Has anyone ever done an Alternate Approved Inspection Program on a multi engine turbine? I am trying to make some minor changes to the manufacturers approved program but I've never done this before and need some help.

I have not been involved with the process recently, but Google AC 135-10B which will lead you to AC 43-210. Para 6.2 and 6.3.

You might contact the maintenance shop where the airplane has been maintained and talk to the Director of Maintenance and ask who his FAA and or DER contact is and go from there.

I think you will need an independent DER, Consultant Designated Engineering Representative, to do the paperwork and get FAA approval. Maybe someone here on BT has the name of a DER.

Also try "FAA Consultant DER Directory". This should give you a list of Consultant DERs by state and technical discipline.

Tony Randall

Thanks. I know that there are approved AAIPs for low usage Citations. I was thinking if I could see how those are done I could maybe do this myself. I only want to make two changes: lengthen a corrosion inspection from 60 - 72 months and lengthen an oil change interval. The rest of the program would remain unchanged. Maybe I am being unrealistic but I was hoping to just work with my local FSDO on this without engaging a DER and spending tons of money. I've already talked to my FSDO and they gave me some suggestions and told me how to proceed. Specifically here's what they said after I outlined to two changes I wanted to make:

"I reviewed the AAIP program you sent. It needs to be a complete inspection program to include task cards, check lists, and intervals. What you submitted is statements on how you want to dilute the current manufacture’s plan, based on theories that maintenance induced error being avoided is a better inspection program. The complete plan should address how the aircraft will be placed in the program and how it will come out. It should also address the hanger requirements to define what being hangered means. Your biggest obstacle will be to prove that your purposed plan has an equivalent level of safety. Will the plan include service bulletins, or manufacture’s recommendations? Have all the Supplemental Inspection Document (SID) inspections been performed on this aircraft? Will your program include the SID inspection? Does this aircraft have a corrosion history?"

I think they will want a DER to do the paperwork and sign it off. This gives them cover in case something happens.

The oil change requirement will also involve the engine manufacturer as well as the air framer. In the long run it may be cheaper to just do the inspections as written than involve a DER. It would not hurt to contact one and get an estimate. Going against FAA Certification Data and Approval is hard, and my guess is they will stone wall you if the justification is not produced by an approved 'expert'.

Do you know of any other operator that has been approved for those extensions? If so, you might be able to piggy back. Cant hurt to talk to a DER.

On the oil change interval I have a P&W service bulletin saying oil changes are not required unless the oil gets contaminated. It would be interesting if any other airframe manufacturers require them or if it is only Cessna.

As for the corrosion inspection I do think there are other operators out there I just need to find one and see how they got the certification done.

The Piper Cheyenne Factory Inspection Program requires the oil to be changed every 9 months, or 480 hours, whichever occurs first.

Which FSDO? And did they really misspell hangar?

I know nothing about their program, but have you talked to Richard Bacon (or his son) about their program for the 425? I've talked to him a few times in the past about their program for a customers 441 (that we just purchased), and it sounds like they have a program already in place that's well thought out, followed up, and has been approved many times.

There is obviously a cost to their program, but it sounded reasonable to me...

http://www.baconaviation.com/conquest-luip.html

This assumed that you fit the low utilization part of their program..

Jason

Scott, you may want to reach out to Sierra and see if they can point you to who they use for their MX programs.

They may pursue it at the ACO level.

Yes, they did.

And I did speak with Bacon about their program. The problems I had were:

a) It's really expensive
b) They could not clearly tell me what exactly the program would do for me. In other words, which SIDs would be PCW and/or extended.
c) It wasn't guaranteed that my FSDO would approve and a bunch of money was non refundable even if the FSDO said no.
d) Once you are on the program and you sell the plane it's not guaranteed that the next buyer's FSDO will continue the program. This affects resale.

All I want to do is extend the interval on two phases and one is the oil change. So it's a very modest change and won't affect resale because if the next owner wants to take it off the program the most it will cost is $6000 and an oil change. This is why I am trying to do it myself.

Scott:

It can be done. It's very FSDO dependent. I got a program approved (2001?) to move a 100 hour inspection program to 200 hours for an AC90. I seem to recall it was the Witcha FSDO (or whatever covers that area). My logic was I was flying from Kansas City to San Jose and back every week. Average leg length was 4ish hours. The 100 hour program (or was it 150) assumed a lot more cycles.


It's been a long time and I would have to do some work to dig the manual up but It got it approved.

I wasn't hangering my aircraft.

Hi Mark,

Your situation is exactly along the lines of what I want to do. I want to extend the interval of an already approved inspection. If you have some time maybe you could dig up what you did. I am curious what the FAA will need in terms of documentation for a change like that.

Scott