Proposed Physical Exercises Framework for Aircraft Maintenance Students involved in Territorial Army

Abstract

Maintenance works upon aircraft is complicated and involve the use of myriad body parts of the personnel that actuate maintenance. It's imperative for workers to be physically fit as this affects the output of the work and safety. This paper proposed a physical exercises framework that could be used by Aircraft Maintenance Students where this framework could be used by the Territorial Army to train the students that are involved in the Territorial Army.

Full text

International Journal of Engineering and Advanced Technology (IJEAT)
ISSN: 2249 – 8958, Volume-9, Issue-1, October 2019
3691
Published By:
Blue Eyes Intelligence Engineering
& Sciences Publication
Retrieval Number: A2715109119/2019©BEIESP
DOI: 10.35940/ijeat.A2715.109119
Abstract: Maintenance works upon aircraft is complicated and
involve the use of myriad body parts of the personnel that actuate
maintenance. It’s imperative for workers to be physically fit as
this affects the output of the work and safety. This paper
proposed a physical exercises framework that could be used by
Aircraft Maintenance Students where this framework could be
used by the Territorial Army to train the students that are
involved in the Territorial Army.
Keywords: Myriad Body Parts, Aircraft Maintenance,
Territorial Army.
I. INTRODUCTION
Maintenance of aircraft requires an individual to be
physically fit since there is a lot of processes which use a
large part of the human anatomy such as the hands, back,
abs, and legs. For example, opening up an aircraft engine
requires the technician to use tools that are to be handled by
the hands. Hoisting equipment and aircraft components also
requires strong back, abs, and thighs. Students that go
though the Aircraft Maintenance Training should also be
physically fit to prepare them for employment in the Aircraft
Maintenance Industry. At Universiti Kuala Lumpur
Malaysian Institute of Aviation Technology (UniKL MIAT),
the students go though Aircraft Maintenance Training and
the students also have an option to be involved in extra
curriculum activities such as martial arts, Territorial Army,
and others.
The Territorial Army of Malaysia has instill physical
exercises as part of their training syllabus. Most of the
physical exercises are calisthenics in nature which uses body
weights as resistances for strength and muscle building.
Revised Manuscript Received on September 22, 2019.
Mohd Harridon,Aviation Fitness Cluster Universiti Kuala Lumpur
Malaysian Institute of Aviation Technology, European Paratroopers
Sazly Anuar, Universiti Kuala Lumpur Malaysian France Institute,
Territorial Army of Malaysia
Fadzil Adly Ishak, Aviation Fitness Cluster Universiti Kuala Lumpur
Malaysian Institute of Aviation Technology,Territorial Army of Malaysia
Afiq Faizal Azman, Aviation Fitness Cluster Universiti Kuala Lumpur
Malaysian Institute of Aviation Technology.
Muhammad Syazwan Mat Ghani, Aviation Fitness Cluster Universiti
Kuala Lumpur Malaysian Institute of Aviation Technology,Territorial
Army of Malaysia
Mohd Razi Saad, Aviation Fitness Cluster Universiti Kuala Lumpur
Malaysian Institute of Aviation Technology,Territorial Army of Malaysia
Mohd Nor Azmin Md Hashim, Aviation Fitness Cluster Universiti
Kuala Lumpur Malaysian Institute of Aviation Technology
In this paper we proposed a set of calisthenics exercises
that could be used by the Territorial Army to physically
train students of UniKL MIAT within the context of Aircraft
Maintenance. This is called Functional Training which is to
train individuals to be physically fit in their specific job (in
this case the job is maintaining aircraft) [1].
II. LITERATURE REVIEW
There are numerous physical needs in aircraft
maintenance. According to Yazgan, its imperative for the
body to perform at it’s optimum in order to gain outputs of
work which are acceptable to the Aircraft Maintenance
Industry [2]. Yazgan further stated that one of the primary
concerns is the fact that unfit personnel are more prone to
pain and aches which can contribute to poor workmanship
and thus create maladies and untoward incidents during
flights [2].
Hobbs concurred and stated that the job of maintaining
aircraft is physically strenuous and those who are physically
fit can withstand these conditions [3]. The work place,
according to Hobbs, is usually constricted where the
workers needed the physical ability or strength to crawl
within these confined spaces and also the workers usually
work outdoors in cold conditions and thus require the
necessary muscles to produce heat in their bodies [3].
A paper by Saadah suggested that the training of the
Territorial Army of Malaysia is almost similar to the
training of the Regular Army of Malaysia [4]. This is
concurred by the Royal Army of Malaysia which stated that
the individuals of Territorial Army of Malaysia have similar
skill sets of their regular counterpart [5]. This entails, any
physical exercises actuated by the Territorial Army are
deemed almost similar to those of the Regular Army. The
Territorial Army implements calisthenics as their primary
mode of physical exercises with concentration in strength
and conditioning, endurance, anaerobic and aerobic
exercises, and others. It is a norm, every morning, before
breakfast, an hour or more of physical training is actuated to
increase or maintain the fitness of the personnel of the
Territorial Army of Malaysia.
In Functional Training, according to Shaikh, the
components of the body, such as hands, leg, abs, and others
are trained in order to increase their strength or muscle mass
where the increase is to aid individuals in performing their
daily chores [6]. Shaikh also added that Functional Training
Proposed Physical Exercises Framework for
Aircraft Maintenance Students involved in
Territorial Army
Mohd Harridon, Sazly Anuar, Fadzil Adly Ishak, Afiq Faizal Azman,
Muhammad Syazwan Mat Ghani, Mohd Razi Saad, Mohd Nor Azmin Md Hashim

