MAINTENANCE SCHEDULING FLEXIBILITY DESIGNED AROUND OPERATIONS THE USCG AVIATION COMPUTERIZED MAINTENANCE SYSTEM (ACMS)

The U.S. Coast Guard has been refining its computerized aircraft maintenance scheduling and tracking tool for nearly twenty years. Development of the Aviation Computerized Maintenance System (ACMS) began in 1985, was redesigned in 1994, and is currently in use at twenty-six aviation units. The system provides maintenance flexibility designed around operational requirements. Aircraft maintenance has traditionally been performed in a block, phase or check fashion with associated extended down periods. ACMS is more efficient and effective for Coast Guard operations than traditional phased maintenance. In ACMS, individual maintenance tasks can be identified and tracked by a discrete code number with regard to a task's last completed interval (date, hours, or cycles). This methodology lends flexibility to managing maintenance tasks by performing individual or grouped tasks at the maintenance manager's discretion. Managers are better positioned to optimize aircraft availability because each task's approximate man-hours are known. Maintenance decisions are linked to minimizing operational interruptions by completing specific individual maintenance events between peak flying periods. Individual task scheduling not only eliminates extended down periods for phase inspections, but also credits unscheduled events to the future in accordance with the specified interval. Other features include scheduling of critical component overhauls and automated record keeping/tracking of life limited components.