Earlier
this year, the air transport industry completed the most
comprehensive study ever undertaken into the effects of
aging on aircraft systems, with a primary focus on electrical
systems.
From that
study, recommendations are being developed to further
enhance the safety of air transportation. For operators
of Boeing airplanes, I'm pleased to report that The
Boeing Company has already done a considerable amount of
upfront work to enable those recommendations to be
readily integrated into airline practices and
procedures.
The
landmark two-year study was conducted by the Aging
Transport Systems Rulemaking Advisory Committee, which
was established by the U.S. Federal Aviation
Administration (FAA) in January 1999.
Committee
members were drawn from the airframe manufacturer,
supplier, airline, and regulatory sides of the aviation
industry. The committee focused on jetliners 20 or more
years old, which include about 3,700 Boeing- and
Douglas-designed airplanes worldwide. Five key tasks
were undertaken: inspection of electrical systems of
almost 100 older jetliners of various makes and models,
review of electrical systems fleet history in light of
service bulletins and airworthiness directives,
evaluation of maintenance criteria to identify and
correct any aging systems issues, review and updating of
standard wiring practices, and review of training
programs to ensure that they address aging electrical
systems.
The
committee uncovered no immediate fleet-safety-related
issues, nor did it find any conditions in the wiring or
other systems that were not already known by the
industry. This is a strong validation of existing
processes that call for regulators, manufacturers, and
airlines to work together and share information for the
benefit of aviation safety.
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