Technical Paper
The Role of D Sight in Military Aircraft Inspection
1997-08-05
972623
Life extension programs generally include various upgrade kits and improved replacement parts. New avionics, new engines and oft times replacement wings fill out the order along with a raft of maintenance/inspection procedural changes. The original airframe is usually left intact - without major modifications or replacements. In order to maintain the aging fuselage, a new series of inspection routines are necessary. The call for advanced and novel inspection technologies has brought together many technologies: each with their own strengths and weaknesses. This paper addresses the introduction of the D Sight Aircraft Inspection System to the fuselage inspection protocol of the Royal Air Force (RAF) aging aircraft fleet. The RAF is developing a Three Tier system of lap seam and butt joint inspection, which exploits the strengths of distinct technologies.