1998 q2-structures engineering support for out of production airplanes

8/13/2019 1998 Q2-Structures Engineering Support for Out of Production Airplanes

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Structures Engineering Support for Out-of-Production Airplanes

As an increasing number of commercial airplanes approach or exceedtheir design service objectives, Boeing continues to take the lead inenhancing the safe operation of these out-of-production or agingairplanes. In addition to offering maintenance recommendations andongoing structural studies, the company works with manufacturers,operators, and regulatory agencies to ensure proper maintenance ofthese airplanes and to gather data about them for future safetyimprovements.

ore than !,"## out-of-production commercial airplanes will be flying by the year"###, according to recent estimates, with many airplanes operating beyond theirmodel design service objectives $%&'( for a second or third operator. Boeing

works consistently to assist airlines in safely operating these airplanes accordingto globally accepted airworthiness standards.

)he number of active Boeing- and %ouglas-designed out-of-production airplanes$see chart * below( now totals over +,##. 'ut-of-production airplanes are thosemodels that are no longer being manufactured, but are still operating. Boeing-and %ouglas-designed airplanes in this category include the !#!, !"!, !!-*##-"##, !+!-*##-"##-##, %/-0, %/-1, and %/-*#.

)hese airplanes are supported by an extensive network of inspection andmaintenance programs. )he focus of these programs is monitoring maintenance

practices, adjusting maintenance schedules for airplane safety, and accumulatinginformation to improve design of the next generation of airplanes.

A number of these airplanes are now also entering the 2aging2 category. Agingairplanes are defined as those that are flying beyond their %&', whichtraditionally has been "# years. 3or newer models that figure has grown to aslong as # years. Approximately "# percent of all commercial jet airplanes flyingtoday are considered to be aging airplanes. As that number increases, so doesthe need for heightened fleet monitoring by airlines and manufacturers andcontinued intense focus and surveillance of these activities by regulatoryagencies.

In order to handle increased maintenance needs, Boeing continues to establishpartnerships, train its customers, and extend its facilities in future high-volumeareas, such as /hina. )he company also sponsors a structures safetyconference in major areas of the world to train operators in the use of Boeing-provided technology for maintenance, corrosion prevention, and all other forms ofstructural degradation. )he conference is one part of the three-pronged industryeffort to reach manufacturers, who must design the airplanes with maintenance
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in mind4 regulatory agencies, who are responsible for surveillance4 andoperators, who must monitor, report, and implement structural maintenance. )heconference also provides a platform for receiving first-hand information fromoperators about Boeing airplanes and informing local regulatory agencies aboutthe latest laws and regulations.

&upport for Boeing- and %ouglas-designed out-of-production airplanes--and foraging airplanes built by all manufacturers--is provided through two majorsources5

*. Industry standards for aging-fleet structure programs.". Boeing-specific programs.

1 Industry Standards For Aging-Fleet Structure Programs)hese standards were developed by an international working group whosemembers represent manufacturers, regulatory agencies, and operators. )hough

not all activities aimed at safe operation of out-of-production and aging airplanesare mandated, the highest level of safety possible depends on two factors5 awell-established inspection and maintenance plan for each airplane $see chart "below( and the exchange of performance and maintenance information amongBoeing, operators, and regulatory agencies. %ata from inspections allows new-airplane design to incorporate features for cost-effective upkeep of the structuresand systems, which in turn allows extended safe operation in less-than-idealenvironments.

Boeing has been conducting thorough teardown and testing of older airplanessince *1!#, when the focus was on high-time airplanes, to help understand and

analy6e areas that could adversely affect the future safety of airplanes. any ofthe programs that grew from this effort are now formali6ed as industry standards.

%uring the Aging 3leet /onference in *100, which was sponsored by the 7.&.3ederal Aviation Administration $3AA(, the Air )ransport Association of Americaand the Aerospace Industries Association committed to identifying andimplementing procedures to ensure the continuing structural airworthiness ofaging transport-category airplanes. 3rom this conference, five aging-fleetstructures programs were proposed for development. 'f the five, three havebeen mandated by the 3AA for the industry, and they are monitored bygovernment agencies around the world. )he Airworthiness Assurance 8orking

9roup, which consists of manufacturers, operators, and certifying agencies,oversees the development and implementation of these five programs5

&tructural modification and inspection $mandatory(.

/orrosion prevention and control $mandatory(.

&tructural maintenance program guidelines.

&upplemental structural inspections $mandatory(.

:epair assessment.
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&):7/)7:A; '%I3I/A)I'< A@>;I&.Although manufacturers have published maintenance programs for each model,no comprehensive guidelines existed to properly address aging-fleet concerns. Astructural maintenance program guidelines document was created to identify andsummari6e all of the relevant structural maintenance and modification tasks for aparticular area of structure. In addition, model-specific documents were createdto collect all data for a particular model airplane $such as maintenance planningdata, service bulletins, and service letters( in a single document. 7se of thedocument is optional.

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experience and operator inputs. An &&I program for !! and !C! airplanes hasrecently been released.

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&ince *10!, teams of Boeing structural specialists have been performing detailedevaluations of selected high-time airplanes during the airplanes heavymaintenance checks at airline facilities around the world. )he evaluations includemonitoring ongoing maintenance programs and providing recommendations tothe owner. )hese checks of in-service airplanes provide Boeing with invaluablestructural performance data taken under different operating and maintenanceenvironments. Airline maintenance program performance data is also recorded.


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)o date, a total of *0! airplanes of all models have been inspected, with anaverage of about "# airplanes a year.

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Teardown inspections

77 -ing and center section +!

77 -ing +!&

77 -ing# center section# and fuselage +7%

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7"7 Fuselage ++

1998 q2-structures engineering support for out of production airplanes

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