light aircraft maintenance

[cockney steve]

I still don't understand your claim that the basic American nuts and bolts are supplied at a price ramped up by "several hundred percent" 20 % would be nearer the mark.

Sorry, I didn't mean to claim , categorically, that all American (Unified) bolts were marked -up by an obscene amount....I wastrying to suggest that there's an enormous amount of mass-production stuff, which , as many will know, already have full traceability....but, as soon as a copy of that traceability is supplied in a format that denotes "aircraft" the price is ramped totally disproportionately.

You obviously have a huge personal investment in time, qualifications and cash, to secure your industry -position.... I, too, would mount a stout defence of the status-quo, under those circumstances. I repeat.... Where are the statistics that show any individual component producer being held liable and needing insurance several hundred percent more than standard insurance....
Re-quality assurance....even a cheap, nasty Taiwanese consumer nick-nack can, and does, get a public recall in case of serious fault being detected....so, a five- quid set of hair-curling tongs, can have documented, accurate batch-control and monitoring.......now we have the "but aircraft parts are made in very small quantities"...Some, yes, over a certain level, small-batch production does not see a huge saving, if ramped-up to mass-production..

The fuel-pump quoted by another poster, is a prime example of profiteering from the captive Aviation-market.
Ultimately, over-regulation will kill the Certified GA market.

How the hell can Cessna justify~ £400 for a flat-spring U-bolt, and then intimate that it's such piss-poor quality, you have to change it every 3 years.....this, despite the fact that many have been in active service in excess of 10 times that life, in a hard training-environment.......is the private, 50-hours a year owner (say 100 landings) really going to be happy paying aover £1 a flight, just for u-bolts???.....the worms will turn, I tell ya!

[A and C]

Cockney Steve

I don't think that it is the traceability that is the prime cost issue, it is the product liability insurance.

The failure of a critical aircraft part is likely to result in death, by the very nature of aircraft they are generally flown by the more affluent members of society and so if there is a liability case the numbers are likely to be large.

The chances of a domestic product attracting the same level of liability and the vastly larger number of units sold brings the insurance liability rate per item down to a very low level............. It's all a numbers game.

Just as the aircraft manufactures can't justify loading all the product liability onto the few critical parts the numbers game says they have to spread it over all the parts they sell.

From my point of view as an LAA inspector who has a duty of care to the aircraft owner I have to take the veiw that an aircraft bolt is better than an equally specification commercial bolt, they may be equally fit for perpose but when some smart lawyer finds out that the commercial item is also used in a domestic appliance and the Daily Mail prints the story that the aircraft was held together with washing machine parts how do you think this will play with a jury ?

You only have to see how the Lack of aviation understanding played out in the case of the BA 747 that made a poor approach at LHR a few years back played out to know what happeneds when those with little understanding of a subject are called to find fault.

[Darren_smith34]

Originally Posted by DoItForTheThrill

Hi all,

I'm very new here so apologies if this is a silly question...

I understand that the for the most part, maintenance on aircraft requires a licence, but as a PPL arent you qualified to do, for example, 50hr checks/basic maintenance? If so, is anyone willing for me to tag along so I can gain a bit more knowledge/show me the ropes?

I'm recently qualified PPL based in the south east (trained at Redhill) and a flight simulator maintenance engineer at CAE. I'm a typical 'ive had a passion for aviation since i was a kid' guy and want to understand a bit more about the aircraft i'm flying... I thought here would be a good place to get some advice/pointers from you lovely aviators!

Any replies are very much appreciated,

Tom

As a PPL holder, you generally can’t perform or sign off scheduled maintenance like 50-hour checks, but you may be able to assist under supervision depending on the maintenance organization and local regulations. A lot of learning comes from spending time in a hangar, observing inspections, and understanding how maintenance workflows actually happen in practice. Even parts sourcing is part of that bigger picture, and suppliers sit within the broader support chain that keeps aircraft operational.

[India Four Two]

I rember reading some time ago that many aircraft alternators in the US are standard AC Delco automotive parts, but as soon as you attach an airworthy tag to one, the price increases astronomically.!

[wrench1]

Originally Posted by India Four Two

I rember reading some time ago that many aircraft alternators in the US are standard AC Delco automotive parts, but as soon as you attach an airworthy tag to one, the price increases astronomically.!

Its more like the same design as a Delco, or Chrysler, or Ford alternator but with a much different build process. Plenty of people have tried to prove that theory and failed, some rather dramatically.