There are a number of advantages of having an aircraft for your assistance. Easy transportation, fast travel and unmatched comfort make aeroplanes the first choice for commuting worldwide.

1. 3 Golden Rules for Aircraft Maintenance
There are a number of advantages of having an aircraft for your assistance. Easy transportation, fast
travel and unmatched comfort make aeroplanes the first choice for commuting worldwide. But the only
trouble with these gigantic vehicles is the difficulty in maintenance. Whether you are a part of an aviation
company, managing a big fleet of flying birds, or have a personal airplane for business or home affairs,
you know how tiring and back breaking can the task of maintaining can be.
While the manufacturer’s manual has all the information that one would need to keep an aircraft in good
shape, 80% of the people do not read the booklet even once. Well, here are the 3 things that you must
do, or ask your technicians to do, for effective aircraft maintenance.
Cleaning
Like every other automobile, aeroplanes require regular cleaning and washing. Make sure that you
remove any bugs, tar or oil stuck to the surface of the plane and wash it with a good quality washing
agent. You can apply a polish or polymer sealant for protecting the paint. Take proper care while cleaning
glass and use only manufacturer trusted cleaners.
Coming inside, remove anything and everything that you see lying on the floor of the aircraft which is not
attached to the plane. Clean the interiors thoroughly with a vacuum cleaner and avoid using water as it
can leave moisture which is harmful for a few components. Open the cowling and clean the exteriors of
the engine carefully.
Safety and Maintenance
While performance check is a frequent task, maintenance of the aircraft has to be a continuous process.
Keep your plane in a decent condition with regular efforts and maintenance, Apply proper greasing to the
parts which need lubrication and maintain the minimum level of fluids and other requisites of the plane.
Coat the metallic surfaces and components with an anti-corrosive material, or paint if possible.
Take proper care of the battery of the craft and make sure to get it charged at regular intervals. Also
cover all the exposed electrical components and wires with proper safety precautions.
Effective Inspection
Regularly monitor the fuel efficiency of the plane and heed the warning signs it shows before any big
trouble comes out. Look for any breakdown, leakage or wearing on the surface and get it mended as
soon as possible. The body of the vehicle is designed according to the aerodynamic principles and any
damage to the structure will result in poor performance and increase in the issues related to operation
and control.
The best way to find out if your aircraft has some engine issues or obsolete internal parts is borescope
inspection or remote visual inspection. This inspection is very helpful in evaluating the health and
condition of engine parts like compressor and turbine section, which are inaccessible without stripping
down the entire engine.
While you can perform all the other aircraft maintenance activities by yourself, it is essential that you
select an experienced and reliable company for borescope examination of your plane. There are many
EASA and CAA certified agencies for remote visual inspection with complete perfection and accuracy.
You can be sure of your aircraft’s health with an effective testing from a reliable company. So look for a
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2. smart borescope inspection company in the UK today and add to the performance and life of your flying
machine.
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Need for inspection in aircrafts
With more than a 100 years of knowledge and experience in the aircraft industry, many companies offer
borescope inspection of the engines of aircrafts. The aircraft engines require timely checking. Since
they need to fly the aircraft for long distances, many difficulties may come up in the engines.
What is the need for inspection?
The engines suffer from numerous problems like thermal deterioration, foreign object damage, corrosion,
erosion, distortion and cracking. Sometimes the parts that are most vulnerable cannot be inspected
during a visual check. So, borescope, fiberscope and videoscope are the different types of inspections
useful for this purpose. These engines are checked internally for any signs of damage. This way, greater
safety can be ensured to the commercial, business and military aviation.
Therefore, expenses can be saved on timely maintenance which is often unnecessary. Today, most of
the aircraft engines are inspected through these methods, for their better and safe working.
What are the areas that are inspected?
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During this inspection, the various parts of the aircraft like the compressor, turbine section and
combustion chamber are checked.
The trailing edges of guide vanes and compressor blades are checked for any sort of damage by
foreign objects or by erosion.
In the burner cans of the combustion chamber, inspection is done for misalignment and cracks.
Checking is also done for excessive distortion, coking and cracking.
The turbines are the areas where the maximum heat reaches. Thus, checking is done for FOD,
cracking, erosion, blade shifting or rivet cracking.
How can inspection be done visually?
Visual inspection is one of the basic methods of checking aircraft problems. It is majorly a nondestructive technique. Detection and examining all sort of flaws in the surface, is what comes under this
inspection type. The checking is done through the eye. Thorough inspection is carried out for the aided
and unaided areas. This gives practical view of the aircraft’s condition, based on the information present
from before.
In general aviation, most of the inspection is often visual. Some basic inspection principles are provided
and the technicians can give a thorough check accordingly. The inspection is carried out by different
people. They in turn need to evaluate each other’s performance. This is also a way of visual
documentation, so that the air worthiness of an aircraft can be decided. This is the major part of the
inspection, while only 15 to 20 percent is done by technology.
 Obviously, the people who are sent for inspection are highly proficient and have great experience
and knowledge in this arena.
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Sometimes, certain aids are also provided while inspecting visually. They are imaging devices
like eddy current imaging; real time X-rays, ultrasonic C-scans etc.
The probability of finding a defect is greater in such cases.
Visual inspection may not be the most trustworthy, but it is the most used method.
The condition of aircrafts requires regular checking. Whether, through modern techniques or visually,
checking must be done at intervals, to ensure the safety of the aircrafts. Learning about defects from an
early stage can add to the safety of the airlines. Moreover, people would be able to rely on the services of
such airlines and that should be good news for the authorities.
