Aircraft Maintenance Recordkeeping What is it worth P to you? roperly completed maintenance records provide the By Carol E. Giles Aircraft maintenance records or “logbooks” consist of an information needed by the owner/operator and main- airframe logbook and one for each engine and propeller; how- tainer to determine when scheduled inspections and ever, this is only part of the maintenance record collection. maintenance should be performed. No matter what type of in- There may be a few Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) spection program the aircraft is operated under, there should 337s, Major Repair and Alteration forms, especially if there be records reflecting: the discrepancies, maintenance actions, have been upgrades to avionics or other major alterations or corrections, next inspection date, and return to service entry repairs to the aircraft. In that same vein, there should also be by the maintenance technician. FAA 8130 forms or “yellow tags” that contain maintenance 50 Aviation Business Journal | 1st Quarter 2013