From routine inspections to complex repairs, Swift Aero covers the full maintenance cycle for general aviation aircraft at Sywell Aerodrome, Northampton — annual inspections, engine and propeller work, avionics, structural repair, corrosion treatment and paint, plus modifications, weight and balance, ferrying, recovery, valeting and storage.
Core services
Eight things we do most. Three have their own pages; the rest are described below.
In more detail
Routine maintenance is the scheduled work between annuals that keeps an aircraft serviceable: 50-hour and other interval checks where the type's programme calls for them, oil and filter changes, lubrication, tyre and brake wear, battery condition, and the small snags that are cheaper to fix now than later.
Tell us the type, the hours and what is due, and we will confirm what needs doing and when. If your aircraft is on a maintenance programme, we work to it.
Propellers have their own overhaul intervals, set by the manufacturer in hours and calendar time. Between overhauls the blades still need looking at for nicks, erosion, cracks and corrosion, and a strike or overspeed means an inspection regardless of hours.
We remove, inspect and refit propellers and arrange overhaul with an approved propeller shop where that is what the schedule requires. Ask us where your propeller is in its cycle.
Structural work covers damage to skins, ribs, frames and control surfaces: hangar rash, hard landings, bird strikes and the cracks or corrosion an inspection turns up. Repairs are carried out to the manufacturer's structural repair manual or to an approved repair scheme, and are recorded properly in the aircraft's records.
Send us photographs and a description of the damage and we will tell you what the repair involves.
Corrosion is the quiet enemy of an ageing airframe: under paint, around fasteners, inside wings and in the places water collects. We survey for it during inspections, treat what we find, and apply protective treatment to slow it coming back.
Aircraft that live outside, near the coast or in damp hangars benefit from a dedicated corrosion check. Ask us about one for your aircraft.
From touching in a repair to a full respray, paint protects the airframe as well as making it look right. Painting work is prepared and finished carefully, control surfaces are rebalanced where required, and registration marks are applied to the regulations.
Tell us what you have in mind and we will talk through the options.
Beyond maintenance
Beyond the core maintenance work, we provide a range of specialised services to meet the rest of your aviation needs.
Buying an aircraft? We inspect the airframe, engine, avionics and paperwork before you commit, and report what we find in writing.
About pre-purchase inspectionsApproved modifications and upgrades, planned and recorded properly.
Weighing and a new weight and balance schedule after modifications, repaint or repairs.
Seats, trim and panels renewed so the cabin matches the rest of the aircraft.
Recovering an aircraft that cannot be flown to us, and getting it into the hangar safely.
A pilot to bring your aircraft to Sywell and take it home again once the work is done.
Interior and exterior cleaning, done with the right products for aircraft finishes.
Short and longer-term parking and hangarage at Sywell. Ask about availability.
