Maintenance Programme Development

[Sudhirsalvi]

Can Any one assist me in helping out
1 what documents are mandaotory to refer for developing a aircraft maintenance programme based upon Indian DGCA CAR M .
1. How can i get to know about regulatory requirements ( INDIAN DGCA ) does any link provide a consolidate requirement ?

[Mr @ Spotty M]

With no knowledge of Indian DGCA CAR M, l can offer you a little help, 3 documents.
The MRBR & CMP as they are the approved documents and the MPD, all supplied by the manufacturer.

[Dodo56]

Surely your CAM would be able to tell you this? If you are not working in a Part M (or equivalent) this is a casual enquiry so you don't need the full story.

The short version is you start with Chapter 5 of the AMM, sometimes termed the MPD, you add in life limitations from the TLMC (Chapter 4) engine and APU check from the EMM/CMM and engine lives from the ETLM. Depending on supplementary equipment you may also need to take into account the SMM/STLMC.

HTH :)

[Saint Jack]

Hi Sudhirsalvi, Dodo56 is correct, talk to the DGCA about what is specifically required, it's part of their job is to assist people with tasks like this.

However, in addition to the Chap 4 and 5 requirements - both airframe and engine of course - there are other considerations. Dodo56 mentioned the supplementary equipment (not addressed in Chap 4 and 5), liferafts and lifejackets are a good example of this, and must be determined carefully as the level of supplementary equipment can vary between aircraft, so ensure your entire fleet is covered.

Other considerations should include the requirements specified by local legislation (in your case, Indian) such as periodic avionics testing, e.g. transponder test, VOR test, compass swings, weight and balance etc.

Also, two additional considerations to keep in mind when putting together a maintenance programme are, a) annual utilization and, b) operating environment.

For low annual utilization it may be preferable to have more calendar based inspections, whereas for an aircraft with high annual utilization a time-in-service based inspection programme will generally be more suitable. If you go for a time based maintenance programme then you may have a choice of 'hard-time' maintenance or 'progressive' maintenance.

When assessing the aircraft operating environment, consider such things as industrial pollution (more frequent turbine engine gas path cleaning and airframe washing), dusty atmosphere (erosion), salt water environment (corrosion). Also, will the aircraft be hangared or left out in the open (high temeratures in a closed aircraft and UV radiation deteriorating the paint finish), etc, etc.

For a small aircraft, putting together a maintenance programme is not as difficult as it may seem, but it does get a little more complex with larger aircraft.

Finally, remember two important points, a) the published time limits are the maximum between events, if circumstances justify then these can be reduced but never exceeded and b) be careful of what you put into a maintenance programme as once it's in and accepted (i.e. approved) it becomes a mandatory requirement. Good luck.