Proposed Physical Exercises Framework for Aircraft Maintenance Students involved in Territorial Army
3692
Published By:
Blue Eyes Intelligence Engineering
& Sciences Publication
Retrieval Number: A2715109119/2019©BEIESP
DOI: 10.35940/ijeat.A2715.109119
had increased the physical fitness of the individuals that
subscribed to the training.
Hostager indicated that Functional Training had shown to
be effective in gaining fitness for individuals. She stressed
that if the outcome is to train certain parts of the body to
perform certain functions, then Functional Training should
be chosen [7].
III. Methodology
Our methodology is shown in Figure 1.
Fig. 1 The Methodology to Gain the Physical Exercises Framework
We had gone through 5 aviation sources (5 is a number
that we had arbitrary chosen) and extracted the list of
physical requirements of Aircraft Maintenance Personnel as
stated in these sources. From there we made interpretations,
via heuristics, on the body parts that are involved in
relations to the statements or phrases we had extracted from
the 5 sources. We then tabulated these body parts and
counted their frequencies (eg. how many times the body part
had been mentioned). These frequencies were then ranked
where the highest value of frequency is ranked first while
the lowest value of frequency is ranked last. We also had
gone through 5 aviation sources (this is also an arbitrary
value) to gain the daily working hours of Aircraft
Maintenance Personnel and these hours were then averaged.
The top 5 ranked body parts were then chosen and the
average daily working hours were affiliated with these top 5
body parts. Our physical exercises framework was then
developed based upon these top 5 ranked body parts and
their average daily working hours. Heuristics also played a
role in developing the exercises framework where the
authors have sufficient knowledge in fitness via their
experiences in sports and military.
It has to be noted that the ranks of thighs, calf, and ankles
are the same which is 4 but calf was chosen over others
since there were numerous literature that showed calf is
uttermost importance than thighs and ankles. One such
literature is a paper by Dixon which stated that calf has a
high propensity to injury due to it’s ingrained nature [8]. He
furthermore explained that the injuries at the calf are
common among individuals, thus leaving them precarious.
IV. RESULTS
Tables 1 till 6 show the data and also the evolution in
producing the exercises framework.
Table. 1 Physical Requirements of Aircraft Maintenance Personnel
Physical Requirements of Aircraft Maintenance Personnel
FROM SOURCE ONE: 1. Use hands where the usage is to Control, Handle, or Feel 2. Standing
within a prolong period 3. Observe objects 4. Usage of fingers 5. Movement of arms 6. Holding of
arms at a position 7. Able to grasp using the hand 8. Focus 9. Support the body using abs and back 10.
Stretch of body 11. Bend of body 12. Twist of body 13. Swift reaction 14. Carry heavy object 15. Lift
heavy object 16. Push heavy object 17. Pull heavy object 18. Alter body movement 19. Prolong
period of activity 20. Coordination of body parts 21. Balancing of body 22. Iteration of movement of
parts of hands
FROM SOURCE TWO: 1. A majority of time is used for standing 2. Actuate lifting of heavy object
3. Confined / Tight Spaces - it’s a norm to work in this condition 4. Able to hammer metal (sheet
metal works) 5. Able to concentrate
FROM SOURCE THREE: 1. Ladders - standing on them 2. Able to work at myriad heights 3.
Mechanical ability that is strong 4. Constant movement from one place to another
FROM SOURCE FOUR: 1. Use hand 2. Use power tools 3. Use test equipment 4. Able to
concentrate 5. Work outdoor in cold and wet weather 6. Usage of scaffolds 7. Heavy physical demand
8. Lift / pull frequently 9. Movement of weight (on average 50 pounds weight) 10. Crouching 11.
Reaching 12. Kneeling 13. Crawling 14. Fingering 15. Handling
FROM SOURCE FIVE: 1. Usage of hand tools 2. Usage of power tools 3. Has the ability to move
heavy tools 4. Has the ability to move heavy equipment

