Do You Want to be an FAA Safety Inspector? The U.S. Federal Aviation Admini- spectors that were available during stration (FAA) finally has convinced the early years of former U.S. Presi- the U.S. Congress that there is a dent Ronald Reagan. need for additional experienced avia- tion safety inspectors (maintenance) A related congressional concern is in the FAA field offices to closely compliance with safe maintenance monitor maintenance concerns of both practices by the air carriers and fixed aging and newer aircraft (see “Air- base operators which also is an as- craft Aging is a Growing Mainte- pect of safety that can be monitored nance Concern,” March/April Avia- by alert and qualified maintenance tion Mechanics Bulletin). This ac- inspectors. tion is in response to the strong con- cerns expressed by the public and Recognition of the critical role of the media related to the safety of the safety inspector as a key ele- public transport aircraft after recent ment in the safety of air travel brings incidents of apparent structural fail- along with it a heavy responsibility ures caused by corrosion and metal to those who follow this career path. fatigue. The newly hired aviation safety in- spector faces the need to learn quickly The FAA intends to hire some 900 and “get up to speed” with the re- field inspectors. Although all of quirements of expanding traffic and this number cannot be funded at once, technology. He or she must be pre- an official noted that the current pared to face the fact that the newly hiring program will help assure that hired inspector may be regarded as proper maintenance standards are not possessing adequate experience maintained in the air transport in- in established aviation maintenance dustry. During the Fiscal 1988-90 practices. Further training must be budget period, the agency is expected accepted to ensure that the inspec- to hire about 300 additional inspec- tor looking over the shoulder of a tors per year, and that by 1991 there mechanic on the job, who frequently should be double the number of in- is highly experienced, knows as much FLIGHT SAFETY FOU NDAT ION • AVIAT I ON M ECH ANICS BU LLET I N • JUL Y /AUGUST 1989 1 if not more than the technician he is observing. NEW PRODUCTS The inspector also must quickly gain Information on the following prod- the insight to sense when an opera- ucts, services and literature is pub- tor, through his mechanics, may be lished in the interest of improving cutting corners on maintenance and aviation safety through a well-in- emphasizing economics to the det- formed, better-equipped aviation riment of safety. mechanic. The need, the recognition and the rewards are there for maintenance Wrap Protects safety overseers. The FAA—and Hoses and Wires the traveling public—expect reliable aircraft, and the Congress has awak- Spirally cut cable wrap called Heli- ened to the need to stimulate the Tube® from M. M. Newman Corp. expansion of the means to assure applies like tape to hydraulic lines, the attainment of this goal. Mechanics hoses and wires to protect them are a critical cornerstone of avia- from abrasion. The product also can tion safety; safety inspectors help be used to bundle, insulate and keep that cornerstone aligned with dampen vibration effects on these maintenance standards and abreast components. of new developments and techniques so necessary to keep up with the The wrapping material is available increasing challenges. in six sizes for bundles from 1/16 inch to 5 inches outside diameter, Aviation safety inspectors currently and operates in temperatures rang- earn up to $53,000 per year, have ing from -232 degrees C to 260 de- opportunities for advancement, are grees C (-450 degrees F to 500 de- afforded benefits that include up to grees F). It is non-flammable and is 26 days of paid vacation a year, chemically inert. plus sick leave and retirement benefits. U.S. citizenship is required at the No special tools are needed to in- time of application. If you are in- stall Heli-Tube, which conforms to terested in becoming an FAA avia- MIL M-20693, AMS 3651B, AMS tion safety inspector, send a post- 3653, AMS 3654, and AMS 4655. card with your name and address Aircraft applications include damp- to: FAA, P.O. Box 26650, Dept. ening vibration for electrical wires PPAO4, Oklahoma City, OK 73126 and as a chafe guard on high tem- U.S.o perature, steel-braided teflon hoses 2 FLIGHT SAF ETY FOU NDAT I ON • AVI AT I ON MECHANICS BU LLET I N • JUL Y /AUGUST 1989 and hydraulic lines. showing at aviation technology schools or lunch-break viewing at The spiral tape is priced according maintenance facilities. to size and quantity requirements and is available from M. M. New- The video tape is available free with man Corp., 24 Tioga Way, P.O. Box a charge of $6.95 to cover the cost 615, Marblehead, MA