Advances in Engine Reliability Mean Greater Importance for Preventive Maintenance

摘要

Aircraft mechanics just starting out in maintenance today find it hard to believe just how frequently engine problems used to develop that required emergency landing or, worse, resulted in incidents or accidents with injuries and loss of life. This was true for four-cylinder single engines on Piper Cubs, as well as large, multi-cylindered radial engines -what we call in the industry big, round engines - used by airliners. When I was first working as a mechanic in the 1960s and '70s, major engine repairs were commonly performed in the field. My first tasks as an airline mechanic were to replace blown cylinders on big, round engines, specifically Pratt & Whitney R2800 and Curtiss-Wright R3350 engines. In a typical work week, as a new mechanic, I would change cylinders three or four times. I can't begin to count how many cylinders I changed in those early years but they were literally in the hundreds. I changed cylinders so frequently that I didn't have to bring my whole toolbox up when I climbed on top of the engine; I knew exactly which tools I would need. And, yes, changing cylinders was a dirty job, which is why those tasks were usually given to the new mechanics.