Aviation From My Rocking Chair: What If We Had a Maintenance Manual?

Howdy Chapter 430 It’s time once again to gather around the fire and talk. Many years ago, I was tasked with finding the original thickness on a DC-10 belly skin because some corrosion was happening and we needed to know how much. The information was finally found in an obscure engineering manual. After that exercise, it occurred to me how difficult this job would be on a homebuilt aircraft.

What appears to be needed is a maintenance manual for each amateur-constructed aircraft, whether kit or plans built. The question then is: Who will write this manual? As Pogo once said, “We have met the enemy, and they is us.” The next question is: Why should we do this? My answer has to be because (1) my memory is sometimes hazy, and (2) I may buy your aircraft someday.

Keeping the above paragraph in mind, I would like to make a few suggestions. Feel free to add to them. After all, this is your Aircraft Maintenance Manual.

1. We first need to organize this book. Maintenance manuals for Transport Aircraft are arranged in ATA (Airline Transport Assn.) chapters, each of which deals with a specific part of the aircraft, i.e. Chap. 20-General, Chap. 27-Flight Controls, Chap. 57-Wings, etc. I see no need to be this complicated. Let’s just divide the aircraft into, say…Wings, Tail, Fuselage, Firewall Forward, Instruments, Electrical, Landing Gear, and Flight Controls.

(2) Next, each section (wings for instance) needs to be sub-divided. For example: Spar, Leading Edge, Ribs and Covering. For each type of construction, the information will be different. In a Metal wing: What rib thickness? What spar web thickness and alloy? What spar cap thickness and alloy? What skin thickness in-board and outboard? For a Wood wing: What type wood was used in each component (fir, spruce, pine, etc.)? What adhesive? What preservative? What covering material/process? And for Composite wings: What layup was used? What adhesives? What type of foam? What type of filler and paint?

(3) I believe this manual should be developed independent of the plans, kit workbook, and builders log, which you already have. From a mechanic’s point of view, there is never too much information. Sounds like a lot of work, doesn’t it? But think of the value of knowing how your aircraft was built, even if the builder is not you.

O.K. gang. Now’s the time to let me know what you’re thinking. Maybe we can come up with a good outline for a Maintenance Manual (modified for each construction) which could be used by all builders and owners out there.

Until next month, Regards to all.

Rick Vaux TC4130