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Undertaking scheduled maintenance of aircraft airframe and mechanical equipment

URN: SEMAE3142
Business Sectors (Suites): Aeronautical Engineering Suite 3
Developed by: Enginuity
Approved on: 2021

Overview

This standard identifies the competences you need to carry out scheduled maintenance activities on aircraft airframes and mechanical equipment, in accordance with approved procedures. It covers both fixed wing and rotary winged aircraft and covers a range of mechanical equipment such as power plant and auxiliary engines, flying controls, engine starting and monitoring, fuel and lubrication, hydraulic, pneumatic, environmental equipment (such as cabin conditioning, oxygen, pressurisation), power transmission, ice and rain protection, propeller control, cabin equipment and furnishings and airframe components.

You will need to organise and carry out the maintenance activities to minimise down time, and ensure that the maintained equipment/system meets airworthiness standards, and performs at operational levels and to the required specification.

Your responsibilities will require you to comply with organisational policy and procedures for the maintenance activities undertaken and to report any problems with the maintenance activities, tools or equipment used that you cannot personally resolve, or that are outside your permitted authority, to the relevant people. You must ensure that all tools, equipment, and materials used in the maintenance activities are removed from the work area on completion of the work, and that all necessary job/task documentation is completed, accurately and legibly. You will be expected to work with a minimum of supervision, taking personal responsibility for your own actions and for the quality and accuracy of the work that you carry out.

Your underpinning knowledge will provide a good understanding of your work and will provide an informed approach to applying scheduled maintenance procedures on aircraft airframe/mechanical equipment. You will know how the system and equipment functions and potential problems or defects that may occur. You will understand the process of developing scheduled maintenance, and its application, and will know about the maintenance criteria, in adequate depth to provide a sound basis for carrying out the activities safely and effectively and for ensuring that the equipment is maintained to the required specification. In addition, you will be expected to report where the outcome of the maintenance activity identifies the need for further investigation or maintenance work.

You will understand the safety precautions required when carrying out the maintenance activities, especially those for isolating the equipment. You will be required to demonstrate safe working practices throughout and will understand your responsibility for taking the necessary safeguards to protect yourself and others in the workplace.

Performance criteria

You must be able to:

  1. work safely at all times, complying with health and safety and other relevant regulations, directives and guidelines
  2. follow the relevant maintenance schedules to carry out the required work
  3. carry out the maintenance activities within the limits of your personal authority
  4. carry out the maintenance activities in the specified sequence and in an agreed timescale
  5. report any instances where the maintenance activities cannot be fully met or where there are identified defects outside the planned schedule
  6. complete the relevant maintenance records accurately and pass them on to the appropriate person
  7. dispose of waste materials in accordance with safe working practices and approved procedures
  8. leave the aircraft in a safe and appropriate condition, free from foreign object debris on completion of the activities

Knowledge and Understanding

You need to know and understand:

  1. the specific safety precautions and procedures to be observed whilst carrying out the maintenance (including any specific legislation, regulations or codes of practice relating to the activities, equipment or materials)
  2. the importance of maintenance on and impact upon (extended twin operations procedures) ETOpS systems, legislation and local procedures
  3. the health and safety requirements of the area in which the scheduled maintenance activity is to take place and the responsibility these requirements place on you
  4. the isolation and lock-off procedure or permit-to-work procedure that applies to the aircraft system being maintained
  5. the requirements and importance of understanding and applying human factors as defined by the regulatory requirements and the potential impact if these are not adhered to
  6. the importance of wearing protective clothing (PPE) and other appropriate safety equipment during the maintenance activities and where it may be obtained
  7. hazards associated with carrying out maintenance activities on aircraft airframe/mechanical equipment (such as working with pressurised systems, handling fluids, using damaged or badly maintained tools and equipment, not following laid-down maintenance procedures) and how to minimise them and reduce any risks
  8. what constitutes a hazardous voltage and how to recognise victims of electric shock
  9. how to reduce the risks of a phase to earth shock (such as insulated tools, rubber matting and isolating transformers)
  10. how to obtain and interpret drawings, charts, specifications, aircraft manuals, history/maintenance reports and other documents needed for the maintenance activities
  11. the various planned maintenance schedules that are generally used (such as condition based maintenance, scheduled maintenance, and total preventative maintenance (TPM)) and the methods to be followed to comply with company procedures for the maintenance of the aircraft airframe/mechanical equipment
  12. the equipment operating and control procedures and how to apply them in order to carry out the scheduled maintenance activities
  13. the importance of applying electrostatic discharge (ESD) procedures when working on sensitive equipment or devices
  14. the principle of operation of the equipment or system being maintained and the purpose of individual units/components and how they interact
  15. the application and use of a range of mechanical operating mechanisms (such as levers and links, pulleys and pivots, bearings, turnbuckles) and the likely functions that will require checking
  16. the different types of pipe and hose that are used and what to check during the maintenance activities
  17. methods of checking that components are fit for purpose and the need to replace `lifed' items
  18. how to recognise defects in aircraft airframe/mechanical equipment (such as under or over performance)
  19. the adjustments/corrections/tuning required to maintain the equipment/system at operational standard through full range parameters
  20. methods of checking airframe structure components for damage, wear and fatigue
  21. why electrical bonding is critical and why it must be both mechanically and electrically secure
  22. the testing methods and procedures to be used to check that the system conforms to acceptable limits
  23. how to make sensory checks by sight, sound, smell, touch
  24. company policy on repair/replacement of components during the maintenance activities
  25. why tool/equipment control is critical and what to do if a tool or piece of equipment is unaccounted for on completion of the activities
  26. the importance of ensuring that the equipment is maintained to the prescribed category of cleanliness
  27. the generation of maintenance documentation and/or reports on completion of the maintenance activity
  28. the problems that can occur whilst carrying out the maintenance activities and how they can be avoided
  29. the organisational procedure to be adopted for the safe disposal of waste of all types of materials
  30. the extent of your own authority and to whom you should report if you have a problem that you cannot resolve

