What to consider at checkup time
By Matt Thurber - April 1, 2010
An aircraft starts to deteriorate as soon as it leaves the factory. Parts wear out and corrosion sneaks into hard-to-reach corners. Expensive engine components tick off their allowed lifetime operating cycles and hours each time you fly. There’s only one way to combat this entropy, preserve airworthiness and maximize safety, and that is by performing maintenance.
In most cases, owners of business jets have no choice but to follow a maintenance program–the FAA requires it. This includes scheduled items like inspections and replacement of components, and unscheduled items like replacement of prematurely failing instruments, pumps and engine parts. Additional maintenance, such as periodic corrosion control, prevention programs and other life-extending measures, is also necessary.
Here are the answers to four key questions you may be asking about this important subject.
1. Who’s responsible for maintenance?
You might be surprised to learn that FAA regulations place the responsibility for maintenance squarely on the owner or operator’s shoulders. The operator, in this case, refers to a legal entity such as a charter certificate holder, not to a management company. If your aircraft is being managed, you, the owner, are still the responsible party in the FAA’s eyes.
In light of this, it is critical that maintenance be properly documented, said John Rahilly, principal of Rahilly Aviation Associates, a consulting service in Edenton, N.C. Good documentation not only ensures safety, but also helps preserve an aircraft’s value. “You need to take an active role in maintenance and make sure you know your aircraft is adequately maintained,” he said. If you’re not sure how to do this, seek professional advice. Many owners hire an FAA-certified mechanic to help manage the maintenance process. Maintenance consultants and providers can also advise you.
2. How much does maintenance cost?
Maintenance accounts for about 30 percent of variable aircraft operating costs, based on a fuel price of $4.49 per gallon, according to Conklin & de Decker’s Aircraft Cost Evaluator. There are regular inspections, component overhauls, engine “events” (mid-life inspections and overhauls) and even periodic major airframe inspections such as the mandatory 12-year wing removal on Learjets, which can take hundreds of man-hours at $80 to $100 per hour. FAA Airworthiness Directives and manufacturer service bulletins further escalate costs.
Turbine engine overhauls are expensive, too. Parts whirl around at tens of thousands of revolutions per minute with a few thousandths of an inch clearance at extremely high temperatures. Repairs and maintenance require exotic materials and processes. A typical Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6 turboprop engine used in a Hawker Beechcraft King Air costs $180,000 to $700,000 to overhaul, according to engine maintenance specialist StandardAero. Overhauling a GE CF34 turbofan engine in a Bombardier Challenger runs $970,000 to $1.7 million.
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