As an aircraft owner or a Aircraft Mechanic, you have several responsibilities to ensure a plane is airworthy before take-off. With so much to consider, it can be hard to keep track of every little maintenance issue. Cirrus Aircraft Maintenance is here to help you keep your airplane in takeoff condition all year long.
Before soaring into the sky, a certified pilot who is the owner of an aircraft (that isn’t being used as an air carrier service), or a qualified airplane mechanic should go over this list to ensure the plane is in tip-top condition and ready to fly. So, it’s time to get started – here’s the Ultimate Aircraft Maintenance Checklist – let’s go!
PREVENTATIVE AIRCRAFT MAINTENANCE CHECKLIST
▢ Review the aircraft’s maintenance records and service logs.
▢ Removal, installation, and repair of landing gear tires.
▢ Inspect tire pressure and wear.
▢ Replace elastic shock absorber cords on the landing gear.
▢ Service landing gear shock struts by adding oil, air, or both.
▢ Service landing gear wheel bearings, such as cleaning and greasing.
▢ Replace defective safety wiring or cotter keys.
▢ Check and change the oil if needed.
▢ Lubricate items not requiring disassembly other than removal of nonstructural items such as cover plates, cowlings, and fairings.
▢ Check the battery (every 50 hours of use) and other electrical components.
▢ Make simple fabric patches not requiring rib stitching or the removal of structural parts or control surfaces.
▢ Replenish hydraulic fluid in the hydraulic reservoir.
▢ Refinish decorative coating of fuselage, wings, tail group surfaces (excluding balanced control surfaces), fairings, cowling, landing gear, cabin, or cockpit interior when removal or disassembly of any primary structure or operating system is not required.
▢ Apply preservative or protective material to components where no disassembly
of any primary structure or operating system is involved and where such coating is not prohibited or is not contrary to good practices.
▢ Repair upholstery and decorative furnishings of the cabin or cockpit interior when the repairing does not require disassembly of any primary structure or operating system or interfere with an operating system or affect the primary structure of the aircraft.
▢ Make small simple repairs to fairings, nonstructural cover plates, cowlings and small patches and reinforcements not changing the contour so as to interfere with proper airflow.
▢ Replace side windows where, that work does not interfere with the structure or any operating system such as controls, electrical equipment, etc.
▢ Replace ripped, torn, or broken safety belts.
▢ Replace seats or seat parts with replacement parts approved for the aircraft, not involving disassembly of any primary structure or operating system.
▢ Troubleshoot and repair broken circuits in landing light wiring circuits.
▢ Replace bulbs, reflectors, and lenses of position and landing lights.
▢ Replace wheels and skis where no weight and balance computation is involved.
▢ Replace any cowling not requiring removal of the propeller or disconnection
of flight controls.
▢ Inspect for structural damage.
▢ Replace or clean spark plugs and setting of spark plug gap clearance.
▢ Replace any hose connection except hydraulic connections.
▢ Replace prefabricated fuel lines.
▢ Clean fuel and oil strainers.
▢ Replace batteries and checking fluid level and specific gravity.
▢ Remove and installing glider wings and tail surfaces that are specifically designed for quick removal and installation and when such removal and installation can be accomplished by the pilot.
▢ Test wing flaps.
▢ Wash the exterior and clean the interior of the aircraft.
This list is adapted from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) – FAR 43, Appendix A, Major Alterations, Major Repairs and Preventive Maintenance, paragraph (c).
LOOKING FOR A REPUTABLE MECHANIC FOR YOUR AIRPLANE MAINTENANCE NEEDS?
Contact the expert team at Citadel Aircraft Maintenance today! We’re Minnesota’s premier aircraft mechanic shop, ready to help you with our top-tier maintenance services.
With our qualifications and expertise, we’ll keep your plane in perfect condition so you always have a spectacular, exhilarating and safe flight. Whether you need your propellers checked out, engine oil replaced, windows repaired, avionics updated or anything else, we will help you take care of any maintenance issues as soon as possible, so you don’t have to stay grounded.
The experience we offer gives pilots confidence in their aircraft and sets future expectations for a higher level of service. At Citadel Aircraft Maintenance, we will always treat our clients’ planes like our own.
Get in touch with our team for a free quote on your aircraft’s maintenance needs.