International Journal of Engineering and Advanced Technology (IJEAT)
ISSN: 2249 – 8958, Volume-9, Issue-1, October 2019
3693
Published By:
Blue Eyes Intelligence Engineering
& Sciences Publication
Retrieval Number: A2715109119/2019©BEIESP
DOI: 10.35940/ijeat.A2715.109119
Table. 2 Mapping of Body Parts Involved
List of Body Parts Involved (Respective of Numbers in Table 1)
SOURCE ONE: 1. Triceps, Biceps, Wrists, Fingers 2. Thighs, Calf, Ankles 3. Eyes, Brain 4. Fingers
5. Biceps, Triceps 6. Biceps, Triceps 7. Fingers, Biceps, Triceps 8. Brain 9. Abs, Back 10. Biceps,
Triceps, Abs, Back, Thighs, Calf, Ankles 11. Back, Abs 12. Back, Abs 13. Thighs, Calf, Ankles, Abs,
Back, Biceps, Triceps, Wrists, Fingers 14. Thighs, Calf, Ankles, Abs, Back, Biceps, Triceps, Wrists,
Fingers 15. Thighs, Calf, Ankles, Abs, Back, Biceps, Triceps, Wrists, Fingers 16. Thighs, Calf, Ankles,
Abs, Back, Biceps, Triceps, Wrists, Fingers 17. Thighs, Calf, Ankles, Abs, Back, Biceps, Triceps,
Wrists, Fingers 18. Abs, Back 19. Abs, Back, Thighs, Calf, Ankles 20. Brain 21. Brain 22. Biceps,
Triceps, Wrists, Fingers
SOURCE TWO: 1. Thighs, Calf, Ankles 2. Thighs, Calf, Ankles, Abs, Back, Biceps, Triceps, Wrists,
Fingers 3. Thighs, Calf, Ankles, Back, Abs 4. Triceps, Biceps, Wrists, Fingers, Back, Abs 5. Brain
SOURCE THREE: 1. Thighs, Calf, Ankles, Biceps, Triceps, Wrists, Fingers 2. Thighs, Calf, Ankles,
Biceps, Triceps, Wrists, Fingers 3. Biceps, Triceps, Wrists, Fingers 4. Thighs, Calf, Ankles
SOURCE FOUR: 1. Biceps, Triceps, Wrists, Fingers 2. Triceps, Biceps, Wrists, Fingers 3. Triceps,
Biceps, Wrists, Fingers 4. Brain 5. Muscles keep body warn - Thighs, Calf, Ankles, Back, Abs, Chests,
Neck, Biceps, Triceps, Wrists, Fingers 6. Thighs, Calf, Ankles, Biceps, Triceps, Wrists, Fingers 7.
Biceps, Triceps, Wrists, Fingers, Abs, Back, Thighs, Calf, Ankles 8. Biceps, Triceps, Wrists, Fingers,
Abs, Back, Thighs, Calf, Ankles 9. Biceps, Triceps, Wrists, Fingers, Abs, Back, Thighs, Calf, Ankles
10. Back, Abs, Thighs, Calf, Ankles 11. Biceps, Triceps, Wrists, Fingers 12. Thighs, Calf, Ankles 13.
Thighs, Calf, Ankles, Back, Abs, Biceps, Triceps, Wrists, Fingers 14. Fingers, Wrists 15. Biceps,
Triceps, Wrists, Fingers
SOURCE FIVE: 1. Biceps, Triceps, Wrists, Fingers 2. Biceps, Triceps, Wrists, Fingers 3. Biceps,
Triceps, Wrists, Fingers, Back, Abs, Thighs, Calf, Ankles 4. Biceps, Triceps, Wrists, Fingers, Back,
Abs, Thighs, Calf, Ankles
Table. 3 Frequency and Ranking of Body Parts
Body Parts
Involved
Frequency of
Mentioned
Ranking
Triceps
31
1
Biceps
31
1
Wrists
28
3
Fingers
30
2
Abs
22
5
Back
22
5
Thighs
24
4
Calf
24
4
Ankles
24
4
Brain
6
6
Chests
1
7
Neck
1
7
Table. 4 Working Hours Per Day and Average Value
Source
Working Hours
Per Day
Average
SOURCE 1
12 hours
8.57 hours
SOURCE 2
7.4 hours, 8 hours
SOURCE 3
8 hours
SOURCE 4
8 hours
SOURCE 5
8
Table. 5 Top 5 Ranking of Body Parts
Body Parts
Involved
Ranking
Average Working
Hours Per Day
Triceps
1
8.57 hours
Biceps
1
Fingers
2
Wrists
3
Calf
4
Table. 6 Proposed Physical Exercises Framework
Body
Parts
Involved
Exercises Framework - Daily
Calisthenics
Triceps
Diamond Push Up - 10 repetitions (slow
pace) - 7 sets - 15 seconds rest in between
sets
Biceps
Regular Width Push Up - 10 repetitions
(slow pace) - 7 sets - 15 seconds rest in
between sets
Fingers
Hand Finger Tendon Glide - 10 repetitions
(slow pace) - 7 sets - 15 seconds rest in
between sets

