Definition
An inspection program developed by an aircraft operator and approved by the FAA that takes the place of the standard 100-hour or annual inspection requirements. It specifies the items to be inspected, the intervals between inspections, and the procedures to be followed. Approved Inspection Systems are commonly used by air carriers, large or turbine-powered aircraft operators, and certain commercial operations.
Plain English
A custom inspection plan that an operator writes and the FAA signs off on. Once approved, the operator follows that plan instead of the regular annual or 100-hour inspection schedule that applies to most general aviation aircraft.
Context Anchor
Seen in aircraft maintenance, repair station manuals, FAA inspections, and records showing how maintenance work was inspected before release.
Derivation
Approved comes from a Latin root meaning to prove or give formal acceptance. Inspection comes from a Latin root meaning to look into. In this term, the useful idea is not a casual look-over; it is a formally accepted system for checking maintenance work.
Why Pilots Care
Allows tailored inspection schedules that match actual aircraft usage while remaining fully legal and airworthy.
Intuition Check
Approved does not just mean someone at the shop thinks the process is good. Here it means the FAA has accepted the inspection system, and the organization must follow it as written.
Example Sentence 1
The charter operator maintains its King Airs under an Approved Inspection System rather than performing standard annual inspections.
Example Sentence 2
All entries in the logbook referenced the Approved Inspection System to document compliance during the pre-purchase review.