01. What makes up a Major Inspection?

02. How is the additional corrective work (over and above) managed?

03. What is not included in the Major Inspection?

04. Is the exterior painting on the helicopter included? 

05. How much does a Major Inspection cost?

06. What is included in your price quotation?

07. Does the Major Inspection include the overhaul of dynamic assemblies and engines?

08. I would like to have my engines overhauled during my next major inspection. Should I contact the engine manufacturer directly for the work or can you take care of this work as well?

09. Can I have a retrofit performed during the Major Inspection?

10. Do I have to have the Major Inspection performed at your plants in Marignane or Donauwörth?

11. What is the lead time for a Major Inspection?

12. When the Major Inspection is completed, how do I recover the helicopter?

13. Who takes care of the customs formalities?

14. How does the helicopter delivery take place at the end of the Major Inspection?

15. How can I be sure that all of the work performed meets the needs I expressed?

16. Can I come see the work being done?

17. Why have a Major Inspection performed, and what are the risks if it is not respected?

18. What's the difference between a Major Inspection and an Intermediate Inspection?

01. What makes up a Major Inspection?

The Major Inspection includes all the operations listed in the MSR and all corrective actions required to insure safety:

• It primarily covers the airframe of your helicopter.
  
  
• Disassembly, inspections, reassembly, ground tests, flight tests, updating of documentation.
  
  
• Upon completion of the inspection, we provide you with a detailed inspection report that tells you what reconditioning work needs to be performed.
  
  
•  The corrective actions that are imperative to insure safety are performed by our departments. The other corrective actions are submitted for customer approval.

02. How is the additional corrective work (over and above) managed?

Upon completion of the inspection, we send you a detailed inspection report with a detailed description of the additional work to be performed.

The corrective operations that are imperative to insure safety are performed by our departments.

The other corrective actions are submitted to the customer for approval. In this case, you have several possibilities:

• You (or someone representing you) can visit our premises so that you can see for yourself what actions need to be performed.
  
  
• Or we can send you pictures with a detailed report.

03. What is not included in the Major Inspection?

The major inspection includes the operations listed in the MSR and those operations required to insure the safety of your helicopter.

Thus the inspection does not include:

• Overhaul of TBO assemblies (dynamic assemblies, engines, etc.).
  
  
• Interior and exterior painting.
  
  
• Rework on seats, carpets, etc.
  
  
• The application of recommended service bulletins.

However, all you need to do is ask and we'll perform a study to see how any of these jobs can be done.

04. Is the exterior painting on the helicopter included?

Painting is not one of the items included in the Major Inspection. However, just ask us and we'll perform a study to see how it can be done
Our repair/overhaul centre has specialized paint shops that can create any paint scheme you choose (logo, custom work, four-color process, etc.).

05. How much does a Major Inspection cost?

The price of a Major Inspection varies according to the type of helicopter and the place where it is performed (parent company, on your premises, at partner maintenance centres, etc.), which means we can't provide you with a fixed price. This is why we will provide you with a price quotation for all Major Inspection requests.

When we draw up a price quotation, our goal is to offer you a fair price that will contain no unpleasant surprises. The quotation will thus include:

• All the operations listed in the MSR (parts and labor)
  
  
• A provision for any reconditioning work (over and above) that may be necessary, and in particular the work that is considered to be imperative to insure safety. However, this provision is not mandatory. All you have to do is ask, and we won't include it.
  When the inspection of your aircraft has been completed, we will provide you with a detailed inspection report that will tell you what reconditioning work is to be performed.
  
  
• The corrective operations that are imperative to insure airworthiness must be performed by our departments.
  
  
• The other corrective actions are submitted to the customer for approval. You always have the final say over the work to be performed on your helicopter.

The price quotation is sent to as soon as possible after reception of all the elements required to establish the quotation.

The investigation report is sent out about 6 weeks after the disassembly work has begun on your helicopter.

06. What is included in your price quotation?

Our quotation includes

• All the operations listed in the MSR.
  
