ASAP Part Services Blog

As the aviation industry continues to grow across the globe with an increase of commercial flights, cargo services, and more, the demand for spare aircraft parts is also on the rise. Many aircraft are designed to be in continuous use, downtime often being minimized as much as feasible to maintain revenue and tight scheduling. Nevertheless, aircraft are machines like all others, thus necessitating the eventual repair and replacement of parts as a result of aging, wear, and other factors. For safety and adherence to various regulations, aircraft are subject to routine checks and maintenance procedures that are carried out at set intervals. To meet airworthiness standards while ensuring that scheduling is upheld, it is paramount that spare parts can quickly and efficiently be procured so that they are on hand when needed.

Corrosion refers to the degradation of metals due to a chemical reaction. The most important reactions to understand that cause corrosion are oxidation and reduction, and the critical substrates in these reactions are anodes and cathodes. When it comes to metals, oxidation is when oxygen from the atmosphere or water donates electrons to the metal it encounters. The site at which this donation occurs is called an anode. After oxidation occurs, the electrons flow to another location on the surface of the metal called a cathode. At the cathode, these electrons are finally donated to oxygen molecules in water droplets. This reaction is called reduction.

While many are familiar with the steering wheels of a typical automobile, some may not realize that many aircraft have similar controls. While a steering system similar to an automobile may not be efficient for standard flight, they are very useful when traversing around the tarmac of a runway. Controls such as the yoke holder and yoke connector are used for flight, while a separate control serves pilots for ground operations. As a control that is featured on numerous passenger planes for an ease of traversing surfaces, it can be useful to understand how they are used and why they are important.

Washers and shims are relatively similar components, and both are regularly used for automotive manufacturing, machinery, industrial equipment, and other applications. As both component types come in the form of thin material pieces that may be used to fill gaps or increase support, it is important to understand the difference between each. In this blog, we will discuss washers and shims, allowing you to understand their similarities and differences.

The attitude indicator is one of the six basic flight instruments in every cockpit. It serves to provide the pilot with the orientation of the aircraft relative to the Earth’s horizon and gives an immediate indication of even the most minute orientation changes. The attitude indicator features a miniature aircraft and horizon bar that mimic the relationship of the real aircraft and horizon. While traditional gyroscopes still exist in many aircraft, new types are becoming more and more popular. In this blog, we will discuss the most common types of attitude indicators.

Aircraft cable is among the most useful types of steel cables available. The thin, flexible, and exceedingly strong material consists of thin steel wires (between 8 and 28) that have been stranded together to provide a combination of strength and flexibility. Although aircraft cables rarely have a diameter greater than ¼ inch, they are strong enough to hold an aircraft securely in place.

Strut channels are used throughout the construction and electrical industries to provide light structural support. While they are commonly used to provide support for wiring and plumbing, they can also be used to support mechanical components for much larger appliances. Strut channel support systems are often assembled by using U-shaped slotted steel channels combined with fittings. This creates strong metal structures capable of supporting electrical conduits, cables, panel boxes, and other pieces of equipment. Additionally, strut channels can be used to create permanent or temporary structures, and all components are designed to be reusable if needed. Strut channels are an incredibly versatile product that can be used in a wide range of different applications.

In order to carry out their complex and demanding tasks, aircraft mechanics need general mechanical aptitude and knowledge as well as the unique skills required to do their jobs properly. Similarly, the equipment these mechanics use must also be specialized and able to perform specific and sometimes intricate repairs. Many professional mechanics have access to shop tools including drill presses and other large machines in a shop or hangar, but for basic maintenance, many mechanics are required to use their own tools. The most common tools used in aircraft maintenance are speed handles, torque wrenches, safety wire pliers, metal working tools, magnets, and mirrors. In this blog, we will discuss each of them.

Since the advent of more advanced flight technology, constant improvements have been made to aircraft that have greatly increased the efficiency of flight. As a standard piece of equipment on many airliners and private jets, an aircraft winglet is a section of the wing in which the end turns upwards. With their implementation on an aircraft, drag can be reduced alongside the creation of lift, allowing for aircraft to fly well while drawing less power from the engine. As such, many airliners and aircraft operators often invest in winglets in order to improve fuel efficiency, both lowering CO2 emissions and operating costs. Before deciding whether or not aircraft winglets are a good fit for your aircraft, however, it is important to be well aware of how they function.

In order to properly and safely operate an aircraft for flight, pilots rely on a number of systems and components such as brakes, landing gear, flight control surfaces, cargo doors, and much more. Oftentimes, these systems can be large, heavy, and extremely difficult to operate manually or mechanically, thus they require a system to efficiently operate them for the ease of the pilot. In most modern aircraft, the hydraulic system is what is used to drive machinery and systems, utilizing hydraulic fluid and mechanical components for operation.