TRANSPORT AIRCRAFT TECHNICAL SERVICES COMPANY, INC.
An Aircraft Remarketing Services Company
Providing Technical and Remarketing Services Since 1974
Serving as an FAA Designated Airworthiness Representative Since 1983
***** NEWSLETTER *****
25 OCTOBER 2002
VOLUME 20 - ISSUE 10
AIRWORTHINESS CONCERNS FOR STORED AIRCRAFT … BUT FIRST AN
INVITATION FROM LYNN PIERCE (OF THE FAA’S SEATTLE AEG), A
NEWSLETTER READER …
SEATTLE AIRCRAFT EVALUATION GROUP UPDATE INFORMATION
The SEA-AEG INTERNET SITE is now up to date and operational again at
http://www.nw.faa.gov/seattleaeg/index.htm. The enhancements to the site are many.
Links to FSB and MMEL information, answering questions as it relates to AEG activity,
adding of MRBR reports, etc. The B-727 and B-757 MRBR (MAINTENANCE REVIEW
BOARD REPORT) have been posted in pdf with more to follow. AEG documents like
MSG-3 and AC 121-22A are also available in pdf. For more detailed documents like
cmp, corrosion manuals and SEA-AEG activities you (FAA EMPLOYEES WITH Intranet
Access) can go to the SEA-AEG Intranet Sharepoint Site at
http://cset.avr.faa.gov/seaaeg/. We have made great strides in a short amount of time in
document capture and management. With the coming of LDR each AEG person can
monitor and input tasking and calendaring into Sharepoint saving time and money by
allowing the SEA-AEG management team to develop reports regarding tasking,
activities, budgeting, and calendaring at the touch of a button exporting the filter
information into Excel with the data being formatted automatically and ready for use or
conversion to a pdf report.
We encourage you to visit the site. The AEG is an FAA Flight Standards Group — they
provide real world input to the Certification Guys. They are also the FAA office that reviews
your customized (to match the equipment on your airplane) Minimum Equipment List — MEL.
The latest Master Minimum Equipment List for your aircraft can be downloaded from the AEG.
If you operate a Boeing 727 or 757 Business Jet we encourage you to review the MRB Reports.
A UK BASED READER NOTED (re OUR LAST NEWSLETTER ARTICLE ABOUT A/L
VALUES) … The market capitalisation numbers are quite extraordinary, but a similar
situation exists over here with Ryanair now worth more than BA.
BACK TO THE TOPIC OF THE MONTH … STORED AIRCRAFT. What are you, or your
Lessee, facing in order to return an aircraft to service if you stored it after “9/11”?
2343 Estate Gate Drive  San Antonio, Texas 78260  830-438-3817  Facsimile 830-438-3816
e-mail jim@tatsco.com
WEB SITE http:// www:tatsco.com/
For the FAA regulatory side you can start with block 6 — TERMS AND CONDITIONS
of the Standard Airworthiness Certificate for your aircraft …Unless sooner surrendered,
suspended, revoked, or a termination date is otherwise established by the Administrator, this
airworthiness certificate is effective as long as the maintenance, preventive maintenance, and
alterations are performed in accordance with Parts 21, 43, and 91 of the Federal Aviation
Regulations, as appropriate, and the aircraft is registered in the United States.
What could have occurred while the aircraft was in storage to cause the certificate
to become in-effective? The following are some examples of Part 91 required items:
 The aircraft, including its engines, wasn’t stored in accordance with a regulatory
authority Approved or Acceptable storage document. Have all of the TASKS been
properly documented?
 Airworthiness Directives issued* since you stored the aircraft or — A/D required action
that required compliance during the storage period may require compliance before the
aircraft is returned to service.
 Calendar Controlled Components may have passed their due date (i.e., emergency
equipment).
 Calendar Controlled Maintenance Tasks may have passed their due date (i.e., static
system checks, altimeter & transponder tests).
 CPCP (corrosion program) action due dates may have been missed.