  
• A provision for any reconditioning work (over and above) that may be necessary, and in particular the work that is considered to be imperative to insure safety. However, this provision is not mandatory. All you have to do is ask, and we won't include it.
  When the inspection of your aircraft has been completed, we will provide you with a detailed inspection report that will tell you what reconditioning work is to be performed.

The corrective operations that are imperative to insure airworthiness must be performed by our departments.
The other corrective actions are submitted to the customer for approval. You always have the final say over the work to be performed on your helicopter.

07. Does the Major Inspection include the overhaul of dynamic assemblies and engines?

The Major Inspection includes all the operations listed in the MSR and all corrective operations required for airworthiness. It thus mainly concerns the airframe of your helicopter. The engine and the dynamic assemblies are thus not included initially.
However, in order to optimize as much as possible the down-time of your helicopter, it might be a good idea to take advantage of this time to have certain assemblies or equipment overhauled (engines, dynamic assemblies, etc.)
After studying your flying rates and the remaining TBO for each of your assemblies, our teams will work together with you to decide which work should ideally be performed.
The Major Inspection is also a great opportunity to think about having certain upgrades or retrofits performed. Our teams are always available to study your requests.

08. I would like to have my engines overhauled during my next major inspection. Should I contact the engine manufacturer directly for the work or can you take care of this work as well?

The engine overhaul requires a technical inspection and thus will have to be performed by the engine manufacturer.
You have two options:

• You can contact the engine manufacturer directly. These are special equipment manufacturers with whom we cooperate very closely. Our specialists will thus be able to help you find the necessary interfaces, and can provide technical assistance when formulating your request.
  
  
• We can also take responsibility for managing the overhaul of your engines. In this case, the engine overhaul is including the price quotation.

09. Can I have a retrofit performed during the Major Inspection?

Yes, and we recommend it so that you can fully optimize the down-time of your helicopter. Plus, you'll save money on certain items (ex: removal/re assembly and painting costs).
The Major Inspection takes place at a key moment in the service life of your helicopter. By integrating retrofit operations, you will fly away with a modernized helicopter that is capable of remaining in service even longer.
We can study all different requests for the installation of optional equipment, modernization work, retrofits and upgrading.
By choosing Eurocopter, you will benefit from

• A dedicated design office that will analyze your request and offer you the best-adapted solution
  
  
• A dedicated team that will follow your project from the design phase through to work completion and that will guarantee that lead times and costs are respected

10. Do I have to have the Major Inspection performed at your plants in Marignane or Donauwörth?

Eurocopter manages a fleet of more than 9,400 helicopters in more than 140 countries. In order to offer local services to all our customers, we have developed a network of more than 95 certified maintenance centers throughout the world, 25 of which are authorized to perform Major Inspections.
Each of the centers is inspected by our specialists on a regular basis in order to guarantee you the same high-quality service everywhere.
Each year, we publish the "Customer Service Directory", which lists all the authorized centres, together with their contact information and the authorized services they can provide.
If you wish, and if you have the required infrastructures, we can study the possibility of performing the Major Inspection at your premises. A cooperative effort is also possible with a partner that you choose.

11. What is the lead time for a Major Inspection?

It all depends on the helicopter.
For example, on a Super Puma, which is one of the most complex helicopters, we can complete an express Major Inspection, including the reconditioning, in 10 weeks (under special conditions).
Each of your requests is given special attention.
If you would like the shortest cycle possible, we recommend that you have the Major Inspection performed at Eurocopter or at one of our authorized maintenance centres. Major Inspections performed on customer premises normally take a bit longer.

12. When the Major Inspection is completed, how do I recover the helicopter?

Eurocopter can handle all the logistics for the return of your helicopter: customs, transport methods, etc.

You have many different options:

• Via specialized truck transport
  
  
• Via specialized airplane transport
  
  
• Via specialized ship transport

And of course, it is also possible for you to fly away with your helicopter after delivery (ferry flight)
In order to properly prepare the operation, all of these arrangements are made right from the start of the Major Inspection.

