Can pilots repair aircraft
 

Just wondering if a plane had a technical problem can the crew repair the aircraft if they know what to do or do they need extra qualifications

Suggest you re-post this on Engineers and Technicians. :p

Why the tongue stuck out? any need? , it takes more effort to be rude so why do it???

No. It needs an adequately approved and licensed maintenance engineer

Well I'll be ........ I always thought this :p was a 'laughy thingy'.

No they cant and long may it stay that way, I'm sure a beancounter somewhere thinks it's a great idea but the only way a pilot will be repairing an aircraft or rectifiying a defect LEGALLY will be if he is appropriately licensed and approved on that type - And I dont mean carrying out a CB reset....

As a matter of interest, Pilots in my airline are authorised to complete some CFDS procedures on the A320. Where some MELs have Maintenance action which involve CFDS procedures, we also have an Alternative Procedure which allows suitably trained aircrew to complete it. Use of the procedure needs authorisation from Maintrol and needs to be annotated correctly in the tech log, and it's very handy for some of our out of the way destiantions which don't have maintenace support.

And it's not a ''get you home'' procedure either. We can dispatch from base knowing the CFDS procedure needs to be used on the transit check away from base. I find I end up using it about once a year. No other airline does this to my knowledge.

Sorry, just daydreaming, but I was trying to imagine a BA Captain, resplendent in his uniform, carrying a plumbers bag full of spanners on to his 777! However, donkeys years ago a Trident Captain I knew helped to scrape ice off the wings in Moscow.

I can't speak for commercial airlines, but in my day in the RAF (60s and 70s), Senior NCOs could certify pilots to carry out certain servicing, if they had a problem and were stuck away from a RAF airfield.

Don't know about pilots but I do know some cabin crew that do!

Yes, they can. But exactly what they can do (and cannot do) depends on which register they're operating, i.e. FAA, CAA etc. and the information is to be found in the local legislation documents. Some larger operators will have this information in their Operations Manual. Generally speaking, pilots are restricted to relatively simple maintenance tasks such as changing a spark plug, changing a wheel or replacing a blown navigation light bulb etc.

Depends on the aircraft as well. In commercial world then there's very little a pilot is allowed to do and is well detailed in the MEL (minimum equipment list). However if it's a homebuilt, well the pilot built it so i'm pretty sure he/she's allowed to do quite a bit to repair it.:ok:

He would most likely fail at the first hurdle - getting the tools through security:hmm:

A roll of gaffer tape can fix most things

Speed-tape seems to be able to fix most things!

Seriously, I would depend on what is wrong, plenty of reboot - computer and CB resets fix plenty of issues at times.

really.......... and when is changing a "spark plug" simple? A lot of pilots wouldnt know how to open a cowl on a more complex aircraft. Thats if they had to tools to do such a job just floating in the hold

Changing a wheel is simple as well? Where are they getting the spare wheel from? The jack, the torque wrench the splut pins..... or do they just float around in holds of aircraft as and when the pilot decides to fix it....

I worked on a helicopter operation in the Middle East that required us to land and shut down on an offshore rig with only one helideck and was a two day round trip by boat otherwise.
The pilots underwent a short course of instruction on changing the igniter plug, should we fail to get a start on the rig, we carried the spare and the tools. The only other job we could do was top up the floats with air, should it be required.

Everything else was/is strictly engineers territory.

Authorised and trained flight engineers could, if it was deemed a simple maintenance procedure required by an MEL, Although they could not sign the CRS. A pilot can not sign a CRS full stop.

Sorry to sound thick, but what is CRS?

I may be a bit unusual as a pilot in that I hold a part 66 maintenance licence so the answer is yes some pilots can fix aircraft.

The only problem is that the half brained slow witted security numptys don't let me take any tools on to the aircraft...................so I can't even do a phisical check of the fuel I have on the aircraft!

These days all I can do is give the maintenance guys the "heads up" on what has gone wrong so they have the correct kit with them to fix the problem.

Dont you just love the security people and the wisdom they have that lets us all sleep safe in bed at night.

mrmagoo (Post #16): Please read US FAR 43.3 and get back to us.

Certificate of Release to Service

A lot pilots of "home builts" will be interested to know that they can't fix their own aircraft, but they could build it?

The answer, as you may have surmised from the previous responses, it's clear-cut. Depending on the airplane in question and the nature of the operation, as well as the regulations under which the flight is operated, the crew may or may not be able to effect a repair.

I come from a background where pilots are fully expected to be able to repair aircraft, and I often have. I'm an ATP pilot, but also a fully qualified and experienced mechanic and inspector, and I have used that qualification and experience to perform field repairs and to sign off maintenance while working as a pilot in various types of operations.

Depending on the background of a particular aviator, some may be absolutely incredulous at the concept of a pilot performing maintenance. Those prissy enough not to comprehend this concept generally come from a strictly airline or military background, where the division of labor is generally nearly complete. I can remember many moons ago discussing fueling my own airplane at a particular operation, and was met with looks of horror. At another operation, I was expected to perform the fueling, but management was aghast at the idea of performing the maintenance (until in a pinch, then they begged).

Pilots in airline service generally don't perform maintenance, though they're part of the maintenance process when the use of a minimum equipment list is involved. This doesn't require a pilot to turn a wrench, but the pilot may need to work closely with the maintenance department in agreeing to operate with inoperative equipment, using special operating procedures.

In the USA, pilots operating FAA registered airplanes may perform preventative maintenance that doesn't involve complex assembly or disassembly operations. In charter and airline operations, pilots may also perform maintenance if authorized by the operator. I've done this for several different operations.

While performing ag and firefighting, much of my employment has required me to perform maintenance as well as to fly. The answer to your question really depends upon who is flying, what is being flown, and the circumstances under which the flight takes place.