AviTrader MRO360° – Ensuring the Airworthiness of USM

Vallair’s Pascal Parant, Group Chief Commercial & Marketing Officer, spoke to David Dundas about ensuring airworthiness of used serviceable material (USM) in the October/November issue of AviTrader MRO360°.

He explains: “Ultimately, certifying a USM part relies on rigorous traceability checks and processing by established, approved repair stations. For complex components such as engines, the process includes Maintenance Program Analysis (PMA), borescope inspections, and certification based on available trace documentation. In the case of a full engine teardown, each removed part is inspected, tested, repaired, or overhauled, and repair shops ensure that no items appears on any blacklist file. I recall a global alert issues after a Boeing 757 crash where engines had disappeared. A full list of serialised parts was circulated worldwide and any shop that came across one of those parts had to immediately remove it, quarantine it, and notify the FAA.”

He also offers insights into emerging blockchain systems, which could offer enhanced traceability of parts. “If such a system were to emerge, it would need to be universal, certified, and implemented on new aircraft programs, as retrofitting this type of traceability is almost impossible.”

Read the full article as a PDF here.

Article courtesy of AviTrader.