Airworthiness

Technology can assist, but not replace, human thoroughness in controlling this foreign object damage hazard Aircraft maintenance is an unforgiving way to make a living.  As James Reason and Alan Hobbs say in their book, Managing...

If not for an experienced engineer’s long and detailed memory, a serious in-flight incident might have remained a mystery By Robert Wilson It’s something not meant to happen on modern passenger aircraft – but it did...

by Roger Alder ‘Never, in the history of aviation maintenance, have so many been distracted by so little.’ With apologies to Sir Winston Churchill, who was paying respect to WWII Battle of Britain air aces. The...

A recent airworthiness directive from the US Federal Aviation Administration highlights the difficult issues surrounding the ageing general aviation aircraft fleet. Some things just seem eternal: sunrise, sunset and rock ‘n’ roll music for anyone...

A tangle of misinformation about engine bay flammable fluid flexible hoses needs clearing up Dangerous ideas are not always outrageous. Sometimes they arise out of simple misunderstandings, turgid language or the unfortunate situation where a...

Thomas P. Turner The pilot of a vintage Cessna 120 taildragger noticed over time that the aeroplane’s battery would not always hold a charge. It wasn’t uncommon that he would prepare the aeroplane for flight...

In the five years since a very near miss put the issue of flight control deterioration into clear focus, sixty-one unserviceable and potentially dangerous cables have been discovered on aircraft, and four cable failures. It...

A known and documented problem continues to cause embarrassment and expense for Cessna operators. It was a memorable sightseeing trip, for the wrong reasons. The aircraft passengers got a ‘near death experience’ anecdote to enliven...

A recurrent issue on a popular training aircraft illustrates the many factors influencing aircraft reliability. The Beechcraft Model 76 Duchess has introduced a sizeable proportion of Australia commercial pilots to the pleasures and perils of...

To state the obvious: water in fuel is A. Bad. Thing. Whether avgas or jet A1, fuel and water just don’t mix. And water makes engines stop. Water in fuel takes two forms, dissolved...