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Aviation History
1983
1983 - 0028.PDF
the airline retiring them or, if he is inde pendent, he may have an arrangement with an airline which wants to dispose of a fleet and the associated engineering responsibilities. Many airlines cannot be bothered with the marketing and main tenance of yesterday's fleet. They've enough problems introducing a new type. Thus the independent remanufacturer may assume the role of aircraft broker. Aviation Traders, for example, has had a mutually fruitful 707 relationship with Pan American. Says one remanufacturer: "We probably have better contacts with the big fleet-disposers than many dealers do." Some remanufacturers go further than advising on the right aircraft to buy and arranging maintenance programmes. British Caledonian, for example, is extending its third-party engineering work and aircraft sales into general airline consultancy—including advice on route- planning, marketing, and the whole gamut of airline operations. Sorry, your jet's beyond us In some eases the remanufacturer will advise the customer that his aircraft is beyond economic refit. One customer thus counselled insisted. The remanu facturer took on the job, which consumed 55,000 man-hr and $1-65 million, including the expatriation of a manufacturer's team to rebuild the wing centre section. THE SURVEY It is advisable to consult at least two remanufacturers, and to do so before actually buying the aircraft. They will first survey the aircraft, producing—for a refundable fee—a detailed report on condition and work needed. No single engineer is capable of surveying all specialist areas of a modern aircraft. A small team, probably including the shop foreman, will spend several days scrutinising structure, components, sys tems, avionics, and engines. The structure will be examined inside and out for cracks and corrosion by eyes familiar with the tell-tale signs—bulging seams, fuel leaks, loose fasteners. Integral fuel tanks will be particularly carefully inspected for leaks. The auxiliary power unit and engines will be run and systems functioned and inspected. Floorboards will be taken up, especially under strong corrosion sources such as galleys and lavatories. Pressure bulkhead joints will get special attention. The ship's papers will be checked and maintenance records scrutinised for com pliance with airworthiness directives, ser vice bulletins, and aircraft tech log—a task which even practised professional eyes Aer Lingus Dublin's structures team reskins a 737 belly in accordance with the Boeing corrosion- prevention modification. The time-expired skin is below can find more time-consuming than inspection of the aircraft itself. Today's biggest area of concern is corrosion. It is also the most expensive, often involving extensive teardowns and restructuring. On one European airline hangar floor recently could be seen an early 737-200 receiving new belly-panels, a modification arising from the mid-air dis integration of a 737 over Taiwan in August 1981. The same aircraft was being given new crown skins and new wing upper skins and front spars. Yet this expensive work produces 737 flying-hours which are cheaper than those produced by a new 737. Marshalls at Cam bridge are making completely new RAF C-130 Hercules wings, to mate with fuse lages which they are also stretching. Another major example of remanufac- turing is the sparring and reinforcing of high-time 707 tailplanes and centre-sec tion boxes, using kits supplied by Boeing. The remanufacturers of later Boeing aircraft will have less of this work. More thorough fatigue-testing, improved elec trolytic compatibility of materials, and wet assembly (i.e. with sealants) are doing a better job for Boeing's structural reputa tion. CUSTOMER PROTECTION The customer's best protection is a first-class engineer qualified on the aircraft type. Such a person is a good protection also for the remanufacturer, who may actually insist on the appointment. The customer's engineer will be given full "visibility", being provided with an office and working on the shop floor virtually as a member of the team. In turn the remanufacturer will usually allocate a specific engineer to each customer. This gives added mutual protection in case the customer's engineer is either not competent or is spending too much time running around the local attractions. Competence is especially necessary for dealing with the airworthiness authority, whose inspectors are either on site or regularly popping in. The customer's engineer must be familiary with the strict system of approvals within which every one has to work. FLIGHT International, 1 January 1983 '
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