The inspection process of an aircraft is vital to maintaining the right performance and operation standards of any and all aircrafts. Without a proper inspection, an aircraft is likely to run with undiagnosed issues that will end up affecting the overall operation of the individual components and systems. In time, the aircraft will breakdown. This is why many commercial aircraft inspectors rely heavily on inspection tools like aviation borescopes.
Types of Aircrafts Inspection with an Aviation Borescope
If you have traveled by commercial airplane in the last ten years, you’ve flown on an aircraft that was inspected by a professional grade articulating borescope. Some of the few (of many) examples of specific types of these aircrafts and their engines include:
Narrow body aircrafts
Examples include those such as B737 or A320 family
Engines inspected include: CFM56 series, V2500, RB211-535, RR Tay, JT8D, PW2000
Wide body aircraft
Examples include aircrafts such as the B767, B747, A340, DC10 and Tristar
Engines inspected include: CF6 series, CFM56-5C, RR Trent, 500, 700, 800, 1000, RB211-525, 22B, PW4000 series, JT9D
Turboprop aircraft
Examples include aircrafts such as the Beechcraft Kingair, Cessna Caravan, Pilatus PC12, ATR 42, and 72
Engines inspected include: PT6A series and PW100 series
The Important of Commercial Aircraft Inspection
Inspection using an aviation borescope will help to greatly extend the life of an aircraft. During the inspection process, mechanics are able to visually inspect vital internal and external parts and systems to make sure everything is running as it should. By catching issues ahead of time, it can prevent dangerous failures and downtime for the operation of the aircraft.
For commercial aircraft, inspection is not just important, it’s a required part of regular use. Commercial aircraft have an obligation to the safety of many passengers, not just the pilot and/or owner of the aircraft, as is the case with privately owned aircraft.
Aircraft Equipment That Requires Inspection
There are certain interval requirements for inspection which will typically include requiring an inspection after a certain amount of hours, time, and even a checklist before and after each flight. These inspections will cover the whole of the commercial aircraft, but some parts need more attention than others. Specific equipment inspection is performed on parts known to be under the greatest stresses, or have the most impact on the rest of the system. A lot of the time, these kinds of part-specific inspections are performed on or around the engine or turbine. The power plant of an aircraft takes a lot of abuse, but the aircraft need these systems to run at top performance in order to keep the plane up in the air.
Specific part and system inspection include the lubrication system, cooling system, fan blades, and other components that have to run perfectly in order to keep the entire engine operating as it should. Identifying issues at the points can make for a quick and easier replacement or repair, and sometimes just a simple draining and replacement of fluids, to make sure there’s no further damage. They can also tip-off to other areas that need to be inspected from possible damage.
There are many good reasons that commercial aircraft owners and mechanics use aviation borescopes to maintain their equipment. Using these tools can help operators get an eye on important components in a hurry, and without teardown. When there’s so much at stake, there’s only time to use the best!
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