FINDING THE NEEDLE IN THE HAYSTACK: RESULTS OF THE ARMY FLIGHT SAFETY PARTS SURVEILLANCE PROGRAM

Significant results of the U.S. Army’s on-going Flight Safety Parts (FSP) Surveillance Program have been compiled and are presented in this paper. Beginning with a brief history of the Army FSP Surveillance Program and a discussion of its basic elements, results of current surveillance testing are presented in a generalized format and the objectives of on-going surveillance testing are outlined. Finally, insight gained from these test results is offered for consideration. Rather than detailing specific aircraft systems or part numbers, the intent of this paper is to show the reasoning behind the particular component selection or test condition and the lessons learned for application to future surveillance efforts. Results show valuable information has been gained through the surveillance program regarding qualification, manufacturing, maintenance, and in-service/environmental degradation of flight safety parts.