CLASSIC FIGHTER ENGINEERS SAVE TIME & MONEY WITH HIRED VIDEOSCOPE

August 2008 LETCHWORTH - ENGLAND - AUGUST 2008 - Hiring a videoscope from Ashtead Technology Rentals recently saved aircraft engineers considerable time and money during a safety inspection on a historic fighter plane. Kennet Aviation, based at North Weald Airfield in Essex, hired an Olympus IPLEX MX to examine the inside of the Seafire’s V12, 2000 hp Rolls Royce engine. The IPLEX MX is a lightweight, ultra compact videoscope system which uses an internal battery as the first power option, resulting in new levels of portability. Prior to using the videoscope, maintenance checks had to be carried out manually on the 60 year-old Naval version of the Spitfire, meaning the process lasted for days and weeks rather than hours. The aircraft saw active squadron use after the Second World War and is now regularly used at airshows in the UK. Jeff Rushen, from Kennet Aviation, said: “As part of the overall maintenance of the Seafire XVII, we take oil samples for analysis. After a recent test we found traces of metal in the oil that was traced back to a problem with the engine. As a result of this we contacted Ashtead Technology Rentals for the videoscope to look inside the engine." “The hired inspection tool was used to eliminate potential problems and identify what the issue was within a short space of time, in contrast to previous manual checks which had taken significantly longer. Obviously safety is of paramount importance and the Olympus IPLEX played a key role in this by helping us to locate any potential faults.” The IPLEX MX, which weighs just 4.5kg, is also used for cooling tower inspections, machinery maintenance checks and monitoring investigations. Ashtead’s General Manager James Carlyle added: “By hiring instead of buying outright, customers avoid the capital expenditure and gain access to the very latest hi-tech remote visual inspection equipment.” Visit www.ashtead-technology.com/uk for further details of Ashtead’s comprehensive range of videoscopes and endoscopes. ENDS Words: 316

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