Aircraft Leasing / CAMO Aircraft Storage Programme
Aircraft storage has always been widely used for many reasons, but never as much as recently with Covid and the issues that we faced as a result.
This meant that many aircraft were placed into storage under a variety of different conditions from Flight Ready Parking (FRP) through to long term storage.
In a similar manner multiple components were also placed in storage such as Engines for example.
The requirements for the stored aircraft will be detailed in the Aircraft Maintenance Manual typically under ATA 10 which covers Parking, Mooring, Storage and also Return to Service.
It is important to be aware that the parking and storage will vary based on many factors such as (and not limited to) humidity, temperature, winds, length of storage and aircraft configuration (perhaps one or both engines are removed).
If an engine is preserved “on wing” then the Aircraft Maintenance Manual (AMM) is applicable, and the engine should be placed in storage according to the AMM ensuring the aircraft is not placed into a longer plan (in case we need further maintenance tasks to preserve the engine, and this is not possible if the aircraft is in longer term storage)
If a component such as an engine is preserved “Off Wing” not installed on the aircraft, then the AMM no longer applies as this is considered a component; therefor the Engine Manual (EM) is applicable and should be followed. A similar principle is applied for other components such as the Auxiliary Power Unit (APU) also.
During storage and parking the aircraft / component will be subjected to maintenance and these can be also dependent on the conditions noted above (humidity, temperature, winds, length of storage etc).
The maintenance will have due dates that are typically perhaps 7 Day, 14 Day, 30 Day, 60 Day, 90 Day etc. as examples. There might be a matrix to assist and what type of storage you are in and what to do when. It is important to review all the storage paperwork from the entry into storage / parking; all the required maintenance checks and return to service also.
Due to the mass grounding many procedures changed with the events that followed and multiple new tasks and some AD’s resulted; so, it is very important to check the applicability of these for return to service such as the CFM56-7 AD where you must check a bleed valve on the engine after a period of storage if it remains on wing.
After a period of storage, a good physical inspection of many key areas and many tasks are called up, these are to ensure airworthiness and should be followed with associated paperwork to demonstrate this.
Why not follow us to learn more or consider one of our courses LinkedIn