Condition Based Maintenance and Risk Quantification

June 29, 2018 Michael Traskos

Aircraft maintenance is usually broken down one of two ways: by physical zones or by systems. The mechanical equipment and subsystems integrity program, also known as MECSIP, is the US Air Force’s approach to addressing aircraft sustainment and maintenance through focused system evaluation. Last week, MECSIP managers from many of the Air Force fleets gathered in Dayton, Ohio to discuss the latest developments, procedures, and technologies for addressing the MECSIP needs of their fleets. Read more

FAQs of EWIS Service Life Extension Programs

June 5, 2018 Michael Traskos

Lectromec has accumulated a set of frequently asked questions related to wire system sustainment. Here, we cover several high level questions about the assessment and its value and the subsequent article we will delve into some of the more technical details. Read more

Insulation Resistance: Measuring Leaky Wires

May 10, 2018 Michael Traskos

Wire insulation integrity is a fundamental part of wire performance. Without it, the safety and reliability of a wire is significantly reduced. Over the years, the industry has developed dozens of insulation integrity assessment methods. Among the range of tests that exist in the world of wiring, one of the tests that is often misunderstood […] Read more

When to Pull the Component – End of EWIS Component Service Life

March 30, 2018 Michael Traskos

What is the end of life for a wire, cable, connector, or any Electrical Wiring Interconnect System (EWIS) component? This is a straightforward question that should have a straightforward answer, but often, this is an unanswered question. Regulatory guidance such as Fuel Tank Ignition Source Prevention Guidelines from the FAA think of wiring as something […] Read more

Correcting Bad Wire System Guidance

February 20, 2018 Michael Traskos

Consider a common aircraft wire: how many requirements and standards must be considered during its design and fabrication? A simple back-of-the-envelope calculation suggests at least 30 various requirements and standards. For an aircraft wire harness, that number can easily jump to 50. Without a doubt, between each of these standards and requirements, there can be […] Read more

Getting the Most from Visual Inspections

October 12, 2017 Michael Traskos

Good data is anything that can be turned into actionable information; this is a critical element in nearly every project. For those that regularly perform EWIS inspections, unless the data is gathered in such a way to improve the aircraft reliability, address technical errors, and/or be used as part of trend analysis, the effort is […] Read more

2016 EWIS Failure Analysis of Commercial Airlines White Paper

July 10, 2017 Michael Traskos

Once every couple years, Lectromec reviews the FAA’s service difficulty reporting (SDR) system to determine the number of EWIS failures in the American commercial airline fleet. We have reviewed the data, performed a thorough analysis, and placed the conclusions into a white paper. This whitepaper provides details the process and the frequency of EWIS failures. […] Read more

Updating Periodic Maintenance Procedures

June 1, 2017 Michael Traskos

An area of aircraft maintenance and wire system sustainment which has been around for the last decade is the enhanced zonal analysis procedures, or EZAP for short. EZAP is a set of procedures developed by the FAA during the 2000s detailing a systematic process for handling of wiring system maintenance based on zones. Lectromec has […] Read more

Can the EWIS be Safe After a Modification?

April 11, 2017 Michael Traskos

The days of ‘fit and forget’ EWIS are at least a decade behind, the aircraft industry’s understanding of the implications of wiring as a system continues to evolve. New aircraft have gone through EWIS evaluations to ensure that the EWIS complies to regulations – not an easy task. Obviously, as the OEM design choices remain […] Read more

Standard Practice for Maintenance of Aircraft Electrical Wiring Systems

September 2, 2016 Michael Traskos

An industry as broad as the aerospace industry will have a variety of standards and recommended practices. The hope is that each standard brings something new through either a higher level of requirements or by providing better guidance to achieve a reliable aircraft. The ASTM Standard F2799 was written with the intention of being, “used […] Read more

Maintenance & Sustainment