Scope/range

Scope Performance

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  1. Carry out all of the following during the scheduled maintenance activities:

    1. plan the scheduled maintenance activities to cause minimal disruption to normal working
    2. obtain and use the appropriate documentation (such as job instructions, aircraft manuals, technical instructions, and other relevant maintenance documentation)
    3. adhere to procedures or systems in place for risk assessment, COSHH, personal protective equipment and other relevant safety regulations and procedures to realise a safe system of work
    4. obtain clearance to work on the aircraft, and observe all relevant isolation and safety procedures (such as mechanical, electricity, gas, air or fluids)
    5. provide and maintain a safe working environment for the maintenance activities
    6. obtain the correct tools and equipment for the activity and check that they are in a safe, tested and usable condition and within current certification/calibration date
    7. carry out the maintenance activities, using approved techniques and procedures
    8. where appropriate, apply electrostatic discharge (ESD) protection procedures
    9. re-connect and return the system to service on completion of the maintenance activities
    10. dispose of waste items in a safe and environmentally acceptable manner
    11. return all tools and equipment to the correct location on completion of the activities

  2. Carry out the scheduled maintenance on three of the following aircraft airframe, mechanical equipment/systems:

    1. power plant (including APU)    
    2. lubrication     
    3. ice and rain protection
    4. auxiliary engines               
    5. flying controls     
    6. cabin equipment and furnishings
    7. engine starting and monitoring
    8. propeller control  
    9. airframe (including freight)
    10. power transmission      
    11. hydraulic     
    12. undercarriage
    13. fuel           
    14. pneumatic
    15. cabin systems (such as water, galley, sanitary)
    16. environmental (such as cabin conditioning, oxygen, pressurisation)

  3. Carry out twelve of the following scheduled maintenance procedures:

    1. carrying out specified visual inspections
    2. carrying out testing of equipment against the maintenance schedule
    3. replacing 'lifed' consumables (such as oils, grease, belts, gaskets, seals and filters)
    4. replacing 'lifed' components
    5. checking the condition of operating mechanisms (such as levers and links, bearings, turnbuckles)
    6. checking the operation of all gauges and sensors
    7. inspecting and cleaning sensors
    8. checking alignment of running/sliding components
    9. making approved sensory checks (such as sight, sound, smell, touch)
    10. making routine adjustments to components                   
    11. carrying out leak checks on all connections 
    12. checking airframe components for damage/fatigue
    13. making visual checks of equipment and cables 
    14. carrying out system self-analysis checks
    15. checking the integrity of all connections            
    16. checking and adjusting shock mountings
    17. torque testing critical fastenings                        
    18. carrying out specified lubrication
    19. replacing damaged or defective fasteners       
    20. replacing missing or damaged locking and retaining devices (such as proprietary fasteners, locking wires)
    21. testing and reviewing the system operation
    22. recording the results of the maintenance activity and reporting any defects found

  4. Carry out planned maintenance based on one of the following types of maintenance schedule:

    1. condition based maintenance                         
    2. scheduled maintenance
    3. depth maintenance                                         
    4. total preventative maintenance (TPM)

  5. Carry out three of the following checks during the maintenance activities:

    1. mechanical measuring checks (such as measuring operating clearance, travel, timings, symmetry checks)
    2. fluid power checks (such as pressure, flow, leak)
    3. 'special-to-type' tests
    4. ferrous or non-ferrous crack detection tests
    5. functional tests
    6. zonal inspections

  6. Ensure that the maintained equipment/system meets all of the following:

    1. all components and units are fit for purpose
    2. all connections are safe and sound
    3. systems are leak free
    4. equipment operates within acceptable limits for successful continuous operation
    5. any potential defects are identified and reported for future action
    6. all relevant documentation is completed, accurately and legibly

  7. Ensure that the maintained equipment complies with one of the following:

    1. Civil Aviation Authority (CAA)/European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA)
    2. extended twin operations procedures (ETOpS) (where appropriate)
    3. Ministry of Defence (MoD)
    4. Military Aviation Authority (MAA)
    5. Aerospace Quality Management Standards (AS)
    6. Federal Aviation Authority (FAA)
    7. BS, ISO or BSEN standards and procedures
    8. customer standards and requirements
    9. company standards and procedures
    10. aircraft manufacturer's requirements

  8. Complete the relevant paperwork, to include one of the following and pass it to the appropriate people:

    1. computer records
    2. job cards
    3. aircraft service/flight log
    4. aircraft log book
    5. permit to work/formal risk assessment

Scope Knowledge

Values

Behaviours

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You will be able to apply the appropriate behaviours required in the workplace to meet the job profile and overall company objectives, such as:

  • strong work ethic
  • positive attitude
  • team player
  • dependability
  • responsibility
  • honesty
  • integrity
  • motivation
  • commitment

Skills

Glossary

Links To Other NOS

External Links

Version Number

3

Indicative Review Date

2024

Validity

Current

Status

Original

Originating Organisation

Enginuity

Original URN

SEMAE3142

Relevant Occupations

Engineer, Engineering, Engineering and Manufacturing Technologies, Engineering Technicians

SOC Code

5234

Keywords

Aeronautical; engineering; maintenance; aircraft airframe; auxiliary engines; flying controls