Matt Thurber, editor-in-chief at AIN Media Group, has been flying since 1975 and writing about aviation since 1978 and now has the best job in the world, running editorial operations for Aviation International News, Business Jet Traveler, and FutureFlight.aero. In addition to working as an A&amp;P mechanic on everything from Piper Cubs to turboprops, Matt taught flying at his father’s flight school in Plymouth, Mass., in the early 1980s, flew for an aircraft owner/pilot, and for two summer seasons hunted swordfish near the George’s Banks off the East Coast from a Piper Super Cub. An ATP certificated fixed-wing pilot and CFII and commercial helicopter pilot, Matt is type-rated in the Citation 500 and Gulfstream V/550. Based in the Pacific Northwest, Matt and his team cover the entire aviation scene including business aircraft, helicopters, avionics, safety, manufacturing, charter, fractionals, technology, air transport, advanced air mobility, defense, and other subjects of interest to AIN, BJT, and FutureFlight readers.

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Matt Thurber

Operators of Sikorsky S-92 helicopters can reduce operating costs and boost availability with longer scheduled inspection intervals introduced by the OEM.
The new intervals extend the intervals for scheduled inspections to 500 hours from 375 hours and 1,000 hours from 750 hours. According to Sikorsky, this will eliminate up to 30 inspections over the 30,000-hour S-92 lifespan, reducing maintenance downtime over that period by a year.
Sikorsky and the S-92 Maintenance Steering Review Group analyzed 20 years' worth of data collected from more than 300 S-92s that logged more than 2.4 million flight hours. This allowed the company to develop “a methodology to safely and confidently allow continued fleet operation beyond the current limits,” according to Sikorsky.
Before the inspection interval change, S-92 operators were provided a one-time life extension on certain main <a href="https://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/business-aviation/2024-09-19/sikorsky-certifies-s-92-main-gearbox-life-extension">gearbox housings</a> and a rotor hub component life extension to 15,000 hours from 9,000 hours.
“Increasing inspection intervals for the S-92 is a major victory for operators striving to mitigate downtime and maximize fleet availability, and a testament of the commitment to safety and innovation that Sikorsky champions,” said Leon Silva, v-p of Sikorsky's global commercial and military systems. “This is yet another example of Sikorsky’s continued investment in the S-92 platform, and we are thrilled to see it help customers perform against some of the biggest challenges in the world.”

News and issues regarding all manner of civil and military rotorcraft and their powerplants, including helicopters, tilt rotors and unmanned air vehicles.

Sikorsky Improves S-92 Downtime with Increased Inspection Intervals

Move will help increase availability and lower direct operating costs

Operators of Sikorsky S-92 helicopters can reduce operating costs & boost availability with longer scheduled inspection intervals introduced by the manufacturer. 

Sikorsky Lengthens S-92 Inspection Intervals

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