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1. Introduction
The initial maintenance requirements of an aircraft are derived through two different processes. One is the type certification (TC) process (aircraft maintenance) and the other is the Maintenance Review Board (MRB) process. Maintenance requirements derived through the type certification (TC) process are intended to ensure that the design of the aircraft meets the defined safety standards. These requirements are compiled and structured into the Airworthiness Limitation Section (ALS). The ALS comprises Safe Life Airworthiness Limitation Items (the Life Limited Parts document), Damage Tolerant Airworthiness Limitation Items (the ALI document for structure), the Certification Maintenance Requirements (CMR) document (systems), the Ageing Systems Maintenance (ASM) document, and the Fuel Airworthiness Limitations (FAL) document. The ALS is the repository for stand-alone documents that are approved independently from each other.
Through the Maintenance Review Board (MRB) process, manufacturers, regulatory authorities, vendors, operators, and industry work together to develop the initial scheduled maintenance/inspection requirements for new aircraft and/or on-wing power plants. The requirements that result from MRB evaluations are specified in an MRB Report (MRBR). The MRBR outlines the initial minimum scheduled maintenance/ inspection requirements to be used in the development of an approved continuous airworthiness maintenance program for the airframe, engines, and systems of a specific aircraft type. The MRBR is intended to be used as a basis for each operator's development of its own continuous airworthiness maintenance programme, subject to the approval of its regulatory authority. After approval, the requirements outlined in the MRBR become a framework around which each air carrier develops its own individual maintenance program. Figure 1 [Figure omitted. See Article Image.] illustrates the interfaces between the TC process, the MRB process, and the development of the approved maintenance program of the air carrier ([42] Transport Canada, 2003).
In the commercial aviation industry, increasing emphasis is now being placed on using the Maintenance Steering Group (MSG-3) methodology in the development of initial scheduled maintenance programs published in an MRBR. The reason for this is that MSG-3 is a common means of compliance for the development of minimum scheduled maintenance requirements within the framework of the instructions for continued airworthiness promulgated by most of the regulatory authorities.
MSG-3 represents a combined effort by the manufacturers, regulatory authorities, operators, and the Air Transport Association (ATA)...