1.

Design features of a modern system of engineering and maintenance and repair

of the aircraft.
2. Maintenance of operational and technical characteristics of the aircraft.
3. Explain the means of engineering and maintenance and repair of aircraft.
Design features of a modern system of engineering and maintenance and
repair of the aircraft
Systems Engineering (SE) is a necessary process to successfully design and
operate a complex system, however the process can also be applied to the design of
a simple system. An example of a large scale, multi-million dollars, multi-
disciplinary project is the creation and operation of the Space Shuttle
Transportation System. A refrigerator is a simple system which could be designed
using systems engineering. The process evolved to reduce risk, reduce
development time and to enhance product quality. Systems Engineering can also
be applied to “system-of-systems”, where individual systems interact as a
functioning entity to accomplish a mission (for example, a naval task force
consisting of distinct complex systems such as fighter aircraft, surface combatant
ships, supply vessels, submarines, small utility crafts, etc.).
The systems engineering process encompasses all creative, manual and
technical activities necessary to define the product and which need to be carried
out to convert a system definition to a sufficiently detailed system design
specification for product manufacture and deployment. Design and development of
a system can be divided into four stages, each with different definitions:
 task definition (informative definition);
 conceptual stage (cardinal definition);
 design stage (formative definition);
 implementation stage (manufacturing definition).
Consideration of aircraft maintenance and repair procedures is a critical part
of the development and application of new materials and structures. Additional
experience suggests that the heavy dependence on the costly and intensive
inspections to maintain safety in aging airplanes must be reduced further by
implementing new and easier to use inspection techniques; utilizing materials with
better damage tolerance, toughness, and visible warnings of impending failure; and
designing components with adequate access for inspection and maintenance to
preclude hidden defects. The FAA should work with the airline and manufacturing
industries to develop common standards and procedures for maintenance and
repair of aircraft structure. Application of new materials, processes, and component
designs need to be anticipated and accounted for in the FAA's research priorities.
Maintenance of operational and technical characteristics of the aircraft
Aircraft characteristics have an important role on airport planning. Both the
airport airside and landside planning are based on operating characteristics of the
aircraft which will be operated at the airport. On the airside, the representative
aircraft will determine the runway length and width, the minimum separation
between runways and taxiways, the geometric project of taxi-ways, and the
pavement strength. Additionally, environmental issues such as noise and air
pollution are also based on the aircraft which will make use of the airport. On the
terminal area, aircraft characteristics will influence the number and size of gates,
and consequently the terminal configuration. Finally, the aircraft passenger
capacity will influence the size of facilities within the terminal – such as passenger
lounges and passenger processing systems –, and the size and type of the baggage
handling system. On the other hand, modern aircraft are also projected as a
function of the airports where they are intended to operate. The costs of adapting
an airport to changes in aircraft characteristics – for example, runway stretching to
accommodate a larger aircraft – has be-come so high in the last decades that
manufacturers are now concerned of fitting new developments to existing airports.
For instance, the efforts of Boeing and Airbus to develop a new large aircraft
(NLA) with 500 to 800 seats and a new-generation supersonic aircraft are being
carried such that the runway requirements of these new products should not
overcome the length of the existing runways – what means a maximum of
approximately 4000 m. The world's longest paved runway, at Qamdo Bamda
Airport in Tibet (China), has a total length of 5,500 m (18,045 ft).
 Since, airports are designed as a function of the aircraft it will serve, aircraft
characteristics highly influence the size and operation of the airport facilities.
Planners must be careful when choosing the aircraft on which airport design will
be based. It has been shown that aircraft dimensions can vary considerably, and the
choice of the wrong representative aircraft can lead either to uneconomical design
or to insufficient airport capacity, resulting in a low level of service. The
development of the NLA and of the next generation of supersonic aircraft is also
an important matter to be studied now. The introduction of the NLA will impact
practically all aspects of airport planning, from runway capacity to the number of
car parking lots. New airports and even expansion of existing facilities may not fail
to recognize the importance of these questions, under risk of very bad
consequences to airport operations and level of service.
The means of engineering and maintenance and repair of aircraft
Engineering is a scientific field and job that involves taking our scientific
understanding of the natural world and using it to invent, design, and build things
to solve problems and achieve practical goals. This can include the development of
roads, bridges, cars, planes, machines, tools, processes, and computers. The things
engineers build are called technology. Without technology, the modern world
simply wouldn't exist. We're surrounded by the work of engineers practically every
moment of our lives.
There are many different types of engineering. The most significant ones are
civil engineering, mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, and chemical
engineering. Civil engineering is probably the first one that comes to mind when
people think about engineering. These are the roads, bridges, dams, buildings, and
canals that make up our human communities and infrastructure. Mechanical
engineering is what puts the 'engine' into engineering. This is often where the
problem-solving cleverness of engineers is most on display. Mechanical
engineering, therefore, encompasses everything from car mechanics, to air-
conditioning systems, to military aircrafts and robotics. Electrical engineering
might be less acknowledged than other types of engineering, but it's probably the
most central to the modern world in which we live. It's hard to imagine a world
without electricity and electronics. From computers to televisions, to digital
cameras to cell phones, each of these technologies is a product of electrical
engineering. Chemical engineering is perhaps the least well known, but it's a no
less important part of the field. It involves producing chemicals, such as man-made
and space-age materials, and fuels for human use.
When you put all of these pieces together, you see that the modern world we
live in would be completely impossible without engineering; and even into the
future, the problem-solving skills of engineers have the potential to solve many
problems.
Aircraft maintenance is an area of significant importance because
maintaining an aircraft in a good condition increases aviation safety. Modern
aviation maintenance is divided into four checks: A; B; C; and D checks. These
checks are carried out at predetermined times based on the number of flight cycles
(landings and take-offs) or flight time. These checks are performed under a
maintenance program founded on MSG-3. Aircraft Maintenance is intended to
keep the aircraft in a state which will or has enabled a certificate of release to
service to be issued.
 A Check is a light check carried out usually overnight at an airport gate.
This check is carried out every month or every 500 flight hours, however,
depending on the aircraft type the timing can change;
 B Check is also a light check carried overnight at an airport gate. This
check is normally performed every 3 months;
 C Check is a heavy maintanance check usually carried out every year or
every 1.5 years. Since this check requires dessembly of critical parts, this check is
performed in a hangar;
 D Check is sometimes called overhaul check or heavy maintenanc check.
This check is performed in every 4-5 years: inspection of entire aircraft is carried
out.
 Making any type of aircraft repair requires an adherence to certain standards
and procedures. The regulations require that an aircraft be maintained in a
airworthy condition. So, when an aircraft is repaired, the ultimate goal is to bring it
back to an airworthy (safe) condition.
The FAA classifies repairs into two categories. Major and minor. Following is
the FAA’s definition of both:
1. Major repair means a repair:
 That, if improperly done, might appreciably affect weight, balance,
structural strength, performance, powerplant operation, flight
characteristics, or other qualities affecting airworthiness;
 That is not done according to accepted practices or cannot be done by
elementary operations.
2. Minor repair means a repair other than a major repair.