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Borescope Inspection for Aircraft Engines
Borescope or remote visual inspection is one of the most widely used methods of inspecting aircraft
engines in the aviation industry. But is the process reliable?
Remote visual inspection is perhaps the most extensively used for checking the efficiency levels of
aircraft engines in the aviation industry. The process is also known as borescope inspection.
Proficient Inspecting Agency
But before deciding whether Borescope Inspection is one of the best ways of inspecting aircraft engines,
it is necessary also to realize that the inspection agency should be proficient. Some of the characteristics
of proficient agency carrying out such inspection would be as follows.
1. Experience in the field of remote visual inspection of aircraft engines.
2. Technicians and engineers in the agency need to have good knowledge about the functioning of
internal gas path in latest jet engines.
3. Company undertaking the inspection should be accredited by appropriate authority. For
instance; UK based companies should have the approval of the CAA of UK.
4. The agency should use the latest and the best equipments for carrying out the operation such
as the IPLEX system considered as one of the best for aircraft engine inspection.
Making Best Use
Major benefits of using Borescope inspection in respect of engine and other parts of aircrafts is that areas
that cannot be examined with naked eyes or even with use of accessories can now easily be examined
using the method. That is why borescopes are invaluable for maintenance technicians looking after the
well being of the aircraft engines.
Right and Wrong Ways
While using the process of using remote visual inspection could be extremely beneficial, there are both
right and wrong ways of using it. Usually the system is used for non-destructive testing. The NDT test is
carried out on various components as well as airframes.
Different Types of Remote Visual Inspection
Many people have the wrong notion that all remote inspection carried out visually are borescoe testing
while in reality there are multiple types of remove visual testing of aircraft components. These are –
1. Fiberscope that looks similar to borescope; and
2. Videoscope.
Difference between these and borescope is that the latter is much more rigid type of aircraft engine
inspection optical instrument though all of them come under the remote visual category. This instrument
is put to use when you have straight line access to objects that are inspected.
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4. How Borescope Works
The working pattern of borescope is as follows.
1. Borescope uses prism or mirror.
2. The task of the prism or mirror is transmission of images from distal to the camera at the proximal
end.
3. Borescopes cannot bend through the curves like their more flexible counterparts, the fiberscope.
4. Similarly, some of the fiberscopes have control over direction that boerscope does not have.
5. Videoscope is also more advanced in comparison to all these devices.
Borescopes as well as videoscopes are the processes through which you can take care of maintenance
works without having a look at them.
Overview of Remote Visual Instruments
Overall the objective fulfilled by use of RVI equipments is that it can take care of inspection of areas that
cannot be seen through naked eyes.. It is a great help for technicians working on complex machineries
like the aircraft engines.
Not only it is one of the technical advantages helping out inspections of remote areas in aircraft engine
but also would be cost economic.
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Fly me high, high up in the sky
From being the first ones to discover that there was a way we could fly too to actually diminishing the
geographical differences by making Air journey not just comfortable but luxurious and memorable, aircraft
engineering has indeed come a long way.
The fact that you can sit in a vessel which carries more than 100 passengers to a destination you intend
to go to, driven by two pilots that help you reach your desired destination in matter of hours without
having to worry about anything is proof enough of aircraft engineering being a true marvel. Be it a plane
that carries people, cargo or a fighter aircraft used in wars etc, its engine is one of the most important
aspect of it. How two men who claim to fly scorns of people on a daily basis with their in-flight knowledge
and know how, will open a whole new world of Physics and avionics at its best. The beautiful airhostesses on board and the smart stewards cut a pretty picture but what lies beneath the surface of
comfortable seating and the in-flight cuisine is what rules the roost.
Flying involves a whole lot of planning, checking and confirming before taking off in the blue skies.
Inspections on a regular basis of the aircrafts and the aircrafts engines, regulates smooth flying and
ensures safety of the people on board. Inspections are mostly visual inspections which are manually
checked by people authorized to do so. These checks govern the condition of the aircraft and its engine.
Aircraft inspections can be a general walk around the vessel to check things or a very crucial detailed
inspection, pin-pointing everything and checking the minutest of details for safety. A recent study shows
that aircrafts and crew members that hurry through a regular inspection may in fact contribute in
deteriorating the aircraft and its reputation. Regular inspection and preventive methods whatever they
may be have improved the worthiness of air travel and the vessel in question.
Most companies be it those carrying passengers or cargo follow a standard protocol while carrying out an
inspection. It involves the usage of a checklist that can also be provided by the manufacturer of the
equipment which is being inspected. A general checklist of an inspection should contain:-
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5. a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
f)
g)
h)
i)
j)
k)
l)
m)
n)
o)
Fabric and skin which has been deteriorated or tampered with.
Detecting insecure attachments or fittings.
System and components for proper installation.
Cabin and cockpit needs to be checked for general cleanliness and order.
Safety belts and seats need to be checked for maintaining high standards of safety and security.
Windows and windshields.
Flights engine control.
Batteries for charging and proper installation.
In the engine section one needs to check with excessive oil, fuel, hydraulic leaks or any such
source of any leaks.
Studs and nuts to be screwed tight.
Fuel tank needs to be checked for quality and quantity.
The engine mounts and rubber mounts needs to be checked for any sort of cracks etc.
The control levers and panels needs to be double checked if they are in a good condition.
The hour meter, tachometer needs to be checked if they are functioning correctly.
The casing of the gear box, its plugs, propeller shafts and flange need to be checked for
excessive play or even corrosion.
If no wonder that an air craft inspection is almost mandatory every time.
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