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Search the Internet for info on aircraft components

Your staff can find information about the components of airplane systems at different websites. Have them review information about systems and parts to learn about the wide array of repair and replacement services and recommended maintenance guidelines.

I recommend: Review the information at the Aero-Mach Labs website. It services a wide range of aircraft systems, including electronics, fuel management and guidance. You can find a similar range of products from the aerospace division of Parker Hannifin. Order and study its guides for various aircraft systems.

Find courses on aircraft systems

For hands-on education about aircraft components and systems, have your staff take general aviation courses or classes that focus on specific systems. They'll learn about the components of aircraft and how to maintain them.

I recommend: Enroll members of your team in courses at the National Aviation Academy. They can learn the ins and outs of avionics, airframe and power plant systems. Encourage employees to learn the basics of aircraft components and systems maintenance at Hallmark College. It offers airplane systems certification courses.

Contact an aircraft component service provider

For an experienced, practical view of the components of aircraft, get in touch with leading aircraft parts suppliers. Their technicians can provide useful specifications and data as well an insider's view of aircraft components and systems basics. Ask for commentary on replacement and reconditioned parts.

I recommend: Have a staff member touch base with Steward-Davis to learn the newest information about onboard electronics. It manufactures and maintains hydraulic, cooling, electronic and other systems. For information on propellers, governors and de-icing systems, contact McCauley. Have them read the interesting information at the company website about changing propellers.

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Make sure that your staff knows about the rules and regulations regarding aircraft systems, such as what ISO 9002 and AS 9000 means in regards to airplane components.

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Use aircraft systems and aircraft components search engines

Use industry specific search engines to locate your next aircraft systems and aircraft components.

I recommend: Find Aircraft and Engine Component Manufacturers through the Thirty Thousand Feet directory. Subscribe to Jane's Aircraft Component Manufacturers for information on component listings and suppliers by aircraft type, component manufacturers, seating arrangements by aircraft type, expert assessment of market sectors, market assessments on fixtures and fittings, seating and aircraft interiors and aircraft interior suppliers. Aviation Links also has aircraft component manufacturers listings. AZoM - The A to Z of Materials also offers a wide variety of aircraft avionics components provider listings.

Find landing aircraft systems with ease

Locate landing gear aircraft components and systems.

I recommend: Look at the latest in brake technology in the landing systems from Honeywell. Assic provides a variety of aircraft parts including those for landing gear systems. Goodrich can offer you a wide range of advanced systems for your aircrafts, including landing gear. In fact, Goodrich systems and components can be found on almost every major aircraft already in the air or in production today.

Repair, rebuild or overhaul your aircraft components and systems

Seek out the best in maintenance, repair and overhaul of your aircraft components and systems.

I recommend: Engineered Abrasives is an aircraft component overhaul and repair specialist. They offer shot-peening and deburring services to enhance the appearance, and improve the fatigue life of your parts. Metal Fusion specializes in the repair and restoration of aircraft components. Metal Finishing Technologies is Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) repair station USPR732K certified for aerospace/aircraft components. Straton Industries, FAA repair station XTRR859K, is a precision machining repair of aircraft components service provider.

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Make sure that your components of airplane and aircraft systems are FAA approved before purchasing them and putting them in your air craft or working them into the plane's system.

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Learn to maintain airplane components through FAA certified programs

The majority of avionics maintenance technicians who work on commercial and private planes have gone through extensive training and safety courses. To get this training, you will need to enroll in a school that is certified by the FAA, which requires at least 1,900 classroom hours to complete a program in avionics.

I recommend: Vaughn College of Aeronautics and Technology is a FAA certified school that offers many courses through one of three aviation degree options. Virginia Aviation is another accredited school that provides complete maintenance and repair training with Airframe and Powerplant (A&P) certified mechanics.

Take training courses that teach you to maintain and repair transport category aircraft systems

There are many vocational and university courses that teach the basics of aircraft maintenance and repair. You can get a broad education by studying all aircraft systems or you can specialize in one specific aircraft system, such as the oil or electronics systems.

I recommend: Jeppesen provides many avionics training solutions, including training materials and training programs available online and through in-person instruction. Global Avionics Training Specialists provides courses that teach specific skills, including retrofitting and working with digital control systems.

Attend seminars that provide information on aircraft avionics components

Aircraft avionics components are always changing as new technology becomes available. Seminars and workshops that cover installation, new technologies, and safety issues as they relate to aircraft maintenance and repair are all essential educational opportunities.

I recommend: The Washington Aviation Association offers a range of seminars for pilots, technicians and other aviation industry professionals. Education opportunities include credit towards pilot programs and recertification. The FAA Safety Team provides a host of seminars and events that cover safety topics for pilots and avionics technicians.

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  If you want to learn more about an aircraft electronic security system or water and waste system, find seminars and workshops that cover the type of plane you are interested in. These seminars will teach you basic and advanced techniques for repairing and maintaining aircraft components.

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Avionics

Avionics, or aviation electronics, refers to the electrical instruments you can find in an aircraft's cockpit. Avionics includes the pilot's radio, beacons, landing lights, engine controls, radar, navigation aids, and a variety of other electronics.

I recommend: To learn more, visit SR Technics. Its website explains the term avionics in greater detail.

Control surfaces

The control surfaces of an aircraft are the parts of the plane's wings and tail that move. Control surfaces include ailerons, horizontal stabilizers, vertical stabilizers, flaps, the rudder, and the elevator. Not every plane will have the same configuration, but these are the basic control surfaces. For example, some planes don't have flaps.

I recommend: Allstar Network has a diagram of an airplane's control surfaces. Below the diagram, you'll find the definitions for each control surface and explanations detailing how the parts work and what they do. NASA also has a detailed diagram that outlines the different control surfaces you'll find on most planes.

Fuselage

Fuselage is the main body of an aircraft. Passengers, pilot and crew all sit in the fuselage. The fuselage is generally cylindrical in shape.

I recommend: To learn more, visit wiseGEEK, which describes an aircraft's fuselage in greater detail.

Flight instruments

The six main flight instruments pilots need to know to fly a plane include attitude indicator, airspeed indicator, altimeter, turn coordinator, vertical speed indicator, and heading indicator. These flight instruments relay crucial information to pilots.

I recommend: Ron Gruner explains how each of these six flight instruments function.

Aircraft fuel system

An aircraft's fuel system includes the fuel tanks, lines, primer, pump, and gauges, as well as any other part of the fuel distribution and monitoring system.

I recommend: Visit PilotFriend for a description on the different parts of common aircraft fuel systems.

Aircraft engines

Aircraft engines come in varying shapes and sizes. The two most common types of engines are gas turbine engines and piston engines.

I recommend: Thai Technics lists and defines the different types of gas turbine engines, while the United States Centennial of Flight Commission discusses piston engines.