Page 35 - TNT Jan 17

The Airworthiness Concept
The full airworthiness concept is: Maintain the airplane continually.
Inspect the airplane before and after flight, and more invasively during annual (or as required) to see if your ongoing maintenance efforts are effective.
Repair anything that’s broken or worn right away, not waiting for the next annual inspection.
Put succinctly, we maintain airplanes continually to prevent the need for repair, we inspect them before flight and at routine intervals to confirm the success of our maintenance efforts and to detect any wear or failure that is not obvious, and we repair any worn or broken items immediately upon discovery.
Most horror stories we hear about the cost of an annual inspection are really tales of the wild expense required to repair discrepancies that were deferred, often resulting from lack of ongoing maintenance. The total cost may not be very different if you maintain your airplane year-round and repair any broken or out of-tolerance items right away, but at least you won’t have•the sticker-shock of seeing it all on the same bill that comes due all at once. You may even save money by fixing little squawks before they become major problems. More importantly, you’ll have a safer and more dependable airplane that’s ready to fly when you are...because you keep it in top shape. T&T
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Thomas P. Turner is an ATP CFII/MEI, holds a Masters Degree in Aviation Safety, and was the 2010 National FAA Safety Team Representative of the Year. Subscribe to Tom’s free FLYING LESSONS Weekly e-newsletter at www.mastery-flight-training.com.
January 2017
TWIN & TURBINE • 33
Three Airworthiness Responsibilities
Maintenance is something actively done to maintain airworthiness before something breaks. Maintenance cannot usually be put off until the next annual inspection (although some maintenance functions are routinely re-done as part of an annual).
Inspection is done to confirm that the maintenance effort has been successful, and to detect items that need repair, but which are not immediately obvious (if it’s obvious, fix it). Inspections may be informal (preflight) or follow specific guidelines (100- hour, annual).
Repair is what you do when something breaks, often from failure to perform routine maintenance, or if something is found to be abnormal (wearing, rubbing, etc.) during an inspection. Whereas sometimes maintenance can be delayed, repairs cannot be deferred.