Bob
The Cessna 162 is a clean sheet design and has little to do with the 150-152, they may have solved a number of the issues with the 150-152 aircraft byr created other problems in the process, the 163 is a design driven by revolution rather that evaluation.
Returning to the SID's it is clear that Cessna are targeting areas on the aircraft that need attention, I agree that good maintenance should have picked up on most of these issues. I agree that there is more than a hint of CYA about it however as the type certificate holder you have a duty to allow for the continuing airworthiness of the type and I have to ask what would you do if you were in Cessna's position, you are faced with an aging fleet of undermaintaned aircraft and the risk of ending up in court because someone failed to properly inspect an aircraft that left your factory thirty years back ?
Cessna have chosen to tighten up the maintenance manual with a bunch of aging aircraft checks, the really stupid thing about the whole SID's program from Cessna's point of view is that the price of Cessna parts is so high that they are driving people to the PMA parts suppliers and not making the money that they should from the work generated by the SID's checks.
maxred
I agree with you on most points, the maintenance company I am involved with has the reputation for being expensive but doing the job properly, it is strange that more than a few people will be quite happy to tell you that the price we charge for maintenance is too high when the bill is to be paid from their pocket but when the same person has an accident they insist that we do the repair because they know the job will be done well and the insurance company will pay !
It has also become clear that the burden of the EASA paperwork has resulted in increased cost or a fall in the standard of maintenance oversight, those company's who have employed a quality manager to do the extra paperwork have had to increase costs to he customer, those who have not have the certifying staff spending more time in the office doing paperwork and less time on the hangar floor providing hour by hour oversight of the work being carried out.
It is still a wonder to me that the industry survives at all in the south of the UK the labour rate is IRO £60/hour, go to a mid range motor main agent and the rate is IOR £90/ hour and they have no EASA regulation to pay for.
Last edited by A and C; 28th Jul 2013 at 09:59.