Maintenance Manuals

While I'm on a rant, there is a sense in this ng that the manufacturer's
maintenance manual must be in the area where an annual or 100 hour is
performed. I can find no such requirement in part 43 or part 65.

Part 43 says that the maintenance manual procedures must be followed. Part
65 says that the mechanic must understand the procedures in the manual.
Nowhere that I can find requires the manual to be on site during an
inspection OR repair.

Jim

On Sun, 3 Apr 2005 10:36:42 -0700, "RST Engineering"
wrote:

While I'm on a rant, there is a sense in this ng that the manufacturer's
maintenance manual must be in the area where an annual or 100 hour is
performed. I can find no such requirement in part 43 or part 65.

Part 43 says that the maintenance manual procedures must be followed. Part
65 says that the mechanic must understand the procedures in the manual.
Nowhere that I can find requires the manual to be on site during an
inspection OR repair.

Playing devil's advocate here, Jim, 43.13 says "Each person performing
maintenance...shall use the methods, techniques, and practices prescribed in the
current manufacturer's maintenance manual...." As you say, though, it does not
specifically require the manuals to be on-site.

If you're working on a component, and one of the FAA guys sticks his nose in and
asks, "What's the required torque for that part?", it seems to me that unless
you have the number memorized or the manuals handy, the FAA guy can claim you
are not complying with 43.13. If you get a *real* FAAshole, he could request
you describe the entire maintenance procedure and dock you if you say anything
less than a verbatim quote from the manual.

But what do I know...the maintenance manual for my Fly Baby consists of a
post-it note with the words, "feex airplain" written in crayon....

Ron Wanttaja

I don't know about you, but I can't *use* my tools, a checklist,
maintenance manuals, or anything else unless they are close
enough to put my eyes and hands on them.

You're reaching. While it is obviously impossible to use a tool when it
is not at hand, it is quite possible to use a technique from a document
without that document being available...

Gene Kearns writes:

On Sun, 3 Apr 2005 10:36:42 -0700, "RST Engineering"
wrote:

While I'm on a rant, there is a sense in this ng that the manufacturer's
maintenance manual must be in the area where an annual or 100 hour is
performed. I can find no such requirement in part 43 or part 65.

Part 43 says that the maintenance manual procedures must be followed. Part
65 says that the mechanic must understand the procedures in the manual.
Nowhere that I can find requires the manual to be on site during an
inspection OR repair.

Jim


I guess they actually expected a mechanic to use a little common
sense.....

FAR 43 says that "(a) Each person performing maintenance, alteration,
or preventive maintenance on an aircraft, engine, propeller, or
appliance *shall use* the methods, techniques, and practices
prescribed in the current manufacturer's maintenance manual...."

It also stipulates that, "Each person performing an annual or 100-hour
inspection *shall use* a checklist while performing the
inspection....."

I don't know about you, but I can't *use* my tools, a checklist,
maintenance manuals, or anything else unless they are close enough to
put my eyes and hands on them.

Maybe you can....

It says "shall use the methods, techniques, and practices"; it does
NOT say "shall use the maintenance manual". I see no basis for
requiring the maintenance manual to be present in the law. Having the
maintenance manual present for reference is a sensible procedure that
I'd expect most mechanics to follow, but it makes sense just to
require conformance with the procedures in the manual, *not* actual
presence of the manual. If the manual is present but unopened, it
does no good. If the manual is absent, but all the procedures
etc. given in it are followed, I see no harm occurring.

As you say, it expects the mechanics to use some common sense.
--
David Dyer-Bennet, , http://www.dd-b.net/dd-b/
RKBA: http://noguns-nomoney.com/ http://www.dd-b.net/carry/
Pics: http://dd-b.lighthunters.net/ http://www.dd-b.net/dd-b/SnapshotAlbum/
Dragaera/Steven Brust: http://dragaera.info/

David Dyer-Bennet wrote:
snip

It also stipulates that, "Each person performing an annual or 100-hour
inspection *shall use* a checklist while performing the
inspection....."


Dunno about this boys, I've been following this discussion and
until I saw this para above it seemed about right but this one
will sink you I think.

You CANNOT use a checklist that isn't PRESENT. I flew large
multiengined aircraft for the RCAF for some 26 years...all but
one type demanded the use of checklists and we used them
religiously, all the time, every time. It was the only way to
stay legal AND safe.

So, IMO, you CAN use the 'procedures' in a maint. manual (even
while the manual itself is in the library) but you CANNOT 'use' a
checklist while it's in the library.
--

-Gord.
(use gordon in email)

"David Dyer-Bennet" wrote in message
...
Gene Kearns writes:

On Sun, 3 Apr 2005 10:36:42 -0700, "RST Engineering"
wrote:

While I'm on a rant, there is a sense in this ng that the manufacturer's
maintenance manual must be in the area where an annual or 100 hour is
performed. I can find no such requirement in part 43 or part 65.

Part 43 says that the maintenance manual procedures must be followed.
Part
65 says that the mechanic must understand the procedures in the manual.
Nowhere that I can find requires the manual to be on site during an
inspection OR repair.

Jim


I guess they actually expected a mechanic to use a little common
sense.....

FAR 43 says that "(a) Each person performing maintenance, alteration,
or preventive maintenance on an aircraft, engine, propeller, or
appliance *shall use* the methods, techniques, and practices
prescribed in the current manufacturer's maintenance manual...."

It also stipulates that, "Each person performing an annual or 100-hour
inspection *shall use* a checklist while performing the
inspection....."

I don't know about you, but I can't *use* my tools, a checklist,
maintenance manuals, or anything else unless they are close enough to
put my eyes and hands on them.

Maybe you can....

It says "shall use the methods, techniques, and practices"; it does
NOT say "shall use the maintenance manual". I see no basis for
requiring the maintenance manual to be present in the law. Having the
maintenance manual present for reference is a sensible procedure that
I'd expect most mechanics to follow, but it makes sense just to
require conformance with the procedures in the manual, *not* actual
presence of the manual. If the manual is present but unopened, it
does no good. If the manual is absent, but all the procedures
etc. given in it are followed, I see no harm occurring.

As you say, it expects the mechanics to use some common sense.


We were *required* to have a fresh printout of the specified
MM pages in hand. Last weeks copy was NG, it may have changed.
Some people rely too much on their memory and too proud to
admit that their memory sucks.
I bet this is the root of the cause of most screwups.

JK

We were *required* to have a fresh printout of the specified
MM pages in hand. Last weeks copy was NG, it may have changed.
Some people rely too much on their memory and too proud to
admit that their memory sucks.
I bet this is the root of the cause of most screwups.

JK



I would prefer my mechanic to use the manual, even if he wrote the &^% book.

Actually, the books aren't that great for most planes, so I wouldn't want to
hire that guy anyway.