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Component Reliability - Beyond Useful Life
Every component eventually reaches the point where it makes economic sense to retire it rather than attempt another repair or overhaul. Some of the more common reasons to permanently remove a component from service are:
1. Scarce replacement parts Depending on how old your components are, you may have
trouble finding parts to fix them especially parts that have not been manufactured for years.
Sometimes it is too expensive for the manufacturer to retool to make a handful of parts. In
other cases, the original manufacturer is no longer in business and no one else makes the
part. If you find yourself in this situation, you may have to find a few surplus components that
you can rob some parts from. Otherwise, you may need to think about retrofitting to a newer
design.
2. Older Fleet Type In todays competitive industry, many operators are rationalizing fleets
and retiring older aircraft. If you are thinking (or are in the process) of reducing an aircraft
fleet type, you may not need as many spare components as you previously kept in stock. This
may allow you to simply surplus (or scrap) a few components that are in need of expensive
repairs.
3. Rogue Parts Occasionally, your repair shop is unable to find the root cause of a chronic
component issue. You may own a component that exhibits classic rogue symptoms yet
nothing seems to fix the part. Depending on how much you have already invested in repairs, it
may be wise to scrap the component. Talk it over with your repair vendor. You may be able to
negotiate an exchange unit, obtain a partial reimbursement for unsuccessful repairs or receive
some credit toward future repairs on other components.
4. Affordable Replacement Cost Some smaller, less expensive components such as
check valves, pressure switches, transducers, etc are just as expensive to repair as the cost
of a new component. If you are satisfied with the reliability of these smaller components, why
bother trying to repair them if you can get new ones for not much more than the cost of a
repair?
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