They have been called the forgotten engine and the workhorses of the commercial aviation industry. They are a craft’s auxiliary power unit (APU). Under normal circumstances, they should operate silently in the background helping to make the transportation of cargo and passengers safer and easier. When they fail all manner of difficulties can occur. In order to ensure the reliability of your aircraft, you need to maintain the APU in the same way as you would the main engine. Here are some preventative maintenance tips that may help extend the life and functionality of your APU.

• Replace failing parts quickly: Why do today what you can put off until tomorrow is not a saying that aircraft mechanics should ever adopt. If your team detects even a minor issue such as a damaged sensor connection, you should be ready to act immediately to seek a replacement. Small issues like this have a habit of getting bigger until they become very costly in human and monetary terms. The same applies to the external parts of your plan. We have airframe parts for sale as well as commercial APU parts that can help you extend the life of your craft.
• Conduct regular monitoring and inspections: This is not only a requirement in most cases, it is just a good idea to stay on top of your plane’s condition. Doing so will allow you to significantly reduce costs and maintenance workloads in the future.
• Don’t forget downtime maintenance and upkeep: A craft may be down for an extended period depending on the company that owns it, flight schedule, etc. During this time don’t neglect to do all you can to follow proper preservation protocols.
• Take care of your connector: A faulty connector could lead to lost electric signals. In turn, this could lead to an auto-shutdown at a critical moment when the APU is needed such as at startup.
• Remove and replace the combustion assembly when needed: This will usually extend the life of the APU as it is vital in the ignition process. In short, take good care of your APU and it will take care of your fleet, your passengers, and their cargo. Don’t get into the habit of ignoring the vital part of the plan just because it is designed to work silently in the background or because it typically has little access for maintenance purposes.