TEST EQUIPMENT

MODULE 2 - Common test equipment

A. Why Test equipment we’re always used on industry of aviation.

Safety of Aircraft Passengers and Personnel
Passenger and personnel safety are of the utmost importance when maintaining or
operating aircraft. The calibration of the equipment that tests critical aircraft systems
such as the pitot-static, hydraulic, electrical and avionics systems is paramount to the
operational safety of the aircraft.

Equipment Quality and Performance

Regular calibration ensures that equipment maintains its stated accuracy and
reduces the chances of the item being out-of-tolerance (OOT). Calibration not only
involves the calibration of items that are new, but also those that have been repaired
or modified, have been dropped, or when measurements do not seem accurate.
Equipment that is not regularly calibrated or that is continually OOT creates numerous
risks such as safety concerns, questionable quality and increased downtime which can
create scheduling and other challenges for aircraft personnel.

Documentation Compliance
Calibration documentation is required for equipment being calibrated as well as
the equipment used in performing the calibrations. Required documentation includes
the measurement results, calibration certificate, and calibration procedures used for
the calibration. A calibration program is designed to record and maintain all of the
current data on equipment as well as historical data on previous calibrations or
obsolete equipment.

Equipment Inventory Control

A successful calibration program typically contains a comprehensive
inventory of all of the testing, measurement and control equipment in an
organization to ensure compliance with all applicable standards. Managing the
equipment through this resource makes it easy for new equipment to be added,
older equipment to be removed and changes in equipment ownership and location
to be easily tracked.

B. Common equipment seen on an aircraft hangar.

These are the list of equipment common and generally seen on a hangar and
on ground.
• Ground Support Equipment
• Air Data Test Sets
• Analog Multi-meters
• Digital Multi-meters
• Under water locator tester
• Insulation Resistance tester
• Emergency locator transmitter set
• Bonding Meters
• Electro Magnetic Testers
• Ultrasonic testers
• Pressure Gauges & Transducers
• Vacuum Flow testers
• Torque Tools
• Calipers & Micrometers

C. Brief introduction of every common test equipment commonly used on

hangar.
A. Ground Support Equipment
Ground Support equipment is an industry term that refers to support
equipment typically found at an airport that is used to service the aircraft
between flights. Ground Support Equipment is generally kept on a ramp near
the terminal when not in use for quick accessibility. GSE’s main purpose is to
support the safe operations of the aircraft after landing and before taking off
again. Ground Support Equipment usually involves a variety of aircraft
mobility, ground power operations, and cargo and passenger loading
operations.

Purpose of a GSE:
Aircraft ground handling is an aviation industry term that refers to the
variety of services performed on an aircraft while it is still on the ground
at a terminal gate at an airport. These services include:
• Cabin Service - ensure passenger comfort, clean cabins, replenish
onboard consumables.
• Catering - unloading unused food & beverages, reloading fresh food
and beverages for both passengers and crew.
• Ramp Service - This includes a variety of services on the ramp or
apron, including aircraft marshalling, towing, lavatory drainage,
luggage handling, Hydraulic mules, etc.
• Passenger Service
• Field Operation Service

Types of Ground Support Equipment

a) Non-powered GSE
- Dollies
- Chocks
- Aircraft Tripod jacks
b) Powered GSE
- Aircraft Refuelers
- GPU or Ground power units
 - Potable Water Trucks
- Lavatory Service Vehicles
- Catering Vehicle
- Passenger Boarding Stairs
- De-icing Vehicles

B. Air-data Tester
Air data test sets are specialized instruments used to verify and calibrate the pitot-static
system of an aircraft which monitors critical flight instruments such as altimeters,
airspeed indicators, rate of climb indicators, Mach meters, and air data computers. Air
data test sets are essential tools for inspection and maintenance protocols as well as
validating compliance with FAA regulations such as providing documentation for RVSM
approvals.

C. Analog and Digital Multimeters

An Analog Multimeter is a device used to measure limited electrical
quantities such as Current, Voltage and Resistance etc. Digital Multimeter is
a device used to measure multiple electrical quantities such as Current,
Voltage, Resistance, Capacitance, Diode values, Transistors etc.

