Engine Trend Data for lease return
An aircraft engine can be leased with an airframe or on its own as fleet spares.
An engine can be one of the highest single cost factors on a lease return and as such the requirements governing its condition are of vital importance during any transition be it leasing or returning.
The “Trend Data”, which can be commonly referred to as “Condition Monitoring” should be provided by the lessor / operator / lessee depending on the transition type taking place.
If an engine is from a Shop Visit (SV) then the trend data may not exist depending on scope of the visit and you will not get the following data.
While it depends on the specific engine as to the exact parameters you would expect many parameters to be tracked for indication of any issues within the engine.
Some of the most important parameters at various stages of flight to observe include but are not limited to:
EGT – Exhaust Gas Temperature
Shaft Speeds (N1, N2, N3 and NF depending on engine type)
Vibration for the shafts and fan
Oil Consumption.
While we would expect to see more information, we can consider some of these are indicators and compare them to the lease conditions.
One major consideration is of an engine is considered “on watch” which means that the engine has exhibited a concerning trend (prolonged period) or a concerning spike (short term).
An on-watch engine is one to be very aware of as it could have an existing condition which will soon cause an issue requiring maintenance or have impact regarding reduced interval inspections.
Generally, it is an increase in any of the above parameters we would be looking to observe and query if above certain levels.
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