The Need For Regular & Detailed Aircraft Engine Inspection

"Detailed visual inspection studies are widely recommended for the proper maintenance and upkeep of aircrafts. Such regular examinations can bring to light all existing damages in the aircraft, which can, then, be effectively removed."

The volume of passengers traveling by air to different locations across the world is increasing every day. The growing amount of air traffic has also made airline companies come up with a larger number of operating aircrafts. With planes typically being expensive, it is also imperative for maintenance personnel to conduct regular and thorough tests to ensure continued enhanced performance from the aircrafts. Effective aircraft engine inspection is, indeed, often deemed to be the key to passenger safety and avoidance of plane damages.

While inspecting an aircraft for probable damages, it is important to have a proper, systematic plan in place. This can help the inspection become specific and more focused, throwing up important details about the conditions of the aircraft. Moreover, modern aircrafts generally comprise of components supplied by several different manufacturing agents, making such inspections all the more necessary.

Maintenance officials need to be proficient with advanced visual inspection techniques, in order to be able to detect problems in any of the numerous equipments in an aircraft engine and other parts. The fuselage of an aircraft may show indications of deterioration with continuous usage (either due to surface damages or more complicated system-related problems). The hull and wing areas of a plane also need to be thoroughly studied to ensure that no problems exist. Mechanical problems in these parts of planes can prove to be fatal.

Hydraulic tanks and other such storage devices are typically used in modern day aircrafts to store fuel. Cracks in these devices can cause oil leakages, which, if left unattended, can spell doom for an aircraft and its passengers. The inspecting personnel must pay special attention to make sure that there are no chances of such probable seepages.

Aircraft engine inspection modules must also necessarily include a detailed study of the control devices and pilot systems. There should also be no slackness or looseness in any of the components of the engine in the aircraft. Aircraft executives also have to check if all the parts and components of the engine are securely attached to each other or not.

Maintaining proper, two-way communication is important to make sure that an aircraft always remains on the correct flight path, during its course of travel.

Informed visual inspection studies, coupled with the use of advanced testing appliances, can be instrumental in examining the workability of the navigation control features and communication devices on the plane. The landing gear of the aircraft is yet another area which can suffer accidental damages. As such, this portion has to be carefully examined as well.

Among other components in an aircraft, the efficacy of the mounting systems and the batteries also warrant special attention. Aircraft inspectors should also take a look at the strength and utility of the safety belts. The windshield of the plane should also be in perfect condition, to ensure enhanced visibility. In general too, keeping an aircraft totally dirt-free at all times is desirable.

When maintained with due care and attention, aircrafts can provide service over an extended span of time. For that, however, in-depth inspection studies are of the essence.

Some Facts about Borescopes

These are instruments that are made up of either rigid or flexible tubes and are used to view areas that are relatively difficult to see. The places that can be viewed are generally very small or narrow passages where the human eye or other cameras cannot reach. They can also be fitted with cameras to get images of the places.

The Basic:

This instrument is used for remote visual inspection of objects and is modified to be used in various areas of inspection and non-destructive inspection of machinery parts. Let us then have a look at how these can be used for different purposes:

• When the long rigid tube is inserted it is fitted with mirrors and prisms at the front end and they carry the images to the back end. There a camera or an eyepiece is placed to view the images.
• A bit different are fiberscopes that are flexible and have the ability to bend and thus view the area of inspection. They are fitted with fiber optics that carry light to the very end and light up the area of inspection. Another set of fiber optics sends the images back to the rear end where they can be viewed or the images are taken up by a camera. Fiberscopes can be remotely controlled and pointed to the place where the user wants to.
• Videoscopes are the most advanced versions and are fitted with a tiny video camera which transmits the images back to the viewer.
• As these are used in non-destructive testing they can make their way through the narrow paths. Thus they can be used in testing airframes and engines. So, any form of hose and wiring connections, cable attachments, wing spar insides, bell cranks etc can be tested.
• In the case of a piston powered aircraft, scorched pistons, the valve condition etc can be checked.
• If the aircraft is turbine powered, it can be checked for any form of damage to nozzle guide vanes and turbine blades.

Tips For Correct Usage:

These instruments are highly sensitive and thus they need to be used systematically. Here are some tips to follow for using them in a proper manner:

• When using it should be taken into notice that a proper place should be found to get the best possible images.
• While using it should also be noted that the viewer must be adjusted and then the light be switched on to get the best possible view. The cable should be kept clutter free so that it can be adjusted as and when.
• They can be used in places with a lot of heat and so they can be used without any sort of damage.
• The more the number of pixels the better the image quality will be. Also the articulation range, the viewing angle and the flexibility of the cable is to be cared for.

These are some of the points and tips of correct usage of borescopes. However, for the best image quality video borescopes are the only choice.