Planning aeronautical engineering activities
Overview
This standard identifies the competences you need to plan aeronautical engineering activities, in accordance with approved procedures. The scope of the standard requires you to produce plans for significant engineering activities, requiring multiple stages in their execution, and will cover such items as detail component manufacturing, assembly activities, installation, materials processing and finishing, testing and trialling, commissioning, planned maintenance, lifting, moving and transporting of goods or materials, and plans for capability studies or equipment replacement programs.
You will also be required to establish the activities that must be carried out, the methods and resources to be used and to produce a detailed plan of operation. You will be required to complete the work within agreed timescales, whilst ensuring that the activities within your control conform to organisational and legal requirements.
Your responsibilities will require you to comply with organisational policy and procedures for planning the engineering activities. You will report any problems with the activities that you cannot personally resolve, or that are outside your permitted authority, to the relevant people. 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 planning aeronautical engineering activities. You will understand the aeronautical engineering processes within your area of responsibility, including the availability of resources, in adequate depth to provide a sound basis for carrying out your activities to the required standard. You will understand your organisation's methods of operation in sufficient detail to enable you to make informed decisions.
You will be aware of any health, safety and environmental requirements applicable to your area of responsibility. You will be required to demonstrate safe working practices throughout and will understand the responsibility you owe to yourself and others in the workplace.
Performance criteria
You must be able to:
work safely at all times, complying with health and safety and other relevant regulations, directives and guidelines
collect the information needed to prepare the plan
- identify health and safety issues and safe working practices and procedures that must be followed
- identify the operations to be carried out and determine their sequence
- establish which methods are required and what resources are to be used
- identify any special requirements and incorporate them in the plan
- estimate timescales required
- prepare and record the plan
- inform the appropriate people when the plan is completed
- deal effectively with problems within your control and report those that cannot be solved
Knowledge and Understanding
You need to know and understand:
- how to access information on health and safety regulations and guidelines relating to the engineering activities to be used and plans being produced
- the implications of not taking account of legislation, regulations, standards and guidelines when producing the engineering plans
- how to obtain information on the engineering requirements, and the type of information that is available (such as customer order requirements and instructions, quality control requirements, product specification, manufacturing methods)
- how to access and use the appropriate information and documentation systems
- the types of data that should be included in the engineering plans (such as activities to be carried out, sequence in which they must be carried out, timescales, resource requirements, health and safety issues)
- how to extract information from engineering drawings and related specifications (to include symbols and conventions to appropriate BS, ISO or BSEN standards) in relation to work being planned
- the materials, formats, codes and conventions that are used in preparing the plans
- the main planning methods and techniques in use, and what problems could occur in them
- the factors to be taken into account when preparing the plans, especially those covering working conditions and safety
- 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
- the main types of resource involved with different types of engineering activity and the typical timescales for providing them
- the obvious (and hidden) costs of resources/activities
- the normal timescales for carrying out specific engineering activities, and how and why they vary
- the products (or assets) involved in the activity being planned and their availability
- the engineering activities associated with these products/assets and the types of data relevant to them
- the development of the engineering plans (to include both master documents and working instructions, along with their purpose, content and status)
- how to prepare the plans to include the structure, style, clarity and compliance with relevant standards
- the process used in the organisation to validate the engineering plans produced
- the control procedure for ensuring that the plans are maintained up to date
- the procedures for changing the plans and why control procedures are used
- the importance of maintaining records, what needs to be recorded and where records are kept
- why contingency plans need to be drawn up
- whom to inform about the plans
- the different ways of presenting information to different people
- the importance of providing right information at the right time
- the roles and responsibilities of key personnel in your organisation
- the types of problem that can occur during the implementation of the plan, and how these problems can be rectified
- the extent of your own authority and to whom you should report in the event of problems that you cannot resolve
- the sources of technical expertise if you have problems that you cannot resolve
- the organisational procedures for providing information to different people
Scope/range
Scope Performance
Carry out all of the following when determining and producing the engineering plans:
- use the correct issue of company information
- check that all essential information and data needed to produce the plans is available
- collect relevant information on the engineering requirements, operations, methods and resources
- determine the availability of the resources required
- ensure that health and safety regulations and safe working practices are taken into account
- ensure that the influence of working conditions are recognised and included in the plans
- present the engineering plans in the appropriate formats
Produce engineering plans for two of the following:
- manufacturing activities (such as machining, detail fitting, fabrication of components, moulding)
- material processing activities (such as heat treatment, annealing)
- finishing activities (such as stripping finishes, painting, plating, anodising)
- assembly activities (such as mechanical, structural, fluid power, electrical/electronic)
- installation activities (such as, mechanical equipment installation, electrical/avionic installation)
- modification and repair activities
- operational activities (such as movement of materials, quality systems and audit, scheduled safety audits and risk assessments)
- equipment capability/performance measurement
- commissioning/decommissioning
- lifting and moving large components/assemblies (including transportation/delivery)
- materials handling (such as movement of materials, materials storage, removal of waste)
- plant and equipment (such as plant layout, equipment changeover, equipment replacement)
- research and development
- maintenance activities
- testing and trialling
- capability studies
Prepare plans that use four of the following resources:
- people with the necessary skills
- facilities
- support services
- materials
- space
- financial
- equipment
- utilities
- transportation
Prepare plans that include all of the following:
- description of the activities to be carried out
- the sequence in which the activities will take place
- the documentation to be used (such as drawings, specifications, quality assurance)
- tooling requirements (such as jigs, fixtures, cutting tools, moulds)
- resources required
- the timescales to be met
- any special requirements that must be met
- details of health and safety issues
Ensure that the plans comply with relevant regulations, standards and guidelines from two of the following:
- Civil Aviation Authority (CAA)/European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA)
- Ministry of Defence (MoD)
- Military Aviation Authority (MAA)
- Aerospace Quality Management Standards (AS)
- Federal Aviation Authority (FAA)
- BS, ISO or BSEN procedures
- company policy and procedures
- customer policy and procedures
- aircraft manufacturer's requirements
Record and present the plans to the appropriate people using the following method:
- verbal report
Plus one more method from the following:
2. written or typed report
3. specific company documentation
4. electronic mail
5. computer based presentation
6. other appropriate media
Scope Knowledge
Values
Behaviours
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