Aircraft Inspections
Providing excellent maintenance is part of Northern Air’s culture.
● Northern Air has provided a clean, spacious, heated, well equipped and well lit hangar for maintenance.
● Dave Parker (Biography) is an FAA certified Airframe and Powerplant mechanic as well as an
authorized inspector for aviation maintenance.
● Northern Air only uses quality parts that are properly documented.
The aircraft are inspected frequently! – A preflight mechanical inspection is conducted prior to flight, often several times a day when students are training. Preflight inspections include:
● Visual inspection of the airframe condition, propeller & engine.
● Condition of the control surfaces (flaps, ailerons, elevators & rudder) & their fittings.
● Condition of the tires, brakes, hydraulic lines etc.
● Fuel quantity, type and evidence of contamination and also the location of the planes legal
documents.
● A check is also performed prior to takeoff which confirms correct operation of the vacuum
system, electrical system, magnetos, sparkplugs, carburetor heat control, gyroscopic
instruments and that control surfaces are moving freely and correctly.
The FAA also inspects each aircraft on regular annual visits as well as on unannounced random visits.
Regulations require major inspections of commercial aircraft at 100 hr. intervals –
● Seats, carpets, interior trim, exterior cover plates and more are all removed to provide access
to all the control cables, pulleys etc for servicing and inspection.
● Rudder pedals & brake reservoirs are inspected/serviced.
● Pulleys & cables for controls are inspected and serviced.
● The entire airframe is inspected for cracks, wrinkles, loose rivets etc.
● Control surfaces (elevators, ailerons, flaps & rudder) are inspected for alignment and structural
soundness.
● Engine and engine compartment are thoroughly cleaned for inspection.
● Battery, cables and wiring are serviced and inspected.
● Engine is compression tested.
● Spark plugs are serviced & tested.
● Exhaust system is inspected.
● All engine control cables are inspected & serviced.
● Engine brackets, engine mounts and cowl mounts are inspected.
● This is just a sampling of the inspections made and repairs are made as needed.
All this is in addition to routine maintenance of various filters etc. In other words, the plane is inspected in detail from spinner to tail! This process takes a minimum of 15 to 20 hours for skilled professionals, assuming no significant repairs are needed. Now, just to put this in perspective for you, most modern cars specify an oil change interval of 5000 miles or more, and assuming an average of 50 miles per hour for all city and highway driving combined, then you would end up changing oil every 100 hours of operation. How much more confidence would you have in the mechanical condition of your car if you inspected it to the depth and detail described above EVERY TIME YOU CHANGED YOUR OIL?
