Statistically equivalent level of safety modeling for aircraft fleets

A system for safely extending scheduled maintenance intervals for structural components of aircraft within an aircraft fleet, the structural components subject to scheduled maintenance based upon component life limits, the system comprising:

• a computing system having logic stored within a non-transitory computer readable medium, the logic executable by a processor, wherein the computing system is configured to:
• (A). identify aircraft sub-fleets within the aircraft fleet based upon aircraft usage profiles, each aircraft sub-fleet having a sub-fleet population;
• (B). determine a sub-fleet reliability value for each aircraft sub-fleet based upon a component life limit of a structural component;
• (C). determine a baseline fleet reliability for the aircraft fleet by multiplying together the sub-fleet reliability values raised to the sub-fleet population for each aircraft sub-fleet;
• (D). apply at least one credit to the component life limit of the structural component of the aircraft in at least one aircraft sub-fleet;
• (E). determine a post-credit sub-fleet reliability value for each aircraft sub-fleet based upon the component life limit with the at least one credit;
• (F). determine a post-credit fleet reliability for the aircraft fleet by multiplying together the post-credit sub-fleet reliability values raised to the sub-fleet population for each aircraft sub-fleet;
• (G). compare the baseline fleet reliability with the post-credit fleet reliability to identify a change in fleet reliability;
• and
• (H). determine whether the change in fleet reliability is within a predetermined threshold to validate the at least one credit applied to the component life limit of the structural component of the aircraft in the at least one aircraft sub-fleet;
• wherein, when at least one credit is validated, the scheduled maintenance interval for the structural component of the aircraft in the at least one aircraft sub-fleet is extended such that maintenance is carried out on the structural component of the aircraft in the at least one aircraft sub-fleet according to an extended scheduled maintenance interval.

A non-transitory computer readable storage medium comprising a set of computer instructions executable by a processor for operating a safety modeling computing system for safely extending scheduled maintenance intervals for structural components of aircraft within an aircraft fleet, the structural components subject to scheduled maintenance based upon component life limits, the computer instructions configured to:

• (A). identify aircraft sub-fleets within the aircraft fleet based upon aircraft usage profiles, each aircraft sub-fleet having a sub-fleet population;
• (B). determine a sub-fleet reliability value for each aircraft sub-fleet based upon a component life limit of a structural component;
• (C). determine a baseline fleet reliability for the aircraft fleet by multiplying together the sub-fleet reliability values raised to the sub-fleet population for each aircraft sub-fleet;
• (D). apply at least one credit to the component life limit of the structural component of the aircraft in at least one aircraft sub-fleet;
• (E). determine a post-credit sub-fleet reliability value for each aircraft sub-fleet based upon the component life limit with the at least one credit;
• (F). determine a post-credit fleet reliability for the aircraft fleet by multiplying together the post-credit sub-fleet reliability values raised to the sub-fleet population for each aircraft sub-fleet;
• (G). compare the baseline fleet reliability with the post-credit fleet reliability to identify a change in fleet reliability;
• and
• (H). determine whether the change in fleet reliability is within a predetermined threshold to validate the at least one credit applied to the component life limit of the structural component of the aircraft in the at least one aircraft sub-fleet;
• wherein, when at least one credit is validated, the scheduled maintenance interval for the structural component of the aircraft in the at least one aircraft sub-fleet is extended such that maintenance is carried out on the structural component of the aircraft in the at least one aircraft sub-fleet according to an extended scheduled maintenance interval.