 The storage facility could have gone out of business and your maintenance-accomplished
records could be like the famous Hollywood movie — Gone with the Wind!
*…
19 Airbus A300 Series — 2 have superseded earlier published A/Ds.
15 Airbus A319, A320 & A321 Series — 4 supersedures.
6 Airbus A330/340 Series — no supersedures.
5 Transport Category — no supersedures.
3 Boeing 707/720 Series — no supersedures.
13 Boeing 727 Series — 1 supersedure.
12 Boeing 737 Classic Series — 2 supersedures.
16 Boeing NG Series — 3 supersedures.
24 Boeing 747 Series — 9 supersedures.
10 Boeing 757 Series — 1 supersedure.
22 Boeing 767 Series — 1 supersedure.
10 Boeing 777 Series — 1 supersedure.
4 McDonnell Douglas 717 Series — no supersedures.
9 McDonnell Douglas DC-10 Series — 1 supersedure.
9 McDonnell Douglas DC-8 Series — 2 supersedures.
28 McDonnell Douglas DC-9/MD-80 Series — 5 supersedures.
8 McDonnell Douglas MD-90 Series — 1 supersedure.
17 McDonnell Douglas MD-11 Series — 6 supersedures.
3 Pratt & Whitney JT8D & JT8D-200 Series — 3 supersedures.
5 Pratt & Whitney JT9D Series — 2 supersedures.
1 Pratt & Whitney PW 2000 Series — 1 supersedure.
7 Pratt & Whitney PW 4000 Series — 4 supersedures.
3 Rolls Royce Trent Series — 1 supersedure.
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2 Rolls Royce –524 Series — 2 supersedures.
3 Rolls Royce –535 Series — no supersedures.
If you have any specific questions send us an e-mail — no charge for answering questions
and a nominal fee if you want an analysis of A/Ds that may apply your aircraft. Open
maintenance tasks, including Airworthiness Directives, should be listed in block VII-6 on the
reverse side of your Application for Airworthiness Certificate — Special Flight Permit — FAA
Form 8130-6. If you need a copy of this form send us an e-mail.
NOT SO TRIVIAL . . . . The Horror of the Human Bomb — Delivery System by
Albert Axell & Hideaki (a “book report” in the September 10th 2002 WSJ). America met
suicide bombers in October 1944 while liberating the Philippines . . . . Of 1,200 kamikaze (the
word means “god wind”) sent against the U.S. fleet in Leyte Gulf perhaps a quarter scored a hit
or a damaging near miss . . . . . The authors calculate that 1,900 kamikaze dove to their deaths in
the battle for Okinawa. The exchange: 35 American ships sunk and more than 300 damaged and
5,000 American sailors killed, making Okinawa the most costly battle in the history of the U.S.
Navy. (Some of the damage, it is true, was caused by conventional air units. Not only was it
difficult for the sailors to tell the difference but Japanese pilots sometimes spontaneously
converted a bombing or strafing attack into tai-tari or “body bashing”).
MAJOR vs. MINOR — AN AGE OLD QUESTION . . . . The definitions of MAJOR &
MINOR can be traced back to the Air Commerce Act of 1926. AERONAUTICS BULLETIN
NO. 7-H of the AIR COMMERCE REGULATIONS pertains to the ALTERATION
AND REPAIR OF AIRCRAFT. 7-H became effective in January 1, 1936. (Send me
an e-mail for a pdf file copy). The definition moved into Civil Air Regulation 18 —
Maintenance & Alteration — with the passage of the Civil Aeronautics Act of 1938.
The definition moved into The Federal Aviation Regulations — Part 1 – Definitions
and Abbreviations — with the passage of the Federal Aviation Act of 1958.
Major alteration means an alteration not listed in the aircraft, aircraft engine, or
propeller specifications - (1) That might appreciably affect weight, balance, structural
strength, performance, powerplant operation, flight characteristics, or other qualities
affecting airworthiness; or (2) That is not done according to accepted practices or cannot
be done by elementary operations.
