Preventive Maintenance in Aviation: A Guide

Preventive maintenance in aviation is heavily regulated by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). Only properly trained pilots and technicians can perform preventive maintenance on commercial aircraft. The maintenance strategy itself has a specific and narrow scope. It cannot involve complex assembly operations, and maintenance needs to be properly logged and documented so an aircraft can return to service. 

This article will discuss preventive maintenance in aviation. It will discuss the benefits of preventive maintenance and why using a computerized maintenance management system (CMMS) like LLumin’s CMMS+ can streamline and optimize a preventive maintenance program for commercial aircraft. 

What Is Preventive Maintenance In Aviation?

Preventive maintenance is a strategy that relies on regularly scheduled maintenance and inspections to prevent mechanical breakdowns before they occur. It is a proactive approach that can help to reduce unexpected downtime and the costs associated with emergency repairs. However, preventive maintenance in aviation has a very specific scope. The FAA defines preventive maintenance as “simple or minor preservation operations and the replacement of small standard parts not involving complex assembly operations.”

Only specific maintenance tasks can be performed. They must be simple in nature and not involve invasive procedures that require disassembly and assembly of major airplane components. 

Who Can Perform Preventive Maintenance?

In addition to having a very specific scope, preventive maintenance in aviation must be performed by qualified personnel. According to the FAA, only the following are authorized to perform preventive maintenance and other maintenance:

• The holders of mechanic and repairman certificates
• Persons working under the supervision of these mechanics and repairman
• Repair stations certificated under part 145
• Air carriers certificated under 14 CFR parts 121 and 135

Benefits of Preventive Maintenance

Preventive maintenance is a well-researched maintenance strategy with proven benefits. Regularly scheduled maintenance effectively reduces unwanted outcomes like unexpected downtime, high maintenance costs, and increased safety risks. 

Adopting a preventive maintenance program enables organizations to have increased control over their maintenance activities and plan maintenance tasks ahead of time. It also enables organizations to better control and predict their maintenance expenses. 

There are several short and long-term benefits to preventive maintenance in aviation, including:

Benefits of Preventive Maintenance In Aviation
Financial Savings	Reduces high costs associated with emergency repairs and maintenance. Enables better control over maintenance costs and budgeting
Safety and Compliance	Improved aircraft safety and reliability. Reduces risks of accidents and injuries. Upholds important safety and compliance standards
Aircraft Reliability	Improves aircraft reliability and performance. Identifies and mitigates mechanical failure
Equipment Lifespan	Extends equipment and component lifespan. Reduces wear and tear. Improves machine and system efficiency
Reduced Unexpected Downtime	Enables better control over maintenance scheduling. Prevents unexpected mechanical failures and resulting downtime

LLumin’s CMMS+ and Your Maintenance Strategy

LLumin’s CMMS+ can help any organization responsible for aircraft maintenance to streamline and improve their maintenance strategy. Whether you need to automate maintenance scheduling and tasks, oversee maintenance completion, or improve your compliance documentation and reporting, the system can make it easier to keep maintenance teams on track. It can also ensure that the right technicians are assigned to complete tasks and provide the proper historical documentation and needed information to complete each task effectively. 

LLumin’s core features include:

• Condition-Based Monitoring: Reduce reliance on manual inspections and monitoring with sensor-based monitoring that can provide your maintenance teams with real-time data and insights. 
• Automated Tasks: Whether you need to automate inventory reordering and management, or schedule and track a preventive maintenance program, LLumin can be customized to manage all of your specific operational needs. 
• Customizable Alerts: LLumin can send your maintenance teams needed alerts about scheduled maintenance and issue tasks based on real-time developing issues. 
• Advanced Analytics: LLumin’s predictive analytics capabilities can provide your organization with deep insights into equipment performance and increase your ability to both predict and mitigate developing mechanical failure.  
• Inventory Management: Always have the right parts and materials on hand to complete necessary preventive maintenance tasks. LLumin can both manage distributor relationships, automate reordering, and ensure you stop overstocking or understocking needed inventory and materials. 
• Compliance Tracking: In the aviation industry, ensuring compliance, proper documentation, and required reporting can ensure your organization stays audit ready. 
• Mobile Access: Access the platform with a handheld mobile device. Ensure your maintenance teams always have access to necessary checklists, safety, and historical data.  

LLumin Can Optimize Preventive Maintenance in Aviation

Preventive maintenance is a reliable and proven way to improve maintenance operations in the aviation industry. However, deploying a sophisticated maintenance program without the right tools and support can be challenging. Manual documentation and scheduling is both time-consuming and prone to human error. LLumin’s CMMS+ can optimize your maintenance strategy and ensure your technicians have access to the information and guidance they need to perform their duties safely and effectively. LLumin’s customer service is second to none. In addition to continual support and training, LLumin provides a fully honed implementation process to ensure your software is up and running and your team is ready to use the software from day one.