Addressing the challenges of aging aircraft is greatly needed in aviation maintenance to increase the serviceability and reliability of both military and civilian aircraft around the world. There are many different ways to detect and ways to slow down the aging process. Over time aircraft will age just the same as a human would and as the years go by there are more needs for inspections to extend the life of the aircraft, but it is impossible to completely prevent the effects of aging.
Corrosion is by far the greatest concern when it comes to aging aircraft. Corrosion is a deformity that occurs at the surface and subsurface of the structure and components of aircraft. This creates a greater need for advance techniques and inspections used to detect these deformities. Some techniques talked about in this paper that are used to detect corrosion are non-destructive testing, and different scheduled inspections.
Age also plays a huge roll in the performance of all aircraft systems. Over time aircraft components will begin to malfunction and could eventually lead to aircraft accidents. Some systems talked about will be the fuel system, oil system, and electrical system. There are many ways to detect these malfunctions before a serious accident occurs.
To prevent widespread fatigue damage requires aircraft makers and airlines to
establish the number of takeoff and landing cycles or the number of hours a plane can
operate without risk of fatigue damage (Chernoff, 2010). To determine this, aircraft
have flight logs in them that record the number of hours they've been flown. This is
usually the marker used to determine the age of an aircraft. If the airframe has not been
stressed because it sat around...
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...n administration has also issued numerous regulations and 100 airworthiness directives to address this aging issue (Chernoff, 2010). So even though aircraft will always continue to age, as long as continue to monitor aircraft aging and understand its effect we can try to limit the accidents caused by aging problems.
Works Cited
Edward G. Tripp. (2001). Aging Aircraft and Coming Regulations. Retrieved February 2, 2011, from http://www.iasa.com
Charlotte Adams. (2008). The Science of Aging Aircraft. Retrieved January 20, 2011, from http://www.aviationtoday.com
Allan Chernoff. (2010). FAA Moving to Prevent Aging Aircraft Dangers. Retrieved February 10, 2011, from http://articles.cnn.com/2010-11-12/travel/fatigue.damage
Rick Young. (N.D.). Aviation Safety Program. Retrieved January 15, 2011, from http://www.aeronautics.nasa.gov/nra_pdf/aad_technical_plan_c1.pdf
Handling and operating an airplane comes with great risk, but these risks that are present are handled with very different attitudes and dealt with in different ways depending on the environment the pilots are in.
Growth of commercial aviation was greatly influenced when the U.S. Air Mail Service was created in the early 1920’s. The Post Office was one of the first to impose aviation regulations. It required its pilots to be tested, pass medical exams and have at least 500 hours of flying experience. The Post Office set up aircraft inspection schedules and preventive maintenance programs for the pilots to have a safe airplane to fly. These early regulatory requirements improved air carrier safety.
Debunking the 9/11 Myths: Special Report - The Planes - Popularmechanics.com. (n.d.). Automotive Care, Home Improvement, Tools, DIY Tips - Popularmechanics.com. Retrieved April 26, 2010, from http://www.popularmechanics.com/technology/military/news/debunking-911-myths-planes
While Huffman Trucking has stayed on the leading edge of technology in most departments, one area still lacks in automation. Huffman has continually overlooked the automation of the fleet maintenance records and put this project on the bottom of the priority list for far too long. Now that most of Huffman’s trucks are between 10 and 18 years-old, mechanical breakdowns are occurring more frequently.
Following World War II and the jet engine technology that emerged largely toward its end, aerospace engineers knew well that the technology had great potential for use in the commercial aviation industry. The Comet was the first aircraft to utilize jet propulsion; however, its designers failed to consider the metallurgy of the aircraft’s materials under flight conditions or the consequences of their atypical window design. The aircraft was designed by Britain’s De Havilland Aircraft Company and entered service in May 1952. After a year of service, however, the design issues mentioned above resulted in the failure of several Comet aircraft. Extensive evaluations revealed that repeated pressurization stress on the aircraft’s main cabin had caused its structure to fail.
