Finally there’s someone to meet the Fokkers
Typically rotating at a constant 1000rpm, modern propeller blades are made from extremely light and hardy carbon-reinforced composite materials which withstand centrifugal loads, aerodynamic twisting and torque bending forces. Known for their reliability, these propellers operate over vast distances with minimal disruption thanks to excellent design and highly-skilled aircraft mechanical engineers such as Greg Johnstone and Dirk Pretorious.
Johnstone and Pretorious are part of a team of specialised technicians dedicated to repairing and maintaining propellers at the recently launched GE Aviation Brisbane aircraft service facility.
"It is very exacting work with no margin for error, there are no shortcuts,” says Dirk Pretorious, Aircraft Maintenance Engineer and Propeller Technician. “It is a very fulfilling job, there's always something new happening."
Located at Brisbane Airport, this world-class facility services a range of airlines including QantasLink, Air Niugini, Rex, Alliance Air and Philippine Airlines Express.
Neil Thomson, operations director for GE Aviation and supply chain in Australia says the new facility will focus on the repair and maintenance of just three types of propellers; the turboprop Fokker 50, the Saab 340 and the Bombardier Q400.
Of the 40 team members in the combined avionics and propeller facility, five are dedicated propeller engineers, and the team is growing.
Their role is to strip the propellers down to their individual components, and conduct in-depth inspections and repairs. They also conduct non-destructive tests on each propeller blade to locate potential in-service damage.
It requires close attention to detail to make sure each propeller maintains high performance levels for the 10,000 operating hours between regular services. This means each blade must leave the facility capable of safely spinning 600million times before its next service.
The engineers also use advanced equipment and technology such as contemporary computer-controlled balancing to carefully assess individual propeller blades. With such capability, adjustments can be completed before the propeller is refitted to the aircraft.
On the Q400 rather than removing and replacing an entire propeller assembly engineers remove single blades for repair in the event of damage. The approach reduces aircraft downtime and minimises costs for customer airlines.
“The work is varied and requires a lot of different techniques which keeps things interesting,” Greg Johnstone, Aircraft Maintenance Engineer and Team Leader. “Customers need a fast turn around and that, combined with the need for precision work, keeps us on our toes at all times.”