Different Missions, Same Goal: Maintaining Civil and Military Aircraft

July 2, 2025

King Aerospace provides comprehensive maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) and refurbishment services for a wide array of both civil and military aircraft, often versions of the same airframes. While these aircraft may look alike to the untrained eye, the steps involved in returning them to service can be quite different.

Take, for example, the Boeing 737. Maintenance and repairs on the civilian Boeing Business Jet (BBJ) variant are regulated by the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

Technicians work from the aircraft’s maintenance manual and follow the procedures outlined under King Aerospace’s repair station certification. The completed work is thoroughly reviewed by an FAA inspector or an agency-authorized designee, and the aircraft is then returned to service.

By comparison, the same work on the C-40 special missions variant of the 737 is managed by the Defense Contract Management Agency (DCMA), which “requires a lot more oversight and involvement than an FAA project,” explains Steven Sawyer, general manager of operations for King Aerospace.

“A 737 is a 737, but where they digress from each other is in actual mission systems,” he adds. “Government aircraft will have specialized avionics, radios and navaids based on their mission.”

Military aircraft are also subject to more intensive inspection protocols, requiring additional flexibility in timing and communication. That can require as much as double the time needed for a given repair over the same work on a civilian BBJ.

“Boeing’s maintenance manual doesn’t change,” Sawyer says, “but regulatory compliance falls under the DCMA’s flight and ground operating procedures and those are much more stringent than the FAA.”

Inspections Ensure Compliance and Safety

Ensuring that both civilian and military aircraft are ready to return to service is the responsibility of Gayle Carrington, chief inspector for King Aerospace. A 28-year employee of the company, Carrington oversees each step of the maintenance process to ensure work is completed in line with manufacturer and regulatory requirements.

“Regardless of whether it’s a civilian or military aircraft, the mission remains the same,” he says. “To return the aircraft to service in top condition, ready to fly and in full compliance with all applicable standards and regulations. The civil and military worlds may seem miles apart with different processes, but they both work.”

A civilian aircraft may be returned to service once Carrington, as the FAA’s authorized inspector, verifies that all necessary work has been completed and meets the standards of the FAA and manufacturer. However, military aircraft often require additional inspections throughout the process.

“The procedures themselves are much more intensive,” Sawyer says. “There are hold points within the job, such as removal inspections and clear-to-close inspections performed by government inspectors under the DCMA. For civilian aircraft, our own quality inspectors handle that.”

“The process is more linear on the civilian side,” agrees Carrington, “though it’s still highly regulated. For military aircraft, there are checkpoints along the way to verify our work at multiple stages, which makes sense considering the mission-critical nature of their operations and the specialized equipment involved.”

Maintaining oversight and control over this complex process requires not only technical expertise, but also the timing and communication necessary to coordinate the multiple aspects involved. Managing that can be “a juggling act,” Carrington admits.

“When waiting on DCMA inspection, we can’t move forward with additional work until they do what they need to,” he says. “That can hold the job up by a week or more if they aren’t able to arrive on site right away.

“I pace my work until the inspector arrives and try to staff my work so they can use their time wisely,” Carrington continues. “When they walk in the door, I can say ‘here you go,’ and hand them the list of jobs we’re ready to close out.”

One Team, One Fight

While coordinating these inspections can be a challenging process, Carrington emphasizes the company’s team of professional maintenance technicians work together with FAA and military personnel throughout these important checks to ensure the job is completed properly.

“If a technician doesn’t do their job, I can’t do mine,” he says. “There can be no weak links.”

Safety audits are another crucial step in the process. While these may occur at any time, Sawyer notes the FAA typically performs such audits on an annual basis, while DCMA often audits the company once per quarter.

“These are full teams, rather than a single inspector,” he adds. “We operate under the mindset that we can be inspected or audited at any time, which keeps us operating at the highest level.”

Above all, the pressure to deliver the aircraft on time must never interfere with the job at hand. Carrington notes how King Aerospace’s commitment to Servant Leadership, ethical business practices and problem solving helps maintain focus on the greater purpose.

“This can be difficult work, especially if you try to rush it,” he says. “If you have time to do it, you have time to do it right. Otherwise, you’ll just need more time later to correct poor quality work; even worse, you could risk the safety of the aircraft.”

Carrington terms this attitude one team, one fight. “Our industry is incredibly safe and that’s a team effort,” he concludes. “At the end of the day, a civilian customer trusts me to do my due diligence, just as the military would. We cannot allow ‘on time’ to overshadow ‘well done.’”