Ashtead Technology helps engineers avoid over-tooling costs
Over-tooling costs are being curtailed thanks to Ashtead Technology helping Monarch Aircraft Engineering (MAEL) maintain high levels of technology in its fleet of inspection instruments, without incurring heavy capital costs. MAEL provides aircraft maintenance, repairs and inspections to clients globally. Borescopes used to inspect engines, provided by Ashtead, are technology-leading in being small and user-friendly whilst providing highly articulate reports for technicians to work on. The better reports produced have increased efficiency amongst technicians, meaning less use of Ashtead's rental instruments, incurring less costs.

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MAEL is a division of Monarch, the UK’s longest established, privately owned travel group. It provides base and line maintenance, continuing airworthiness, design, technical training and component support.

As a leading provider of MRO (Maintenance, Repair, and Overhaul), MAEL focuses on cost-efficient service delivery to both Monarch and blue-chip third party customers. Operating globally, it provides aircraft maintenance services to clients located in Eastern and Western Europe, the Middle East, Australia and North America. With expertise in maintaining legacy fleets, MAEL is also a leading MRO for new technology aircraft, including the Boeing 787 Dreamliner, for which it is one of a small group of worldwide Boeing-approved GoldCare providers.

MAEL tooling coordinator Barry Lee says: “The key to the success of our work is an ability to provide customers with timely, accurate and detailed inspection reports so that they can make informed decisions. We therefore have a close relationship with Ashtead Technology because this provides us with fast access to a broad range of the latest technologies.”

The quality of MAEL’s services is underpinned by an effective test and inspection capability which utilises the latest technologies to comply with all regulatory requirements. For example: thermal cameras are employed to identify potential weaknesses, corrosion or poor electrical connections; ultrasonic instruments enable the detection of flaws or cracks that are not visible to the human eye, and borescopes facilitate the internal inspection of aircraft components.

High quality reporting

Borescopes are commonly employed to inspect engines, auxiliary power units and other difficult to access locations: “The latest borescopes are extremely small and have particularly good articulation, which means that it is becoming easier to generate high quality reports,” Mr Lee explains.

“One of Mr Lee’s main responsibilities is to ensure that MAEL’s engineers are provided with the best available inspection technologies. “We maintain a stock of the instruments that we use most frequently and this is regularly supplemented by rented equipment from Ashtead Technology,” he says.

In order for MAEL’s customers to make informed decisions on how best to proceed following an inspection, it is necessary for them to be provided with clear, accurate information on any identified defects such as cracks. MAEL’s engineers may offer advice following an inspection, but the aircraft owner will decide on the most appropriate course of action. For example, it may be necessary for a specific defect to be inspected more frequently, in order to assess crack propagation for example, or, if the defect is significant, the part (an engine blade for example) may need to be replaced. If the problem is more serious, it may be necessary to lease a replacement engine whilst the other is repaired. Clearly, there are major safety and financial implications for this work and all inspection information therefore has to be traceable and logged.

“The creation of digital reports, complemented by detailed images and video means that this information can be easily shared, so that different people can contribute to the decision making process, which is a major benefit,” Mr Lee advises.

Stereo advantages

In recent years, advances in borescope technology have greatly improved the quality of inspection reports. For example, stereo borescopes such as the IPLEX RX provide an advanced imaging capability and a screen switching system that enables users to employ stereo measurement technology.

Stereo measurement offers a number of important advantages. For example, a ‘distance’ mode enables the measurement of defect length by clicking the cursor at both ends of the defect. In the ‘point-to-line’ mode it is possible to create a reference line and then measure a distance from that line. Similarly, a ‘depth’ mode enables the measurement of depth or height from a specified reference surface to any point, and an ‘area/lines’ mode can be employed to measure the circumference or area between marker points.

The IPLEX RX is said to produce the best video and still image quality of any Olympus videoscope. This is complemented by an LED illumination system that is twice as bright as conventional videoscopes – dynamically adjusting light output to reduce halation when metal or reflective surfaces are inspected. The image processor interacts intelligently with the illumination system to deliver an optimised amount of light and gain enhancement to provide images that are clear and sharply defined.

Flexible inspection

Typical applications for borescopes include the inspection of the inside of a reciprocating engine cylinder, by inserting the flexible probe into an open spark plug hole to detect damaged pistons, cylinder walls, or valves. Similarly, the hot section of a turbine engine can be assessed by inserting a probe through the hole of a removed igniter or via the access plugs which are designed into many engines, specifically to enable borescope inspections.

Commenting on the need to supplement MAEL’s fleet of borescopes with hired instruments, Mr Lee says: “There are two main reasons for renting: firstly, to increase our capability during periods of high demand; and secondly to enable us to try out new instruments or technologies, without having to commit to significant capital expense.

“We have dealt with Ashtead Technology for many years and it has been very useful to develop an effective working relationship. Instruments can be delivered very quickly – same day in some cases – and they are ready for immediate use, which helps ensure the speed and efficiency of our work.”

Defect limitation

As an airline MRO with a large number of line maintenance clients MAEL is acutely aware of the significant damage to airline operations and revenue that limiting defects represent. In order to ensure that the necessary action is taken to manage these operational limitations, a Specialised Monarch AOG Response Team (SMART) was created, comprising highly qualified engineers who are available 24/7 to meet up with the relevant aircraft, equipped with the necessary tools to carry out the maintenance requirement.

“All of the SMART team have been trained on the use of borescopes. In some cases this training was provided by the instrument manufacturer, but for others, it was supplied by Ashtead Technology,” Mr Lee adds.

Ashtead Technology’s Alan Hasson believes that continual investment in the company’s rental fleet is a core strength of the business: “Our overall objective is to ensure that customers have access to the instruments that best meet their needs, but beyond that we are constantly investing in new technology so that our customers don’t need to.

“In addition to borescopes, a wide variety of other NDT and remote visual inspection instruments are employed within the aerospace sector. For example, high-speed cameras are used to study the action of components that move too fast for the human eye, and portable XRF analysers are employed to check the metallic components built into airframes and jet engines.”

Summarising, Mr Lee says: “The ability to hire instruments at very short notice is a major advantage because it reduces the capital cost that would be incurred by maintaining a tooling capability to meet maximum demand. For example, if non-routine inspections are required as a result of bird strikes or flight crew reports, the ability to rent means that our instrumentation capacity can be adjusted accordingly.”

Ashtead Technology www.ashtead-technology.com