Aviation Legislation
Core concepts
ICAO sets Standards and Recommended Practices through Annexes; the EU implements them through EASA regulations. You must know Regulation (EU) No 1321/2014 covering Part-M, Part-145, Part-66 and Part-CAMO, and the Part-66 licence categories and their privileges, including certification of release to service by a B1 or B2 holder within their category. Part-145 covers approved maintenance organisations, their quality systems, and the maintenance release; Part-M covers continuing airworthiness, the CAMO role, the airworthiness review certificate and the MEL. Also: certificates of registration and airworthiness, EASA Supplemental Type Certificates, Airworthiness Directives (mandatory) versus Service Bulletins (usually recommended unless mandated), occurrence reporting, and the rules on documentation, record retention and the aircraft technical log.
Traps in questions
- ADs are mandatory; SBs are not unless an AD or the authority requires them.
- The maintenance release is not a certificate of airworthiness - it is a certification that defined work was completed.
- Part-66 licence privileges are limited to the category and type; a B1.2 cannot certify avionics work.
- Airworthiness review intervals and validity are commonly confused with the ARC itself.
- Record retention periods differ for the aircraft, engine and components; do not assume one figure.
- The MEL is approved in the operations domain, not created by maintenance.
Worked example
A B1.2 licence holder completes scheduled work on a piston-engine aeroplane. Before signing a certificate of release to service, they confirm: the work is within B1.2 privileges and type ratings; all required tasks are done; defects are rectified or deferred under the approved MEL or deferral procedure; and the certification is recorded in the technical log. Any avionics task needs a B2 or appropriately approved organisation.
Rule of thumb
Certify only what you have personally performed or supervised, within category, type and organisation approval.