airline generated documentation(midterm lesson 3).pdf
- 2. Operations specifications Is an FAA requirement for airline certification. It is written by the airline in accordance with strict FAA requirements and usually with the help of an FAA representative. The Ops Specs is required for each aircraft type flown by the airline. It is a parent document, which refers to numerous other documents to avoid duplication and details the airline’s maintenance, inspection, and operations programs.
- 3. In part, the Federal Aviation Act of 1958 requires the airline to develop an operations specifications document (Ops Specs) for each type of aircraft to be operated in commercial service. The Ops Specs is a parent document; i.e., in addition to specific information listed in the document, it may identify other airline documents, by reference, that fully describes certain airline operations that apply to the model.
- 4. The Ops Specs outlines such operational activities as: (a) the type of service to be offered, passenger, cargo, or combination; (b) the type of aircraft to be used; (c) the routes to be flown; (d) the airports and alternate airports that will be used; (e) the navigation and communications facilities to be utilized on each route; (f ) the way points used in navigation; and (g) the takeoff and approach routes, including any alternate approach routes, at each airport.
- 5. The Ops Specs must also identify the maintenance and inspection program applicable to the model, including the scheduled and unscheduled maintenance programs; the inspection program; and the engine and equipment repair program (off-aircraft maintenance). Other aspects of maintenance, such as the quality assurance and reliability programs, will also be defined. If any portion of the aircraft or systems maintenance is performed by a third party, that agreement must also be addressed in the Ops Specs.
- 6. The operations specifications document is a detailed document and is put together by the principal maintenance inspector (PMI) assigned to the airline by the FAA and by the airline personnel. It is tailored to each operation.
- 7. Technical policies and procedures manual (TPPM) other documents supplied by the airframe manufacturer, serves as the FAA requirement for a maintenance manual per AC 120-16E. It is usually written by engineering, to ensure technical accuracy, from inputs supplied by management of the various M&E organizations. It should define exactly how all M&E functions and activities will be carried out. The TPPM is a detailed document and may be several volumes. Personnel in all units of M&E must be trained on the TPPM, especially those parts that relate directly to that unit’s operation, so that the operation will go smoothly.
- 8. The purpose of the TPPM is to identify all aspects of the maintenance and engineering organization. This would include: (a) the identification of key personnel, descriptions of their job functions and their qualifications; (b) a definition of the operator’s philosophy and goals; (c) layout drawings and maps of the maintenance facilities including shops, hangars, ramps, and other significant buildings and areas related to maintenance activities; (d) specific items in accordance with FAAregulations as well as items, at the discretion of the operator, which describe, in detail, how specific maintenance, inspection, and testing activities will be accomplished.
- 9. The TPPM is a controlled document and therefore should be issued in limited distribution only to those units within the airline that need the information. Some airlines provide full copies to all M&E units, while others provide only those portions of the manual that apply to that organization. For example, information relating to specific flight line operations need not be available to hangar or shop personnel. Likewise, information concerning engineering responsibilities need not be distributed to the flight line or to outstations unless the information is directly related to those activities.
- 10. Inspection manual (IM) The IM may be a separate document distributed primarily to QC personnel, or it can be a chapter in the TPPM (usual approach).4 Contents of the IM relate to all inspection activities within M&E: (a) mechanic inspection tasks from the MPD/OAMP or the MRB report; (b) QC inspector’s tasks; (c) special inspections (hard landings, bird strikes, etc.); (d) the airline’s required inspection item (RII) program; and (e) the paperwork, forms, and reports required to carry out these functions. Some IMs may indicate details on the calibration of tools and test equipment, since these are QC functions, or these may be in a separate chapter of the TPPM.
- 11. Quality assurance (QA) manual The QA manual could be a special manual for QA auditors only, it could be part of the inspection manual, or it could be a separate chapter in the TPPM as desired. The QA manual defines the duties and responsibilities of the QA organization and defines the processes and procedures used in the annual quality assurance audits conducted on the M&E units, suppliers, and outside contractors. Forms used and reports are also covered along with the procedures for follow-up and enforcement of QA write-ups.
- 12. Reliability program manual An airline’s reliability program, under FAArules, must be approved by the regulatory authority, so it is usually published as a separate document. This document defines the reliability program in detail so that the FAA can evaluate and approve all its elements at one time.
- 13. Reliability Program A reliability program for our purposes is, essentially, a set of rules and practices for managing and controlling a maintenance program. The main function of a reliability program is to monitor the performance of the vehicles and their associated equipment and call attention to any need for corrective action. The program has two additional functions: (a) to monitor the effectiveness of those corrective actions and (b) to provide data to justify adjusting the maintenance intervals or maintenance program procedures whenever those actions are appropriate.
- 14. Engineering orders (EO) Any maintenance work not covered in the standard maintenance plan developed by engineering from the MRB report or Ops Specs data must be made official by the issuance of an EO. This is official paper work, issued by engineering and approved by QA, and is usually implemented through the production planning and control (PP&C) organization. In some airlines, the document may be called simply a work order.
- 15. Issuance of engineering orders Any work performed by maintenance in the form of standard checks—daily, 48-hour, transit, “A” check, “C” check—is done on standing orders from the VP of maintenance and engineering as identified in the maintenance section of the Ops Specs. Any work not included in these standard checks must be assigned by engineering order.
- 16. Some airlines may call this document by another name,such as work order, technical order, or engineering authorization (EA). This EO is developed by engineering, with inputs from appropriate work centers, to define the scope of the job and schedule the work. Work performed as a result of SBs, SLs, ADs, and all work resulting from evaluation of problems defined by reliability investigations or QC reports, will be issued on an engineering order.
- 17. All work centers involved in the particular project will be defined on the EO: maintenance (line, hangar, or shop as appropriate); material (for parts, supplies, tools); quality control (inspection of work if required); training (remedial, upgrade, or new course). Engineering releases the EO after all involved organizations (maintenance, material, planning, etc.) have agreed to its contents. Engineering then tracks the work progress and closes the EO when all has been completed. In certain instances, airline modifications are made to the fleet, either by directive or through the airline’s own initiative. These “fleet campaigns” are also controlled by EOs. These EOs cannot be closed out until the entire fleet has been worked.