What is the difference between a Major Repair and a Minor Repair in aircraft maintenance?

What is the difference between a Major Repair and a Minor Repair in aircraft maintenance?

• A. Minor repairs involve significant alteration or repair that may affect airworthiness and require approvals.
• B. Major repairs are limited in scope and do not affect airworthiness.
• C. Both types require the same level of approvals and affect airworthiness equally.
• D. Major repairs involve significant alteration or repair that may affect airworthiness and require approvals.

Answer: (D)

The important idea is that a repair is classified by its potential effect on airworthiness and the level of approval it requires. Major repairs involve a significant alteration or repair that could affect airworthiness—things like structural repairs or changes that could change weight, balance, or flight characteristics. Because of that potential impact, they require formal approvals from the appropriate aviation authority (such as field approvals or other official authorization). Minor repairs, on the other hand, are small, limited in scope, and do not meaningfully affect airworthiness, so they don’t require that same level of approval and are handled under standard maintenance procedures with proper records. For example, fixing a small non-structural dent is typically a minor repair, while repairing a damaged wing spar or replacing a primary structural component would be a major repair requiring approvals.

The important idea is that a repair is classified by its potential effect on airworthiness and the level of approval it requires. Major repairs involve a significant alteration or repair that could affect airworthiness—things like structural repairs or changes that could change weight, balance, or flight characteristics. Because of that potential impact, they require formal approvals from the appropriate aviation authority (such as field approvals or other official authorization). Minor repairs, on the other hand, are small, limited in scope, and do not meaningfully affect airworthiness, so they don’t require that same level of approval and are handled under standard maintenance procedures with proper records.

For example, fixing a small non-structural dent is typically a minor repair, while repairing a damaged wing spar or replacing a primary structural component would be a major repair requiring approvals.