is usually too "big" to perform outside, too much noise-possible rain/wind-lighting issues. Tooling and equipments need to be carried...
Not even on sunniest mid summer day.
My strong opinion is: all planned maintenance should be carried in hangar, line checks and some smaller limited works can be done outside. (wheel change etc etc)
Doing work outside you always risk work quality just for unnecessary distractions etc etc
Bright sun is not best working light, or dark night just with headlamp and ramp lighting either.
Been working for company which hangar was too small for all incoming planned works, and getting aircraft from apron to hangar was/is silly complicated due to stupid airport layout and too busy??? ground handling. We did lots of work outside and i never understand how it can be ok for monsters EASA / CAA UK.
Hangar for maintenance, apron for parking or flight operations, heliolatry for days off.
Retired now but line maintenance in Scotland does not have that problem.
Keep them up boys.
Peter
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One airline I used to work for we did all our 737 classic A checks outside. Mostly at night in rain and snow. We didn't have a hangar. It wasn't to much of a big deal. Just very boring as we were doing them every other night at one point
