Wyvern’s New Guidance Targets Post-maintenance Return-to-service Risks | Aviation International News

New Wyvern Guidance Addresses Return-to-service Risks

Guidance includes sample post-maintenance checklists

Wyvern's sixth industry guidance document offers a framework for confidence flights, functional check flights, and test flights, plus sample checklists. — Wyvern’s sixth industry guidance document offers a framework for confidence flights, functional check flights, and test flights, plus sample checklists. © Wyvern Guidance Document Screenshot

By Amy Wilder • Writer

June 22, 2026

Wyvern has released a post-maintenance flight check guidance document to help operators improve return-to-service decision-making and reduce risk associated with post-maintenance flights. The guidance provides a framework for evaluating return-to-service requirements, assessing residual risk, and determining the appropriate level of verification based on what maintenance was performed.

It distinguishes three categories of post-maintenance flight operations: confidence flights, lower-risk shakedown flights that confirm normal system operation; functional check flights, medium-risk flights prescribed for certain maintenance activities to validate affected systems; and test flights, higher-risk flights designed to test specific aircraft systems that can approach or exceed the normal operating envelope.

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