ADS Plus has the ability to offer tremendous benefits to Aircraft Maintenance Technicians (AMTs), helping them perform with speed and excellence. The Maintenance team at Horizon Air are active users of ADS Plus, and have experienced the benefits of the tool firsthand. Bob Wiley, Propulsion Tech Services, and Valerie Piggott, QX Seattle Maintenance, recently shared some of these experiences with Bombardier. The most commonly-cited benefit of using ADS Plus is time saved, especially for complex problems. When troubleshooting is required, ADS Plus guides the process, helping technicians quickly identify the underlying cause of problems and returning the aircraft to service faster and more efficiently. Recently, Bob ran an ADS Plus session on an out-of-service aircraft that suffered from autopilot/elevator issues. The Pirep stated, “Near top of climb and slowing aircraft for descent between 190-200 KTS, control yoke oscillated back and forth significantly until increasing airspeed above 200 KTS with auto pilot engaged.”
The solution presented by ADS Plus explained that oscillation is normal with the autopilot engaged and provided a direct reference to the relevant Flight Isolation Manual (FIM) task in order to confirm proper adjustment. Clearly, the oscillation seemed unusual to the Pilot, but after Bob presented his findings to the Maintenance (MTX) Controller who oversaw the event, the crew and the Boise MTX staff worked through the process and ultimately returned the aircraft to service.
