Development of a Generic Aircraft aintenance Management Database for Zambia Air Force
- February 10, 2022
- Posted by: rsispostadmin
- Categories: Agriculture, IJRSI
International Journal of Research and Scientific Innovation (IJRSI) | Volume IX, Issue I, January 2022 | ISSN 2321–2705
Development of a Generic Aircraft aintenance Management Database for Zambia Air Force
Joana Bwalya Chemba1* and Isaac N. Simate2
1&2Department of Agricultural Engineering, School of Engineering, University of Zambia, Lusaka, Zambia
*Correspondence
Abstract: The aviation industry is one of the most strictly regulated industries in the world. National and international aviation regulating authorities stipulate a number of requirements for both civil and military aviation establishments. One of the areas these regulations apply to is aircraft maintenance information management. With the evident technological advancement, the aviation regulators allow the use of electronic databases in aircraft maintenance. This study was aimed at developing a generic aircraft maintenance management database for Zambia Air Force (ZAF). The results of the baseline study conducted at one aircraft maintenance unit showed that the majority (86%) of respondents use a paper based aircraft maintenance information database. According to the respondents, the lack of skills, inadequate computers and security are the reasons for the continued use of a paper-based system. Additionally, the main challenges faced using this information database based on the results are time-consuming, misplaced documents and some information is not documented. A database was developed using Microsoft Access based on the reviewed aviation regulations with regard to maintenance information records. The database has attributes of managing aircraft information, personnel information as well as material, spares and equipment information. Furthermore, the implementation results show that the database can address the challenges currently faced with the paper based system and aid maintenance managers with (1) decision making (2) maintenance planning and execution (3) spares inventory management.
Key words: Aircraft Maintenance, Maintenance Regulations, Maintenance Management Database, Microsoft Access Database, Development of Database
I.INTRODUCTION
Maintenance management is a complex partnership between the people directly or indirectly involved in maintenance, the processes and strategies to direct people’s actions, the physical asset being maintained and finally the Computerised Maintenance Management Systems – the main link between the “people”, “processes and strategies” and “asset” (Gouws & Trevelyan, 2008). The field of aviation maintenance has seen a significant change in the documentation requirements for aircraft and related parts. Today, there is a mixture of various database programs offering a combination of the data research required to conduct proper maintenance, inspections, and data recording (logbook entries, Air Data compliance history, length of component time in service, and so forth) desired to improve the efficiency of the technician (FAA, 2018).
Effective management of maintenance is nearly not possible without computerization. Also implementing these with a good success rate needs a major program for change management over time (Giridharan et al, 2020). Aircraft operators are pushing for faster troubleshooting, automated aircraft inspection to reduce downtime; better task planning, and optimized parts management (Uniting Aviation, ICAO, 2019).
