In the aeronautical world, the control of maintenance scheduling and scheduled and unscheduled inspections are part of the life of the aircraft and of utmost importance for the safety and efficiency of operations. In this context, Ecocopter, in this period of the year, starts its processes. For this, the company has a first level Aeronautical Maintenance Center (AMC) located in the Tobalaba Aerodrome, in the Sub-Base in Magallanes and in the facilities in Ecuador.

There are several maintenance processes and one of them is scheduled maintenance. Each aircraft is overhauled by a team composed of mechanics and supervisors, working according to the aircraft manufacturers’ manuals for the execution of scheduled tasks and inspections of 150, 600 flight hours and Grand Visit on the AS350B3, as well as 400 and 800 flight hours inspections on the H145 D2.

The maintenance work consists of inspecting the helicopters on a preventive basis, to ensure their operation during the high season, where the navigation systems, engines, rotating assembly, gears, and verification of their components are reviewed, in addition to corrosion control, structural review and systems in general. Once the process is completed, test flight maneuvers are performed to verify its proper operational performance.

“For us it is very important to maintain our entire fleet, whether they require it or not according to their flight hours, since one of our fundamental pillars is the safety of our operations. As Ecocopter we are constantly monitoring our aircraft for their correct operation, and our technology, processes and infrastructure allow us to maintain the fleet with the highest international safety standards”, explains Hernán Leiva, Ecocopter’s Maintenance Manager.

ECOCOPTER ENGINE SHOP

“Our list of capabilities includes the maintenance of Airbus Helicopters AS350 B3, H145, EC145 and EC135 aircraft. In the case of engines, we have level I and II certification for the Safran ARRIEL 2 and ARRIUS 2 engine family, and we have a workshop with all the special tools necessary to perform maintenance tasks. In addition, this workshop is certified by Safran, obtaining the Certificate Maintenance Center or CMC Safran certification”, says Oscar Molina, head of Ecocopter’s Engine Workshop.

It should be noted that Ecocopter has a fleet of 23 Airbus helicopters composed of 16 H125, 4 EC135, 2 H145 and 1 EC145 that are characterized by their great versatility, performing missions ranging from offshore transport, mining support, medical evacuation, forest firefighting and almost the entire range of industrial aerial work distributed in Chile and Ecuador.