Aging is a normal process caused by repeated exposure to normal environmental conditions.  Unless we can invent a new dimension of environmental reality, components and systems will continue to age and wear out with use.  The need for testing and repair will always be present.

The “aging process” denotes a gradual degradation over time. Because aircraft elements degrade over time, rarely are they “fully” functional one moment and “permanently” open or shorted the next..  This seems logical and straight forward, but this very condition is at odds with most test philosophies which are based on expectations of failure repeatability.

“Fortunately”, these aging elements enter a phase of intermittency long before they become hard opens or shorts… therefore the opportunity for detection exists prior to an airborne hazard. Unfortunately, because of it’s random, low level, and often infrequent nature, intermittent failures are not easily detected with traditional test equipment.

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