A simple way to improve your aircraft hydraulic maintenance costs in less than 30 days...

Do you know how much your operation spends on ATA29?

If not, I’ll give you the answer. The total world MRO demand for 2018 and 2019 is $184 billion.

Of that $184 billion, ATA29 takes up $2.9 billion. That’s 1.57% of the total world demand!

After speaking with a professor from Embry Riddle Aeronautical University, he said hydraulic systems would continue to add issues to operations (i.e., leaks) until they’re designed out in 10 years.

Until then…

It’s going to be a problem for the foreseeable future.

We find that statement true with the operators, aircraft MRO's, and defense clients we work with, an airline CEO notably saying hydraulic issues are a constant burden.

Here are three ways to help you reduce your aircraft hydraulic total maintenance costs.

Don’t overwhelm yourself with complicated repair processes. Streamline your hydraulic component repairs with an efficient repair system.

Repairs are messy. It often takes you and your team over 25 steps to complete an RO.

Think about it.

From having to source capabilities and wait on average repair cost and turn around times, to processing ROs, scheduling shipments, tracking AWBs, handling customs issues, approving work orders, and the list goes on.

We’ve found the best way to reduce your total processing time, and repair cost is by streamlining these activities.

The more you can consolidate your sourcing, processing, approving, and shipping the more efficient you’ll be, with your time and costs.

We’ve established an efficient system to help combat this problem.

Alternatively, if you want to do it alone, look for ways to consolidate, to reduce the burden placed on you to handle all these repair tasks.

Related Article: Repairs: 5 Reasons You’re Wasting Money And May Not Know It

You can’t escape hydraulic leak AOGs entirely, but you can use a hydraulic leak kit to make a quick repair.

Hydraulic leaks will happen. It’s how you handle the problem that makes all the difference.

In one scenario, you could have the maintenance team scrambling to fix the problem. Requesting hoses, clamps and any other material they need. Alternatively, even worse, maybe the aircraft is at an outstation that has minimal inventory.

You know hydraulic issues are universal.

Get yourself a hydraulic leak kit that will have the right hoses, clamps and other necessary components to make a temporary fix, until your aircraft is in a more suitable location for repair.

The kit will likely help avoid AOGs and keep your teams productive.

Related Article: Quick Relief For Aircraft Hydraulic Leaks

Reduce the lead time and cost burden with an exchange.

I’m sure you're familiar with exchanges. The most common being cost plus repair and flat rate exchanges.

Why buy a unit outright when you can exchange it for a fraction of the price and have a hydraulic component available with appropriate certifications?

Keep in mind: this won’t work if your unit is severally damaged or BER.

You’ll spend more time and money sourcing, processing, chasing and ultimately paying an exchange fee and an outright price.

It’s not worth the hassle.

Another option is buying the unit outright and trying to repair your damaged unit as an inventory item later on. Or holding the aircraft hydraulic component at your repair partners facility until your ready to put it through the repair process.

As you see, spending 1.5% of your total MRO demand on ATA29 is a given. You’ll run into hydraulic issues. Leaks. Problems.

Use these simple tactics above to help you offset AOGs, reduce the time you take to process solutions, and ultimately reduce your total cost of hydraulic repairs.

Your wings,

Nate Anglin