U.S. 01945 of packing and mailing. It may be (Telephone 617-631-7100; FAX 617- ordered from: Bowman Distribution, 631-8887). Barnes Group, Inc., 850 East 72nd Street, Cleveland, OH 44103 U.S. Video Tape Describes (Telephone 1-800-877-8800). Fastener Safety Brochure Describes Corrosion Protection A 12 1/2-minute video presentation explores the nuts and bolts of fas- A full-color brochure from Sermat- tener safety. Titled “For Safety’s ech International, Inc., describes a Sake: The Fastener Audit,” the video diffused aluminide coating, SermaLoy tape was produced by Bowman J, designed to protect gas turbine Distribution, a direct-to-user dis- hot section components from hot tributor of maintenance and repair corrosion and oxidation. The coat- products. ing is made of diffused aluminide The video presentation instructs the with a silicon-enriched outer layer, viewer on methods of protection designed to protect gas turbine hot against the hazards of inferior quality section components at temperatures and counterfeit fasteners. (In rec- up to 1204 degrees C (2,200 de- ognition of the prevalence of the grees F). bogus parts problem, Flight Safety Foundation is preparing a detailed report on the subject.) The film deals with mismarked and misrepresented Photograph not available. bolts, nuts, washers and other fas- teners being sold to manufacturers and maintenance services. The distributor of the video tape claims that both the buyer and in- staller of fastening devices can benefit According to Sermatech, the mecha- from it. Possible uses can include nisms of high-temperature metal FLIGHT SAFETY FOU NDAT ION • AVIAT I ON M ECH ANICS BU LLET I N • JUL Y /AUGUST 1989 3 degradation in older turbine engines Rigid Borescope Offers were isolated within different stages Safer Inspections of of the hot section and could be ad- dressed separately. In the newer, Hard-to-Reach Areas hotter and more efficient engines, however, low-temperature hot cor- A rigid fiberoptic borescope from rosion (LTHC) and high-tempera- the Lenox Instrument Company is ture hot corrosion (HTHC) are no intended to replace slow, tedious longer segregated within the en- feeler gauges for surface inspections. gine but now occur on the same Measurement of grooves, rings, slots, part. The air-cooled blades and holes, and other internal surface vanes in these engines experience features of parts and equipment is drastic temperature gradients and said to be more accurate and faster require special protection, accord- than with conventional inspection ing to Sermatech. methods. The silicon in the coating is claimed to prevent thermal fatigue crack- ing caused by unequal rates of heating and cooling between the surface and interior of a component, a Photograph not available. common cause of cracking when using coatings without this protec- tion. SermaLoy J is applied by an inter- national network of coating facili- ties operated by Sermatech Techni- cal Services division. According to The borescope was developed for the company, one operator using Pratt measuring O-ring grooves in bear- & Whitney PT-6 engines reported ings where tolerances are in thou- savings of up to $20,000 per engine sandths of inches and is available as a result of a reduced need for with features that allow it to be parts after using the coating adapted to high-tolerance gradation. Further information is available from Different models are available with Sermatech International, Inc., 155 variable magnification (zoom) and South Limerick Road, Limerick, PA interchangeable micrometer eye- 19468 U.S. (Telephone 215-948- pieces. Viewing sections are avail- 5100; Telex 84-6335). able in lengths from six inches to 4 FLIGHT SAF ETY FOU NDAT I ON • AVI AT I ON MECHANICS BU LLET I N • JUL Y /AUGUST 1989 more than 50 feet. The unit can be used with closed-circuit television systems, motion picture cameras and many formats of still cameras in- cluding 35 mm, 2 1/ 4-inch square and 4-by 5-inch. It is available in diameters ranging from 3/16-inch through 2 3/4- inch and with vari- Photograph not available. ous directions of view. The measuring borescope can be retrofitted to existing borescopes, fabricated in the unusual configu- rations for special uses, and is ra- diation-resistant. Light sources in- clude incandescent and fiberoptic with AC or rechargeable DC elec- trical power. An explosion-proof fiberoptic light is available for ap- safety of a steady platform to pre- plications that require this protection. vent tipping the operator or damag- Offset eyepieces are available. ing an adjacent aircraft. Details are available from the Le- Designated the Bally/Lift/Two by the nox Instrument Company, 265 An- manufacturer, Ballymore Company, drews Road, Scottsville Industrial the unit is equipped with three-speed Park, Trevose, PA 19047 U.S.