The future of the aerospace industry will involve gradual changes in the near term, with the prospect of more radical shifts in the decades t...
Aging affects every individual and is inevitable, despite our valiant attempts to prevent it. The aging process beings the moment of conception however some can argue it begins at birth. The process of aging is heavily impacted by health, genetics and environmental factors. As people age we have to become accustom to the changes associated with life. The question becomes what changes happen and how? Although we cannot predict what will happen to us we can work to prevent specific things from happening by living healthier lives.
Final Report No. 1793 by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau. (n.d.). Retrieved from skybrary: http://www.skybrary.aero/bookshelf/books/989.pdf
Aging occurs in every species. Over time a change occurs on a cellular level in a person’s body, which causes degenerative effects on the brain, muscles, organs, bones, hormones, and DNA. In 1991, the book Evolutionary Biology of Aging, offered the following definition of aging: a persistent decline in the age-specific fitness components of an organism due to internal physiological deterioration.1 Aging affects the body physically and mentally. Many people dread getting older due to the numerous changes the body goes through. The geriatric population experiences many pains and is inflicted with various diseases. There are a few who are lucky enough to not get diagnosed with a life altering disease, such as Alzheimer’s, type II diabetes, high blood pressure, macular degeneration, or some form of cancer. Studies have shown that genetics play a vital role in the aging process.
Aviation has come a long way since the 19th century, from the Wright brothers taking flight with the first powered and controlled gliders, to aircraft that can travel up to supersonic speeds, orbiting satellites and space stations which then were only thought to be science-fiction. Aerospace and aviation has proven to be one of the biggest challenges to advance in the entirety of human existence. There are many factors and characteristics that contributed to this advancement such as the engines of aircraft, forces of flight, aerodynamic forces, wingspans etc. The two most significant aspects however have been; World War 1 and World War 2.
Maintenance cost- Maintaining the old aircrafts is the biggest weakness for the airlines as they have to spend a huge amount on their maintenance by which their additional overhead cost raises.
Jones, D. (2005, July 15). Pilot seniority a hot issue at merging airlines . In FAPA.Aero. Retrieved February 3, 2014, from http://fapa.aero/content.asp?ID=69&Gateway=Industry
Inspection between each flight besides avoiding accidents, it also helps engineers to understand what problems that would be aroused by operation environment. Pre-flight inspection of Aloha 243 was only carried out before the first flight each day which is inadequate. Besides, all inspection records at each inspection should be kept; it records all the status of the parts and help engineers to understand how the aircraft structures would be affected after each operation.
When extrinsic mortality rates increase, they lower the probability of survival and cause the strength of selection to decline faster with age which increase in intrinsic morality rates with age. Age is defined as the length of time that a person has lived or a thing has existed. To age well is to maintain your physical and mental health as you grow older. Age is marked by certain stages, aging well can be considered the freedom from disease and an active engagement with life. Some lifestyle choices with respect to aging well can be exercising and dieting. Growing old does affect our hair, skin, heart, muscles and more but aging well is possible if we incorporate a healthy lifestyle. There are two mechanisms that mediate aging. They are proton leakage, and telomere damage. The proton leakage is when the growth rate and metabolic rate cause energy flow to increase. When these genes mediate energy metabolism could cause aging. The telomere is a protective cap at the end of chromosomes that are shorten with each cell division. When they deteriorate away the next cell divisions unsuccessfully duplicate the
Aircrafts undergo a variety of stresses, strains, vibrations, and detrimental environments. It is important to inspect the aircraft regularly in order to keep the aircraft operable, which inspections of the aircraft is a big part of proper maintenance. There are many types of inspection; the most common one is pre-flight inspection and post-flight inspection. Under the Canadian Aviation Regulations (CARs), a pre-flight inspection is mandatory for Pilot Proficiency Check. During a pre-flight inspection, the pilot should use the pre-flight checklist to perform an inspection on the exterior and interior of the aircraft. It is a chance for the pilot to check any defects on the aircraft that may cause a problem, and the readability of the radio signals.