The aircraft maintenance professional's source for technological advancements, maintenance alerts, news, articles, events, and careers
Issue link: http://amt.epubxp.com/i/42521
Interior Care C and Maintenance What you do, what owners need to do are, cleaning and maintenance of interiors — seats, carpets, and furniture — is something of a different world. Where airframes, avionics, props, By Tim Kern and power all have detailed maintenance instructions and procedures, we're often on our own when it comes to the part of the airplane our most-important clients see every day. Asking experts — suppliers and maintainers — how to keep interior components in good shape is pretty much the only way to get decent answers. As with most things aviation, interior maintenance should follow the No. 1 rule for safe flight: Never let a bad trend continue. Whether it's a spill, an ink spot, a 8 September 2011 Aircraft Maintenance Technology • www.AMTonline.com • www.AMTSociety.org Left: Attention to detail is key when cleaning and maintaining leather seats and fine carpets such as in this Lear 45. Above: Interior photo of a Ford Tri-Motor. Photo provided by Tim Kern. crack in the leather, a loose seat track, a tiny water leak at the faucet, or a cabinet that shakes, waiting will not make the ultimate fix any easier. Having fussy crews is a real blessing here, but cockpit crews rarely concern themselves with things that don't make the aircraft fly (or not fly). Cabin crews need to be cultivated and trained — by us — so that they keep us informed of those little squawks, before they become expensive ones. Routine cleaning, vacuuming, and spot cleaning, is the first line of defense. Ink, once dry, is difficult to remove; a quick look after every flight is your only recourse; and an "ink stick" will get rid of the ink, if applied in time. Vacuuming after every