Installing, testing and modifying aircraft cableforms/looms in a mechanical structure

This standard identifies the competences you need to install, test and modify aircraft cableforms/looms and associated equipment, in accordance with approved procedures. It covers both fixed wing and rotary winged aircraft. You will be required to use appropriate drawings, specifications and documentation to install, test and modify the various types of cableforms/looms and associated equipment. You will be expected to position, align, modify and secure the cableforms/looms and equipment in the correct locations, using the specified/appropriate techniques and fastening devices. You will also be expected to carry out the appropriate testing procedures on cableforms/looms and associated components using the correct equipment and test specifications.

The cableforms/looms will include aircraft system cable assemblies, heavy duty cable assemblies, aircraft lighting cables, co-axial cables, fibre-optic cables, secure speech cables, headset leads, AFCS (Automatic Flying Control System) cable assemblies, databus looms and amalgamated looms.

Your responsibilities will require them to comply with organisational policy and procedures for the activities undertaken, and to report any problems with these activities that you cannot personally resolve, or that are outside their permitted authority, to the relevant people. You will be expected to work with minimal supervision, taking personal responsibility for their own actions and for the quality and accuracy of the work that you produce

Your knowledge will provide a good understanding of their work, and will provide an informed approach to applying installation, modification and testing techniques and procedures.  You will understand the aircraft cableforms/looms being installed, modified and tested, their applications, and will know about the tools, equipment, techniques and methods, in adequate depth to provide a sound basis for carrying out the activities to the required specification. 

You will understand the safety precautions required when carrying out the installation, modification and testing activities. You will be required to demonstrate safe working practices throughout, and will understand the responsibility you owe to yourself and others in the workplace.

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1. work safely at all times, complying with health and safety and other relevant regulations, directives and guidelines
2. follow all relevant drawings and specifications for the activities being carried out
3. use the correct tools and equipment for the installation, testing and modifying operations and check that they are in a safe and usable condition
4. install, position and secure the equipment and components in accordance with the specification
5. check that all necessary connections to the equipment are complete
6. set up and carry out the tests using the correct procedures and within agreed timescales
7. deal promptly and effectively with problems within your control and report those that cannot be solved
8. check that the assembly is complete and that all components are free from damage
9. leave the work area in a safe and appropriate condition, free from foreign object debris on completion of the activities
10. complete the relevant documentation, in accordance with organisational requirements

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1. the specific safety practices and procedures that you need to observe when installing, testing and modifying aircraft cableforms/looms to include any specific legislation, regulations/codes of practice for the activities, equipment or materials
2. the health and safety requirements of the work area where you are carrying out the activities and the responsibility these requirements place on them
3. 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
4. the safety procedures that must be carried out before work is started on the aircraft assembly
5. what the hazards are when installing, testing and modifying cableforms and looms and with the tools and equipment used
6. how these hazards can be minimised to reduce any risk

7. what protective clothing and equipment (PPE) needs to be worn and where can it be obtained

8. the precautions to be taken to prevent electrostatic discharge (ESD) damage to circuits and sensitive components (such as use of earthed wrist straps)

9. what constitutes a hazardous voltage and how to recognise victims of electric shock

10. how to reduce the risks of a phase to earth shock (such as insulated tools, rubber matting and isolating transformers)

11. the various types of drawings and specifications used during the installation and/or modification

