Week 4: A Look into Aircraft Maintenance

This week I took a break from my research into black holes to pursue another interest of mine. I visited the Guangzhou Aircraft Maintenance Engineering Company (GAMECO) and observed the work there. I spent most of my time shadowing technicians in the ATE (automatic test equipment) workshop and watching how they tested, disassembled, and repaired aircraft computers reported by the flight crew. ATE is a testing system that simulates the operating environment of the aircraft so that the function and condition of a computer can be checked, and each computer, called UUT (unit under test) can be tested by connecting to an ATE through a specific test adapter. To analyze the error in a test report, we need to trace the fault back to the possible failed area. At that point, technicians may need to replace chips or other electronic components on the circuit board. Sometimes a unit may work abnormally only once in ten to twenty runs, so it’s important to repeat testing in order to confirm whether the fault is consistent or intermittent. During a flight, an aircraft may experience many issues, but some of them are not serious enough to threaten the safety of the whole flight. However, units in poor condition will be sent back for maintenance after the final post-flight report.

I spent the first two days learning the basic operation of the Display Unit (DU) used in the cockpit by reading the repair manual, and then I had the chance to help test faulty units with other people. The test for DU consists of six parts, from sensor checks to automatic tests of internal signal communication and display functions, and the total test usually lasts about one and a half hours.

I spent the rest of the week reading different manuals and shadowing others, specifically the manual for the Slat Flap Control Computer (SFCC) and Brake and Steering Control Unit (BSCU) and trying to understand how its testing and repair process works. Different aircraft computers require different testing steps, and the testing time can vary from a few hours to several days.