13. Who takes care of the customs formalities?

In general, the customs formalities depend on the routing conditions defined in the contract. For example, these formalities are under your responsibility for an Ex-Works incoterm.
However, all you have to do is ask and Eurocopter can handle all of the customs formalities for the delivery of your helicopter. A specialized team with experience in customs procedures throughout the world is at your disposal to guarantee this service.

14. How does the helicopter delivery take place at the end of the Major Inspection?

The delivery is made in your presence or in the presence of your representative.
To properly prepare for your arrival, you will receive a booklet 15 days prior to your visit that indicates the different delivery steps and any specific points (documentation, customs, etc.) concerning your helicopter that will be gone over.

For the delivery:

• We will give you a work report that contains a detailed list of all the work performed.
  
  
• You will conduct flight tests and a complete inspection of your helicopter on the ground, and will examine the documentation.
  
  
• We will provide you with a "customer remarks" booklet that you can use to report any problems or questions. We promise to give you satisfactory answer as quickly as possible.

A representative from the customer office is available to:

• Organize your visit.
  
  
• Accompany you during your entire stay.
  
  
• Make sure that you can meet with all the people that you need to see.
  The delivery is concluded by a ceremony, to which all the people who participated in the work and delivery for your helicopter are invited.
  You can also be present at the plant for all of the work.

15. How can I be sure that all of the work performed meets the needs I expressed?

To be sure that all of the work performed meets your expectations, you are welcome to:

• Come to the work site on a regular basis to monitor the work.
  
  
• Hold a pre-delivery meeting.
  
  
• To be present for the delivery of your helicopter.

For the delivery:

• We provide you with a work report that lists precise information about all of the work performed.
  
  
• You conduct flight tests and a complete inspection of your helicopter on the ground.
  
  
• We provide you with a "customer remarks" booklet that you can use to report any problems or questions. We promise to give you a satisfactory answer as quickly as possible.

16. Can I come see the work being done?

Yes you can, and we highly recommend it, because your presence can speed up certain procedures, in particular the acceptance for additional work.

Our customer office is at your disposal to:

• Organize your visit.
  
  
• Accompany you during your entire stay.
  
  
• Make sure that you can meet with all the people that you need to see.
  
  
• Make available a personalized, dedicated office during the entire work program

17. Why have a Major Inspection performed, and what are the risks if it is not respected?

As the manufacturer of your helicopter, we must guarantee its safety. To do so, we publish a maintenance manual that informs you of all the cycle limits for the major components (engines, dynamic assemblies, etc.) as well as all the maintenance operations for your helicopter. These limits have been determined based on reliability studies and feedback.

If you do not respect these instructions, you may encounter problems with your aeronautics authorities, but even more importantly, you will be exposing yourself to risks of failures and then accidents.

The Major Inspection corresponds to a limit for a cycle of your helicopter. There are two types of limits:

• Hourly limit (based on number of flight hours)
  
  
• Calendar limit (based on the time that has passed since your aircraft entered service)

When either of the two limits have been reached, a Major Inspection is required.

However, in certain conditions, our technical support department may grant concessions (if an aircraft in the fleet is already undergoing overhaul repair, for example). An extension of this type means the Major Inspection can be postponed, but in no case whatsoever can it be cancelled.

If for budgetary reasons you have to postpone your Major Inspection and immobilize your helicopter, be sure to respect the storage conditions for the aircraft. In fact, a prolonged immobilization may result in additional overhaul work.

18. What's the difference between a Major Inspection and an Intermediate Inspection?

Intermediate inspections are also called basic inspections. For example, on a Super Puma L1, an intermediate inspection is performed every 500 flight hours (called a T inspection) or every 24 months (called an A inspection), depending on which limit is reached first.

An intermediate inspection includes:

• An inspection of the flight controls, the fuel system, and the hydraulics.
  
  
• Inspection of the electric power generation.
  
  
• Oil change for the gear boxes.
  
  
• Cleaning of the filters.
  
  
• Inspection of door installations.
  
  
• Measurement of vibration levels for fan assembly.
  
  
• Inspection of the landing gear assembly, cowlings, and tail boom to check for corrosion and detect cracks.
  One type of inspection does not replace the other: both types are complementary and must be performed.