Aviation Legislation: ICAO, EASA and the CAR-66 Licensing System
The regulatory chain
Candidates must understand how international obligations flow down to national rules. ICAO, as a UN specialised agency, publishes Annexes (Annex 1 on Personnel Licensing, Annex 8 on Airworthiness) and the Chicago Convention articles; these are standards and recommended practices that states implement in national law. In the UAE, the General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) issues Civil Aviation Regulations (CARs), and CAR-66 governs the certification of aircraft maintenance personnel. Know the difference between a standard (binding) and a recommended practice, and that national law, not ICAO directly, binds the engineer.
The licence and its privileges
Understand licence categories (B1 mechanical, B2 avionics, and their sub-categories), the meaning of a certifying staff authorisation, the type/group rating system, and the two-year recency and continuation-training requirements. Know who may certify a release to service, what a Certificate of Release to Service (CRS) attests to, and the limits of certification where a task requires specialised knowledge or a type rating not held.
Traps in questions
- Confusing ICAO (sets standards) with the GCAA (enforces them) or with the operator (implements them).
- Assuming a licence alone authorises certification: it must be valid, appropriate to the aircraft, and supported by current authorisation.
- Forgetting that maintenance organisations hold approvals separate from individual licences.
Rule of thumb
Ask: what does the document actually permit? A licence permits certification only within its category, ratings, and validity; anything outside that needs a separate authorisation.