REVISED VERSION

The Aerospace Maintenance Competition is back, and this time Barfield will be participating with 3 test benches.

• Air Data Testing
• Bonding
• RF Antenna Testing

Find below information to prepare you for the competition.

Air Data Testing

For Air Data Testing participants will be working with a DPS500NG. The DPS500NG is Barfield’s latest fully automated, intuitive RVSM compliant air data test set. The DPS500NG is a portable, high precision, dual channel air data pressure test system. This tester is designed to calibrate, test and troubleshoot air data instrumentation and aircraft pitot-static systems. The test set has been designed with functional and reliability features highly suited to withstand the harsh environmental and demanding conditions of the flight line environment. The test set is designed for testing a wide range of commercial and military aircraft, both rotary and fixed wing. Designed with both hardware and software safety features, the DPS500NG provides maximum protection for the test set and the Unit Under Test (UUT). These features include over-range, overlimit, and over-pressurization protection, micro-porous filters, pressure relief valves, UUT isolation in the event of a power failure and more

Check the DPS500NG procedure here

Bonding

Proper electrical bonding and grounding is critical for aviation operations. This year Barfield released its latest product the BT-700 and BT-700i (intrinsically safe). The Barfield Bond Meter Series are designed with the clearest and most informative displays for mistake-free usage. They quickly produce accurate readings to reduce the time spent measuring. The unique low-power techniques avoid the hassle of power cords or battery chargers. The BT-700/BT-700i will run for 100 hours on 3 standard AA batteries and has auto power-off to preserve them. Probes are often more important than the instrument. This year participants will have the opportunity to work with a Kelvin Clip Probe and a Big Kelvin Display Probe.

The blog post How The Next Generation of Bond Meters Are Helping Aviation Technicians? incorporates videos of how to use the bond meter. The Barfield Bond Meter Quick Start Guide is also a very helpful tool to learn how to use it.

Check the BT700 procedure here (revised version)

RF Antenna Testing

Avionics technicians often are faced with the uncertainty when troubleshooting to decide if the problem is the avionics Line Replaceable Unit (LRU) or the coaxial connection from the LRU to the antenna.

The FlightHawk is a tool that helps avionics professionals mitigate the problem by testing the coaxial connection from the LRU to the antenna. It has two main functionalities:

1. Distance to Fault
2. Measuring the VSWR (Voltage Standing Wave Ratio) to determine the energy reflection form the antenna
3. Some kits come with a power sensor and a terminal load, that allow for testing the power coming out of the LRU. Thus, converting the FlightHawk into a Power Meter

These are some articles and training videos that help understand the use of this tool:

• Time Domain Vs Frequency Domain Reflectometers in Aviation Operations
• How to use a Frequency Domain Reflectometer in Aviation?
• How the Frequency Domain Reflectometer with Boeing App Works?
• How Airlines Are Testing Aircraft to Bring Them Back to Service?

Check the RF Antenna Testing Procedure here