12. what factors need to be take into consideration when interpreting installation and/or modification specifications of the aircraft systems you are working on
13. how to ensure that all the documentation you are using is current and the correct issue
14. who to approach to provide guidance in order to clarify issues with the drawing or specifications
15. the techniques, methods and procedures that are to be used during the installation or modification activity
16. the methods and systems used to identify the correct components to be used
17. the range of the tools and equipment used in the installation and/or modification activities and what are their calibration/care and control procedures
18. the preparations that need to be undertaken on the system prior to starting the installation and/or modification
19. the use and applications of the different types of wires and cables used in the assembly
20. how to add and remove cables from the cableform/loom without causing damage to the remaining cables or loom and associated components or infrastructure
21. the methods and techniques to be used for soldering and de-soldering
22. why is it important to adhere to the methods and techniques to be used for soldering and de-soldering and what can happen if you don't
23. the methods and techniques to be used for crimping and heat shrinking
24. why is it important to adhere to the methods and techniques to be used for crimping and heat shrinking and what can happen if you don't
25. the methods and techniques to be used for the assembly of screened and unscreened plugs and sockets
26. how to identify the difference between composite and metal plugs and sockets
27. the different types of cable protection used and the application for each type
28. the various types of mechanical fasteners that are used and the methods used to install them
29. the importance of using the specified fasteners, why you must not use substitutes and what could happen if you did
30. the various electrical connection methods that are used, and their methods of termination
31. why electrical bonding is critical and why it must be both mechanically and electrically secure
32. why securing devices need to be locked and labelled and the different methods that are used
33. what the torque loading requirements are on the fasteners used and what you must do if loadings are exceeded or not achieved
34. the problems that can occur with the installation and/or modification operations and how can these be overcome
35. what factors need to be take into consideration when interpreting test specifications of the aircraft systems you are working on
36. the preparations that need to be undertaken on the system prior to starting the testing activities
37. what test equipment is to be used and how is it selected for the particular tests
38. what the calibration/care and control procedures are for test equipment
39. the techniques, methods and procedures that are to be used during testing
40. why it is important that test equipment is calibrated and what currency/issue checks that have to be made before testing takes place
41. the types fault finding techniques that are used if the system fails the tests
42. who can provide assistance on how to apply the test methods and techniques
43. the quality control procedures that need to be followed during the testing activity
44. the factors to take into consideration when looking for and recognising different types of defects
45. the problems that can occur with the testing operations and how can these be overcome
46. why component, tooling and equipment control so critical and what you must you do if a component, tool or piece of equipment is unaccounted for on completion of the activities
47. what documentation that needs to be completed for the activities undertaken and the importance of marking and identifying specific pieces of work in relation to the documentation
48. the procedures to be used to safely dispose of waste materials
49. who you should report to if you have problems that you cannot resolve and/or are outside of their permitted authority

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1. Carry out all of the following during the installation, testing and modifying activities:

   1. obtain and use the appropriate documentation (such as job instructions, installation drawings, planning and quality control and test documentation, aircraft standards and specifications)
   2. 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
   3. provide and maintain a safe working environment for the installation, testing and modifying activities
   4. obtain the correct tools and equipment for the activity, and check that they are in a safe, tested and usable condition and within current calibration date
   5. obtain clearance to work on the aircraft sub assembly and observe all relevant isolation and safety procedures
   6. follow safe practice/approved methods, techniques and procedures at all times
   7. return all tools and equipment to the correct location on completion of the activities
   8. dispose of waste materials in accordance with approved procedures

2. Install four types of aircraft cableform/loom from the following:

   1. co-axial cable assemblies 
   2. heavy duty cable assemblies  
   3. aircraft system cable assemblies
   4. secure speech cable assemblies     
   5. fibre-optic cables/assemblies
   6. aircraft lighting cable assemblies
   7. headset leads (mic-tel leads)   
   8. AFCS cable assemblies
   9. databus looms
   10. amalgamated system looms
   11. other specific cable assembly

3. Install cableform/loom components, to include three from the following:

   1. relay panels   
   2. distribution panels
   3. cable protection          
   4. data recorders
   5. avionic trays
   6. control panels            
   7. circuit breaker/switch panels
   8. terminal blocks
   9. cockpit/flightdeck equipment    
   10. line replacement units external to cockpit/flightdeck
   11. fuel content/quantity probes      
   12. formation/internal lighting
   13. transformers
   14. module blocks
   15. aerials   
   16. batteries      
   17. other specific component

4. Apply five of the following methods and techniques:

   1. soldering and/or de soldering                       
   2. stripping/removal of cable/wire protection
   3. securing and locking                  
   4. heat shrinking
   5. loom protection                   
   6. earth bonding
   7. crimping                       
   8. removing cable fittings
   9. wire locking                       
   10. taking electrostatic discharge (ESD) precautions              
   11. correct loom/fibre-optic handling
   12. correct amalgamated loom handling 

