Under the FARs, performing maintenance is the job of an A&P mechanic or FAA-approved repair station, but managing maintenance is the owner's job. In essence, the FAA looks at each aircraft owner as the Director of Maintenance (DoM) of a one-aircraft aviation department. Unfortunately, few owners know how to do this important job, and most do it very poorly. Many owners leave it to their A&Ps to manage their maintenance, and generally are unhappy with the results.For the past four and a half years, I've been going around the country teaching owners how to manage the maintenance of their aircraft properly. My seminar is a very intense weekend of training -- at least 17 hours worth -- that covers a wide variety of subjects ranging from reliability-centered maintenance to regulations to engine condition monitoring to troubleshooting (just to name a few of the topics covered).But to make a long story short, the basic principles of good maintenance management can be boiled down to five simple principles. Follow these five principles religiously and you'll discover that you have a safer and more reliable aircraft while at the same time spending a great deal less on maintenance.
This is a companion discussion topic for the original entry at https://www.avweb.com/ownership/the-savvy-aviator-61-secrets-of-cost-effective-maintenance