Workshop Practices
Care and control of tools and materials, standards of workmanship, cleanliness and FOD control, and the calibration of measuring equipment.
Workshop practices, summary notes
- Workshop practice covers the care and control of tools and materials, standards of workmanship, cleanliness, and the calibration of measuring equipment.
- Tool control means every tool is accounted for before and after a task, shadow boards, tool logs and sign-out systems exist so that no item is left in an aircraft as foreign object debris (FOD). A missing tool stops the release to service until it is found.
- Calibration proves a measuring tool reads correctly against a standard traceable to national standards. Instruments carry a calibration label with the status and due date, and are withdrawn immediately when overdue, damaged or suspect.
- If equipment is later found out of calibration, every measurement taken with it is suspect and the affected work must be reviewed, potentially recalling aircraft already released.
- Materials control covers correct storage, shelf life, batch traceability and protection from contamination or corrosion.
- Workmanship standards: work to the approved data, not from memory; protect adjacent structure; keep the work area clean; and never improvise a tool where a specified one exists.
- ⚠ Exam trap: calibration gives traceable ACCURACY, it does not make work faster or cheaper, and an in-date label on a dropped instrument does not make it serviceable.
- Calibration chain
- workshop instrument → reference standard → national standard
A torque wrench is found to be reading 12% high at its next calibration. What action is required for work already done with it?
Every torque applied with that wrench since its last good calibration is suspect, the fasteners were under-torqued relative to the intended value. The affected tasks must be identified from the records and reviewed, which may mean re-torquing to the correct figure or rejecting the work.
A tool is missing at the end of a task inside a wing fuel tank. What is the correct action?
The aircraft must not be released to service. The tool control procedure requires the item to be located, or the area otherwise proven clear, because loose hardware in a tank is a direct airworthiness hazard.
Workshop practices concept map
Workshop Practices
Workshop practices quiz
Workshop Practices, quiz
1. Calibration of workshop measuring equipment ensures:
Traceable accuracy against a known standardFaster workLower cost2. A tool found missing at the end of a task means:
The aircraft must not be released until it is accounted forA logbook note is sufficientWork may continue if the task is complete3. FOD stands for:
Foreign object debris/damageFault operation dataFinal overhaul document4. A measuring instrument that is overdue calibration must be:
Withdrawn from serviceUsed with an allowance appliedUsed only for rough work5. Equipment later found out of calibration means:
Measurements taken with it are suspect and the work must be reviewedOnly future work is affectedNothing, if the work passed inspection6. A shadow board is used to:
Show at a glance whether every tool has been returnedStore calibration certificatesDisplay safety notices7. A calibration label on an instrument shows:
Its calibration status and due dateIts purchase priceIts serial number only8. An instrument that has been dropped should be:
Withdrawn and re-calibrated before further useUsed if the calibration label is still in dateZeroed and returned to use9. Work must be carried out to:
The current approved maintenance dataThe most experienced engineer's memoryThe quickest method available10. Materials in stores are controlled for:
Shelf life, batch traceability and correct storageColour and packaging onlyPurchase date only