D. Insulation Resistance Test Set

In aviation industry, safety is the number one service we provide. Even if
time passes by and aircrafts change, safety still remains our top priority. And
as aircrafts get more technological and digitally aligned, the more it needs to
have a good insulated wire. That is where the insulation resistance test set
plays a role. The insulation resistance test set uses a small portable
instrument called Megger insulation tester (Fig.1). It gives you a direct reading
of insulation resistance in ohms or megaohms. For good insulation, the
resistance usually reads in the megaohm range or Giga-ohm range.
E. Underwater Locator Beacon (ULB) Test
Underwater Locator Beacon is also called an Underwater Locator Device (ULD) or
Underwater Acoustic Beacon is a device fitted to aviation flight recorders such as the
Cockpit Voice recorder (CVR), the Flight Data recorder (FDR) as well as to the aircraft
fuselage
When testing an Underwater Locator Beacon (ULB), aircraft maintenance program is
required to ensure that procedures for testing the ULB, conducted concurrently with
battery replacement, provide for functionally testing the ULDs prior to replacing the old
battery. This ensures that the ULB is still operating properly. The maintenance program
should address the periodic maintenance of the ULB, such as the periodic checking of
the device operation in accordance with the manufacturer’s requirements, any life limits
on the battery of the ULB and the cleaning of the switch contacts. When installing the
ULB on the flight recorder it is important to ensure that the switch contacts are located
in a manner that is not likely to encourage the build-up of debris that will cause the
contacts to short inadvertently. The contacts should either be vertical or facing down.

F. Bonding Meter
Bonding meter (Fig.8) is a measuring instrument that use digital
techniques to measure and display small values of resistance. It helps to
identify the integrity of electrical connections. The bonding meters are
used to measure very small resistances.

Every aircraft needs a reliable ground circuit. This circuit is

important for the safety of the aircraft. Ground circuits are created
through a range of bonding elements including structural bonds and
brackets, ground straps, cable shields and connector back shells.
Integrated grounding circuit needs to be secure. In modern aircrafts,
whose structures are made from composite materials, aircraft OEMs
cannot rely on metallic fuselages to carry voltage transients and stray
currents anymore. So, the bonding is necessary. An ineffective ground
circuit can be caused by incorrect assembly, material defect at
manufacture or degradation of material and joints. So these circuits must be controlled.
The controls are done by the bonding meters.
G. Non-Destructive Testers used on aircraft.
These are the methods on Non-destructive testing used on aircrafts while
on hangar or on inspection area.
1. Liquid Penetrant – is used to detect super small cracks or
discontinuities open to the surface which may not be evident by normal
visual inspection. Penetrant inspection can be used on most airframe
parts and assemblies accessible for its application This is performed by
applying liquid penetrants into surface defects. Excessive penetrating
liquids is removed and suitable developers are applied to draw the penetrant from the
surface defects so that the visual indications areobtained by color contrast or
fluorescence of the penetrant under the influence of “black light”

2. Magnetic Particle - process for detecting surface and shallow

subsurface discontinuities in ferromagnetic materials such as iron, nickel,
cobalt, and some of their alloys. The process puts a magnetic field into the
part. The piece can be magnetized by direct or indirect magnetization.
Direct magnetization occurs when the electric current is passed through
the test object and a magnetic field is formed in the material. Indirect
magnetization occurs when no electric current is passed through the test
object, but a magnetic field is applied from an outside source. The
magnetic lines of force are perpendicular to the direction of the electric
current, which may be either alternating current (AC) or some form of
direct current (DC) (rectified AC).

3. Eddy Current - making use of electromagnetic induction to detect and

characterize surface and sub-surface flaws in conductive materials.

4. Ultrasonic- Ultrasonic inspection is a powerful, effective form of

nondestructive testing in aviation maintenance. But it is also a technique
that has room for error due to improper equipment setup, calibration, and
an inexperienced tester.

5. Radiography - process widely used for the detection of cracks and

damage in aircraft structures. How ever, there are some limitations of
traditional radiography. Existing film process requires chem ical
processing of the film and the quality of the images varies from shot to
shot.

6. Visual Inspection- this is the most common form of examination and

consist of viewing the are with the eye, aided by magnifying glass,
borescope, light source, etc. Most defects are detected by visual
inspection in aircraft maintenance.