Aircraft Painting – Bare Metal Inspection (BMI) & Lease Awareness
We have just added a Paint Awareness Course to our website and below is an extract on BMI to give you a sample of one of the many considerations that Airlines, Lessors and Consultants need to be aware of during the paint process.
“Once the aircraft has been reduced to its desired pre paint levels it will be pressure washed to remove any loose paint and dust to allow for a post sanding / stripping inspection. If the fuselage has been chemically stripped to bare metal, it provides a rare opportunity to inspect the airframe structure for any defects without the cover of paint. This is a general visual inspection (GVI) conducted by the Part 145 maintenance organisation for any damages.
Loose fasteners, blends, scratches, scribe marks, lightning strikes, dents, or any other damage indication should be considered.
It is here that you would cross check against your dent and buckle (D&B) chart (kept on board the aircraft so remove this on arrival for reference) and during the review then we can verify any new damages or if some areas of concern are already existing.
Often aircraft paint events follow EOL (End of Lease) maintenance where a revised D&B has already been created, the BMI is a chance to further extend that and fully document the status of the aircraft before becoming hidden under paint.
Where damage found is not currently recorded then further evaluations and rework can delay a paint input. If you have additional findings that require repair or evaluation, then you should look to contain this by deferring any issues where possible or containing on site if they are not deferrable.
Such issues can have an impact on the return to service or ferry flight departure dates.
BMI inspection times can often be a point of contention as the inspector will want plenty of time to inspect the aircraft, but the paint shop is eager to move onto primer phase to stay on schedule.
Additionally, there may be mandatory or scheduled inspections that are also required such as AD (Airworthiness Directives) to inspect lap joints for scribe lines. (scribe lines are where a sharp point like a knife is used to remove paint, decals or sealant and damages the fuselage structure; if found the potential repair can be vast)”
Check out all our courses on https://ialta.aero/courses and thanks gain to all our followers and customers. We hope you get some down time over the summer period and maybe even upskill.