Proposed Physical Exercises Framework for Aircraft Maintenance Students involved in Territorial Army
3694
Published By:
Blue Eyes Intelligence Engineering
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Retrieval Number: A2715109119/2019©BEIESP
DOI: 10.35940/ijeat.A2715.109119
Wrists
Push Up with Back of Palm on the Ground
- 10 repetitions (slow pace) - 7 sets - 15
seconds rest in between sets
Knuckles Push Up - 10 repetitions (slow
pace) - 7 sets - 15 seconds rest in between
sets
Calf
Jumping Jack - 20 repetitions - 7 sets - 15
seconds rest in between sets
V. DISCUSSION
We had already explained the steps in gaining Tables 5
and 6 in the Methodology Section. In this section, we dwell
more upon it. Table 6, which is the proposed physical
exercises framework, was produced in relations to the
information in Table 5. A majority is based upon heuristics
as mentioned earlier. For triceps, we are concerned upon its
strength. In order to gain strength in triceps, Diamond Push
Up is appropriate as mentioned by Ethier [9].
He furthermore compared Diamond Push Up with regular
and wide push ups and results indicated that Diamond Push
Up increased the strength in triceps more. We advised
individuals to actuate 7 sets of the Diamond Push Up where
each set contains 10 repetitions. Between each set there is a
resting period of 15 seconds. The pace of the push up we set
at slow pace. Several literature had indicated that a slow
pace would give an individual more strain and pain and thus
the individual would gain more strength and muscle mass
and this is concurred by Hsu in his paper [10]. With this in
mind, our calisthenic exercises involving all body parts were
set at slow pace. The number of repetitions, sets, and time of
rest for all body parts is based upon heuristics and the
framework would be future tested to gain feedback and
inputs on the sufficiency and adequacy of the number of
repetitions, set, and time of rest. Our test bed would be the
Territorial Army where the physical exercises, based upon
experiences, are perhaps more. Thus we can also seek to
denote our framework as the minimum basis for physical
exercises. But this depends upon the intensity of the current
Territorial Army exercises, whether it is more than our
framework or perhaps less.
VI. CONCLUSION
The Physical Exercises Framework that we had proposed
is based upon calisthenics. This is appropriate as most
physical exercises of the Territorial or Regular Army are
calisthenics in nature. Our framework takes into account the
participation of students of Aircraft Maintenance in the
Territorial Army and hence the framework is customized in
accordance to the job scope of Aircraft Maintenance
Personnel which requires a lot of physical activities. Our
framework is thus deemed as a Functional Training and the
Territorial Army is the best place to implement any physical
workout programme since the army forte is “fitness for
troops”.
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