I was just curious (honest) as to the length of C and D checks, especially on new airplanes which conform to MSG-3 standards (777, A340NG, etc.). In AWS C checks typically last 14 to 20 days for large to very large planes and D checks last 60 to 80 days, but in real life C checks typically last 7 to 14 days and D checks are usually up to 5 weeks max (747) with planes like the 777 targeted to have D checks last 2 weeks. Now, I was also reviewing the Boeing website (trying to gather updated 787 fuel burn data for Sami) and if you trust the Boeing website (and I usually do ;)), the 787 section highlights that the C check duration will be reduced, when compared to a 767, from 7 days to 5 days and the D check duration will go from 20 days to 15 days (again when compared to a 767), not too mention that it could be up to 12 years before a D check is needed (advantage of composites combined with success of 777 MSG-3 system).
So, I guess my question is this something that can be looked into or are there other factors that are being included in the maintenance check time frames? Thanks.
I agree... Usually technological improvements lead to lower maintenance costs... I do not know if it has been taken in account by Sami but I know for sure that the C and D checks for the A388 are just a little more expensive than the ones for the A345/346! :)