BR-ANAC-CMS cheat sheet

The Type Certificate (TC) is the FAA approval that a design meets the applicable airworthiness standards; it is the baseline against which conformity is judged.

A Supplemental Type Certificate (STC) approves a major design change to a type-certified product; the STC holder owns the approved data for that change.

An Airworthiness Directive (AD) is a mandatory rule issued under 14 CFR Part 39; it applies to all affected aircraft regardless of registration or operator unless an alternative method of compliance is approved.

The standard airworthiness certificate (FAA Form 8100-2) is issued when the aircraft conforms to its type design and is in condition for safe operation; it remains valid only while maintenance is performed per Part 43 and Parts 91/121/135 as applicable.

A special airworthiness certificate in the experimental category carries operating limitations that typically prohibit carrying persons or property for compensation.

Preventive maintenance is limited to the items listed in 14 CFR Part 43 Appendix A, paragraph (c), and must be performed by a certificated pilot or mechanic on an aircraft not operated under Parts 121, 129, or 135.

A major alteration is one that might appreciably affect weight, balance, structural strength, performance, powerplant operation, flight characteristics, or other airworthiness qualities; a major repair is judged by the same appreciably-affect standard.

The FAA Form 337 records major repairs and major alterations and must be submitted to the FAA within 48 hours of the aircraft's return to service when approved data are not used or when required by the repair.

A Part 145 repair station must have, and keep current, a repair station manual and a quality control manual; the two documents must be consistent with each other.

The accountable manager under Part 145 is the person with corporate authority for ensuring that all maintenance, preventive maintenance, and alterations can be financed and carried out to the standard required.

Under Part 121, the Director of Maintenance (or equivalent) must hold a mechanic certificate with airframe and powerplant ratings, or meet the alternative qualification paths in the regulation.

The Part 121 Continuous Airworthiness Maintenance Program (CAMP) is derived from the operator's maintenance manual and must be approved by the FAA; it defines scheduled and unscheduled maintenance tasks and intervals.

A certificated mechanic may supervise no more than the number of uncertificated persons that the FAA has authorized; the mechanic is directly in charge and responsible for the work performed.

An Inspection Authorization (IA) holder may approve for return to service only work within the scope of the IA privileges, and must personally inspect the work before signing.

Part 43 requires that persons performing maintenance use the tools, equipment, and test apparatus necessary to ensure completion of the work in accordance with accepted industry practices.

A contract maintenance provider performing work for a Part 121 operator must be under the operator's continuous airworthiness maintenance program and listed in the operator's manual.

Maintenance intervals in a reliability program are adjusted based on statistical analysis of unscheduled removals and failures; alert levels trigger corrective action when exceeded.

MSG-3 logic classifies tasks into lubrication/servicing, operational/visual checks, inspection/functional checks, and restoration, applied to systems, structures, and zonal areas.

The Maintenance Review Board (MRB) report establishes initial minimum scheduled maintenance intervals for a type; an operator's program must be at least as stringent.

Hard-time intervals require component removal or overhaul at a fixed limit regardless of condition; on-condition items are inspected at intervals and continued in service if within limits.

A maintenance task card must identify the task, the applicable manual reference, the interval, and the sign-off requirement.

Deferred maintenance items must be tracked against the applicable Minimum Equipment List (MEL) or Configuration Deviation List (CDL) category, which sets the allowable rectification interval (A, B, C, or D).

A check (or equivalent) intervals are set by the operator's approved program and are typically the shortest recurring interval; C checks are heavier and often performed in a hangar.

Work package planning must account for parts lead time, tooling availability, and personnel qualification so that scheduled maintenance does not exceed the interval tolerance.

Fail-safe structural design assumes that a principal structural element can fail and the remaining structure can carry limit load until the failure is detected by inspection.

A principal structural element (PSE) is one that contributes significantly to carrying flight, ground, or pressurization loads, and whose failure could reduce structural integrity.

Damage tolerance requires that structure sustain design loads in the presence of fatigue, corrosion, or accidental damage until the damage is detected and repaired.

The supplemental structural inspection program (SSIP) and aging aircraft programs impose additional inspections on high-time airframes.

Aircraft hydraulic systems typically use redundancy (multiple independent systems) so that loss of one system does not prevent safe flight and landing.

