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.