Aircraft Airworthiness Inspection

In order to ensure that aircraft are maintained to the highest standard of air-worthiness, they are managed and inspected under FAA-mandated and -approved inspection programs. Inspection programs must ensure the aircraft is airworthy and conforms to all applicable FAA aircraft specifications, type certificate data sheets, airworthiness directives, and other FAA approved data.

Inspection planning is organized around an aircraft's age, utilization, environmental conditions, and the type of operation. Examples include changes in temperature, frequency of landings and takeoffs, operation in areas of high industrial or environmental pollutants, and passenger or cargo operations. To assure proper maintenance, each inspection interval must be stated in terms of flight hours, calendar times, and cycles (the number of take-offs and landings the aircraft makes). As part of the aircraft's certification process, the aircraft manufacturer and the FAA agree on the frequency for inspection requirements on the aircraft as well as functional checks of each system. This forms the basis for the maintenance program when the aircraft is in service. Every system on the aircraft has its own inspection requirements. Typically, major system-inspection requirements are synchronized to minimize aircraft downtime and to eliminate a duplication of effort. However, it is common to have completely separate inspection cycles for the primary aircraft structure and its engines.