5. Make four of the following types of mechanical securing connections:

   1. straps                   
   2. p-clips
   3. locking devices                        
   4. screws
   5. nuts and bolts              
   6. torque load bolts          
   7. ties (cord)
   8. panel fasteners

6. Make five of the following types of electrical connection:

   1. module blocks
   2. terminal blocks
   3. fibre-optic connections
   4. fast-on connections
   5. earth bonding points
   6. soldered connections
   7. crimped connections
   8. co-axial cable terminations
   9. free plugs and sockets
   10. tray-mount sockets

7. Carry out modifications to two of the following aircraft electrical systems:

   1. lighting systems
   2. power supply systems
   3. Automatic Flying Control System (AFCS)
   4. engine control systems
   5. instrumentation systems
   6. other specific electrical system

8. Carry out four of the following types of modification:

   1. replacing cables of different size or length
   2. changing or adding components to panels or sub-assemblies
   3. changing position or angle of breakout points
   4. making changes to component on end of cable
   5. changing routes of cables
   6. adding new looms
   7. making changes to looms
   8. changing position of electrical units
   9. fitting new electrical systems
   10. removing cables
   11. adding cables

9. Use four of the following types of test equipment:  

   1. multimeters
   2. continuity testers
   3. battery discharge tester
   4. time domain reflectometer equipment
   5. voltage standing wave ratio equipment
   6. optical light source and power meter kit
   7. wiring test analysers
   8. databus tester
   9. automated test equipment
   10. other specific test equipment

10. Test four of the following aircraft cableforms/looms:      

    1. co-axial cable assemblies
    2. heavy duty cable assemblies
    3. aircraft system cable assemblies
    4. secure speech cable assemblies
    5. fibre-optic cables/assemblies
    6. aircraft lighting cable assemblies
    7. headset leads (mic-tel leads)
    8. AFCS cable assemblies
    9. databus looms
    10. amalgamated system looms
    11. other specific cable assembly

11. Test the cableform/loom components, to include four from the following:  

    1. relay panels
    2. distribution panels
    3. cable protection
    4. data recorders
    5. avionic trays
    6. fuel content/quantity probes
    7. circuit breaker/switch panels
    8. terminal blocks
    9. cockpit/flightdeck equipment
    10. line replacement units external to cockpit/flightdeck
    11. formation/internal lighting
    12. control panels
    13. transformers
    14. module blocks
    15. aerials
    16. batteries
    17. other specific components

12. Carry out two of the following types of test:

    1. voltage checks
    2. insulation resistance
    3. continuity checks
    4. voltage standing wave ratio checks
    5. time domain reflectometer checks

13. Deal with two of the following levels of complexity during the testing activities:

    1. equipment with no faults
    2. equipment with faults
    3. equipment with intermittent faults

14. During tests use two of the following fault finding techniques: 

    1. six point
    2. half-split
    3. input-to-output
    4. function testing
    5. equipment self-diagnostics
    6. emergent problem sequence
    7. injection and sampling
    8. unit substitution

15. Carry out installations in compliance with one of the following standards:

    1. Civil Aviation Authority (CAA)/European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA)
    2. Ministry of Defence (MoD)
    3. Military Aviation Authority (MAA)
    4. Aerospace Quality Management Standards (AS)
    5. Federal Aviation Authority (FAA)
    6. BS, ISO or BSEN standards and procedures
    7. customer standards and requirements
    8. company standards and procedures
    9. manufacturers standards and procedures

16. Complete the relevant paperwork, to include one from the following and pass it to the appropriate person:

    1. build records
    2. log cards
    3. job cards
    4. calibration records
    5. aircraft flight log
    6. other specific recording method

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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

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3

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2024

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Current

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Original

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Enginuity

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SEMAE3215

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Engineer, Engineering, Engineering and Manufacturing Technologies, Engineering Technicians

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5234

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engineering, aeronautical, installing; testing, modifying; cableforms; looms; cable assemblies; lighting; headset leads; power supply

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