Maintenance Practices

Safe working with electricity, gases, oils and chemicals; classes of fire and the correct extinguishing agent for each; action on discovering a fire.

Care and control of tools and materials, standards of workmanship, cleanliness and FOD control, and the calibration of measuring equipment.

Hand and power tools; precision measuring with the micrometer, vernier caliper and dial gauge; go/no-go gauging, torque wrenches and instrument care.

Drawing types, symbols and tolerances; first- and third-angle projection and the title block; the ATA Specification 100 chapter system; AN, MS, NAS and ISO standards.

Drill sizes and hole preparation; clearance, transition and interference fits; schedules of fits and clearances; limits of bow, twist and wear; go/no-go gauging.

Bolted joints, the torque–tension relationship and preload.

Continuity, insulation and bonding testing; crimping and crimp inspection; connectors, looming, clamping, routing, and the separation and segregation of cables.

Rivet selection and hole preparation; edge distance and pitch; countersinking and dimpling; driving and formed-head dimensions; joint inspection and rivet removal.

Bending and flaring rigid pipe to the 37° aircraft standard; hose identification by lay-line and cure date; installation, clamping, bend radius and fire sleeves; inspection and pressure testing.

Inspection and testing of compression, tension and torsion springs — free length, permanent set, load testing, cracks, corrosion and coil condition.

Purpose and classification of bearings — plain and rolling-element, radial and thrust; cleaning, inspection and lubrication; defects including brinelling, spalling, corrosion and overheating; correct fitting.

Inspection of gears (backlash), belts and pulleys, chains and sprockets, screw-jacks and push-pull rod systems; wear limits and lubrication.

Swaging end fittings; inspection for broken strands and wear; tensioning with a tensiometer and temperature correction; turnbuckle rigging and locking; Bowden and push-pull controls.

Sheet metal marking out, bend-allowance calculation, forming and inspection; composite and non-metallic bonding practices, environmental conditions and inspection.

Distinguishing soldering, brazing and welding by temperature and fusion; welding methods; joint inspection and bonding for electrical continuity.

Centre-of-gravity and balance-limit calculation, the weighing procedure and precautions, and the weight-and-balance documentation.

Taxiing and towing, jacking and chocking, refuelling, de-icing/anti-icing fluids, ground power, and parking and storage.

Defect recognition and visual inspection; non-destructive testing methods and their applications; repair schemes and limits; SB and AD compliance.

Mandatory conditional inspections after a lightning strike, HIRF penetration, a heavy or overweight landing, and severe turbulence.

Maintenance planning and modifications, stores procedures, the certificate of release to service, quality control and assurance, and the control of life-limited components.

All fifteen written-answer subjects, from safety and tooling through fits, riveting, hoses and joining to weighing, handling, NDT and release to service. Each carries a model answer and the examiner's key points.

The written component sat as it is examined — 2 essays drawn at random from the 15-essay bank, 40 minutes, self-marked against the examiner's key points at 75% to pass.

Timed EASA-style Category A paper stratified across all sub-sections — 76 questions in 95 minutes, 75% to pass. The essay component is under the Essay Paper topic.