ASAP AM Spares Blog

To ensure that your aircraft remains airworthy, preventative maintenance and inspection is necessary, and since the Wright brothers first took flight in 1903, several improvements have been made to such processes. For instance, the corrosion resistance of aircraft has been enhanced by improving materials, surface treatments, insulation, and protective finishes, and these changes have been aimed at reducing the overall maintenance effort required while boosting reliability. Despite these improvements, the control of corrosion requires continuous preventative maintenance.

In the aviation industry, there are numerous standards, criteria, and approval processes that aircraft parts are subjected to. Because aircraft operate under a wide range of environmental conditions and are expected to endure various stressors, the parts and components they are composed of must meet certain compliance measures. However, aircraft parts can be divided into several categories based on how they are manufactured.

When encountering freezing temperatures, it is imperative that all aircraft undergo appropriate anti-icing and deicing measures before takeoff to circumvent the buildup of ice. As different aircraft—such as commercial jets—are predisposed to accumulating more ice than others due to their shape and operational factors, certain items composing the vehicle require additional attention to detail during construction to mitigate complications caused by ice. As ice can rapidly form on all areas of an aircraft, including the engine(s), ice protection systems are critical for the following parts of a plane: wings, aerofoils, power plant(s), high lift devices, and control systems. Within this blog, we will discuss the fundamental basics of deicing and anti-icing equipment, and why they are crucial for ensuring passenger safety and vehicle stability. 

Printed circuit boards, or PCBs, are a common element of countless electronic systems. Coming in the form of a flat substrate with various embedded electronic components and copper traces, PCBs act as a medium that collects and connects components to one another in a very controlled manner. While a majority of circuit boards perform the same roles, their exact makeup and design will differ based on the application and environment in question. For example, many modern aircraft that are highly electrified take advantage of printed circuit boards for standard system functionality, but unlike the PCBs that may be found in a home computer, these boards must be rigorously designed to withstand the demanding needs, intensive stresses, and environmental conditions present during flight.

Magnetos are an important element of many aircraft engines, serving to create the voltage necessary for fuel combustion. While magnetos are designed to be extremely robust as a result of the intensive environments that they typically operate in, such equipment will still face gradual wear and tear over time, oftentimes leading to losses in performance, operational issues, and eventual failure. As such, when issues arise with the ignition system of the engine, it is important that one addresses things as soon as possible to see if there are symptoms of a bad magneto. As issues can result from a variety of things, it can be useful to have a general understanding of the most common signs of a bad magneto system, and how to conduct general magneto troubleshooting.

Unless an aircraft features a fully electric engine, it will require regular refueling in order to conduct flight operations. Aircraft can be refueled in a few ways, generally using a mobile tanker or a stationary pumping station. As fuel is combustible, it is important that it is safely delivered to the fuel tank of the aircraft to ensure hazard prevention. This safety is upheld through the use of what is known as a fuel breakaway valve, that of which is commonly found on various aircraft types.

For most fixed-wing aircraft, the lift that keeps them in the sky is a result of their forward airspeed and manipulation of airflow through wings and other flight structures. While the lift that aircraft are able to produce is ample for standard flight operations, this lift can easily be lost if the pilot does not maintain a safe attitude. For example, traveling at too high of an angle of attack can easily lead to a loss of lift, resulting in a hazardous situation where the aircraft may begin to lose altitude and require careful but quick pilot intervention. Luckily, pilots are well-trained on how to handle stalling as they work to get their license, and most aircraft feature what are known as stall warning systems that will provide an audio and/or visual queue to the pilot when a stall is impending. As these systems are crucial for safety, pilots should ensure that they are familiar with the common types of stall warning systems that they may have to rely on.

If you have ever wondered how a pilot gives input on the control stick, yoke, or  rudder, then this blog is for you. Traditionally, airplanes had steel wires running from the control column to the ailerons, elevators, and rudders. The ailerons control roll, the elevators control pitch, and the rudders control yaw. Roll, pitch, and yaw define the movement of aircraft on three different axes, and the combination of these controls is what allows pilots to have a successful flight.

There are many misconceptions about high altitude flight and how it is achieved, whether that be through the use of turbocharger or supercharger engines and their application of forced induction systems. As most general aviation piston engines are typically aspirated, this results in various flight instructors, commercial pilots, and private pilots who have minimal practical experience working with forced induction systems. To get a better understanding of how turbochargers and superchargers compare and contrast, we will briefly go over how they work, allowing you to use this information for future applications.

Spark plugs are used in a variety of vehicles to deliver electric current to the combustion chamber to ignite the fuel/air mixture during the appropriate phase of the engine cycle. While most recognize spark plugs through their association with automobiles, these components play a crucial role in many aircraft to facilitate continuous engine operation. When it comes to aviation, the spark plug is exposed to unique challenges and is therefore explicitly designed to perform its task. In this blog, we will discuss everything you need to know about spark plugs in aircraft, including their design, operation, and maintenance.