As discussed in the June issue of Cessna and Piper Flyer magazine, there are important considerations when choosing a repair shop for your aircraft engine when it needs to be overhauled. The expert team at Signature Engines shares the following insight about the benefits of working with an FAA licensed repair shop:
– There are set procedures that an FAA licensed repair shop must adhere to when overhauling an aircraft engine that are FAA approved.
– Each station/step that the engine goes through during the overhaul has the required paperwork accompanying it. The detailed paperwork is important for tracking because at some point a part could be included on an AD or Service Bulletin. Why might this be an important? Here at Signature Engines, we keep a list of all our parts. We know where we bought the part and when. If you did not have this information documented, you would have to tear the engine a part to find out if the part in question is on your engine.
– Checks and Balances. As with anything, two sets of eyes are always better than one. The FAA requires that at every step the mechanic signs off on his/her work and then the inspector double checks that the work has been done correctly and also signs off.
– Customers of FAA licensed repair shops have an added level of safety because the FAA is diligent about looking over our shoulder and holding us to a higher standard.
– In addition, the FAA requires that our equipment is tested every year.
When interviewing any FAA licensed repair shop, it is also beneficial to ask what additional credentials they might hold. Signature Engines is certified by the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA). This is crucial to our European customers because they are required to work with an EASA certified repair station. We are also certified to work with government agencies. We are certified experts at overhauling Lycoming and Continental aircraft engines.
While it is still crucial to interview any repair shop that may overhaul your engine (we will discuss those additional questions in our future blogs), working with an FAA licensed repair shop provides an extra layer of security and safety.
Please share any of your experiences working with an FAA licensed repair station and/or your experiences working with Signature Engines.