This paper presents an overview of the recently proposed AIR 1939, “Aircraft Engine Life Cycle Cost Guide” which was prepared by the SAE Ad Hoc Committee on Life Cycle Cost. The formation of this committee was originally approved by the SAE Council during its May 23, 1984 meeting in Washington, D.C. The SAE Ad Hoc Committee on Life Cycle Cost held it first meeting in Long Beach, California in conjunction with the 1984 SAE Aerospace Congress with the formal objective of reviewing Design-to-Cost/Life Cycle Cost (DTC/LCC) experience and state of the art, and to issue within three years, an appropriate document which would:
1.
Identify, clarify and define nomenclature
2.
Develop consistent DTC/LCC presentation formats.
During the subsequent two years in response to this charter, six different drafts of AIR 1939 were produced reflecting revisions from both industry and committee review, as well as several ballot actions. This paper then, summarizes the results of the committee's work in meeting these objectives by its second anniversary.
With its modest number of pages. AIR 1939 is certainly not a panacea for the inconsistencies and confusion which are frequently associated with the complex DTC/O&S/LCC issues by both military, government and industry practitioners and managers. Because of the diversity, history and prior investment of such organizations, it is unlikely that even given unlimited time, could a committee of representative users and customers, agree on a document unifying all the applicable nomenclature, regulations, procedures and methodology involved that would not be immediately violated by the special needs of the next several systems to which it was applied. Consequently, AIR 1939 represents a consensus in both scope, detail and time, that must be judged by its usefulness in the ensuing years.