Major repair means a repair: (1) That, if improperly done, might appreciably affect
weight, balance, structural strength, performance, powerplant operation, flight
characteristics, or other qualities affecting airworthiness; or (2) That is not done according
to accepted practices or cannot be done by elementary operations.
Minor alteration means an alteration other than a major alteration.
Minor repair means a repair other than a major repair.
Easy to follow so far? Yes — but it hasn’t been easy for some people … so the Air
Transport Association, acting on behalf of its members, had proposed, and the FAA has
responded, by publishing a new Advisory Circular — MAINTENANCE AND ALTERATION
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DATA — AC 120-77 dated 10/07/02 … 1 — PURPOSE …This advisory circular (AC) provides
one means, but not the only means, of ensuring that the contemplated maintenance, alteration, or
continue-in-service condition is in compliance with applicable regulations and existing policy.
This AC is not mandatory and is not a regulation. We have attached a copy to the e-mail version
of this NEWSLETTER. If you receive your NEWSLETTER by mail send us an e-mail and we
will send you, via e-mail, the pdf file (19 pages).
With the document in hand, or on the screen, we encourage you to turn to page 4. Item 5,
DEFINITIONS — b (1) & (2) defines AIRWORTHY. (This is probably the first time you have
seen this definition in a document prepared by the FAA). The definition of CHANGE on page 5
is very IMPORTANT as is the following definition (h) Continue-in-Service Condition.
Paragraph “q”, on page 6 introduces the use of the SRM — Structural Repair Manual.
The SRM is discussed in several sections. To better understand what a SRM can provide you we
suggest reading the May 2001 — Boeing Company Customer Services guide (140+ pages)…
Increasing Airline Self-Reliance to Develop Repairs. The first half of the book presents the
various types of structure used in Boeing airplanes. The real meat begins about halfway thru the
book — Using Chapter 51 (of the SRM). You may have difficulty adapting the SRM (and
documenting how you performed your tasks) without the Boeing guidance. Ask your Boeing
Field Service Representative for a copy.
Section 8 — Paragraph “b” (1) states … It is the operator’s responsibility to classify
repairs as major or minor.
GETTING BACK TO MAJOR vs. MINOR turn to the “decision tree diagram” in
APPENDIX 1. MAJOR AND MINOR DETERMINATIONS—REPAIRS, ALTERATIONS,
AND CONTINUE-IN-SERVICE CONDITIONS (NOTE: There isn’t any requirement to have
Approved Data to before you make your determination). Send us your questions or comments
and we will review them in the NOVEMBER NEWSLETTER.
MORE GOOD NEWS … THE FAA HAS PUBLISHED NEW GUIDANCE
MATERIAL FOR DERs — DESIGNATED ENGINEERING REPRESENTATIVES. IT IS
ORDER 8118.47* — DER DATA APPROVALS RELATED TO REPAIR AND
ALTERATION OF FOREIGN REGISTERED AIRCRAFT. This document removes the
prohibition imposed earlier (see our March 28, 2001 issue of the NEWSLETTER). A copy is
attached to the e-mail version of this issue. If you still receive the NEWSLETTER by mail send us
an e-mail and we’ll send you a copy.
* Our local Avionics DER, Randy Harper, provided us with the Order. If you have an offshore
transport category aircraft that has had those Part 121 — or foreign equivalent — requirements
issued in the past five years embodied, coming home or changing to another foreign registry we
recommend Randy (e-mail avhar@flashnet). He did the analysis of the 121 mods on our former
British Airways 747s earlier this year.
Travel schedule permitting, we publish this NEWSLETTER monthly to provide technical and operational news for Large Business Jet
Aircraft Operators and lessors of airline aircraft. We obtain this information from reliable sources but we are providing it without liability to our
company. We encourage our readers to call or send us your comments or questions. You may reproduce this NEWSLETTER or use any
information from it in other publications provided that credit is given to Transport Aircraft.
Jim Helms, President
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