Pressurization is normally controlled by outflow valves modulating cabin discharge air; the cabin pressure differential and rate of change are the controlled variables.

Electrical system protection uses circuit breakers and current limiters sized to protect wiring; resetting a tripped breaker in flight is limited by the approved procedures.

Composite structure damage assessment uses standardized damage categories (for example, allowable, repairable, replace) defined in the structural repair manual.

Nondestructive inspection methods include visual, penetrant, magnetic particle, eddy current, ultrasonic, and radiographic; each is selected by material and defect type.

Dye penetrant detects surface-breaking discontinuities in nonporous materials; magnetic particle detects surface and near-surface defects in ferromagnetic materials only.

Eddy current inspection is effective on conductive materials for surface and near-surface cracks and for detecting cracks around fastener holes.

Ultrasonic inspection detects internal discontinuities and measures thickness; it requires a couplant and a known sound velocity for the material.

Radiographic inspection reveals internal density differences; it requires radiation safety controls and is suited to castings and welds.

A functional check verifies that an item operates within specified limits at the time of the check; an operational check verifies that it performs its intended function.

Troubleshooting follows a logical sequence: verify the reported discrepancy, isolate the system, test components, and confirm the corrective action before return to service.

A borescope inspection allows internal visual examination of engines and structures without disassembly; findings must be compared against the manual limits.

Return to service after maintenance requires an approval for return to service by a certificated person authorized for that work, using the applicable approved data.

A major repair must be accomplished using approved data (for example, an STC, a DER-approved repair, or data in the manufacturer's structural repair manual designated as approved).

A minor repair or minor alteration may be approved for return to service by a certificated mechanic or repair station within the scope of its ratings.

An FAA Form 337 is completed for major repairs and major alterations; a copy must be given to the aircraft owner and, where required, filed with the FAA.

Preventive maintenance performed by a pilot requires an entry in the maintenance records describing the work, the date, and the pilot's certificate number.

A progressive inspection program must be approved by the FAA and must provide for the same scope of inspection as the original program over the cycle.

Repair design must consider fatigue and damage tolerance; repairs to principal structural elements typically require fatigue evaluation and inspection instructions.

Alterations that change weight and balance require an updated weight and balance report and, where applicable, revised operating limitations.

Maintenance record entries must include the work performed, the date of completion, the name of the person performing the work, and the signature and certificate number of the person approving for return to service.

Records for major repairs and alterations must be retained and made available to the FAA; the aircraft owner is responsible for retaining records of maintenance and alterations.

The aircraft logbook records airframe total time, and the engine and propeller logbooks record time in service; these entries support inspection interval tracking.

A maintenance release or approval for return to service must reference the approved data used and any limitations imposed.

An airworthiness directive compliance record must identify the AD number, revision, method of compliance, and date, and must be retained with the aircraft records.

Records of life-limited parts must document total cycles and hours and must accompany the part when it is transferred.

Electronic recordkeeping is acceptable if the records are retrievable, legible, and protected from alteration; signatures may be electronic where authorized.

The operator's manual under Part 121 must include the maintenance recordkeeping procedures and the retention periods for each record type.

A Safety Management System (SMS) has four components: safety policy, safety risk management, safety assurance, and safety promotion.

Safety risk management uses hazard identification followed by risk assessment of severity and likelihood, and risk mitigation to an acceptable level.

The 'dirty dozen' human factors include fatigue, complacency, lack of knowledge, distraction, lack of teamwork, lack of resources, pressure, lack of assertiveness, stress, lack of awareness, norms, and lack of communication.

The SHEL model describes the interfaces among software, hardware, environment, and liveware (people); mismatches at these interfaces are sources of error.

A just culture distinguishes human error from at-risk behavior and reckless behavior, and applies corrective action proportionate to the behavior.

Fatigue risk management includes duty time limits, rest requirements, and recognition of circadian effects on alertness and error rates.

Voluntary safety reporting programs protect reporters from enforcement action when reports meet the program's criteria, encouraging disclosure of hazards.

A safety risk assessment matrix typically rates severity from negligible to catastrophic and likelihood from improbable to frequent, producing a risk index used to prioritize mitigation.