Part-66 Module 10 cheat sheet

ICAO was created by the Chicago Convention (signed 7 December 1944); it publishes Standards and Recommended Practices in 19 Annexes, which States implement through national or regional law.

Regulation (EU) 2018/1139 is the Basic Regulation: it establishes EASA and the common civil aviation safety rules and replaced Regulation (EC) No 216/2008.

Commission Regulation (EU) No 1321/2014 contains the continuing airworthiness rules: Part-M/Part-ML, Part-145, Part-66, Part-147 and Part-T.

Regulation (EU) No 748/2012 contains Part-21 (design and production certification), Regulation (EU) No 965/2012 contains Air OPS, and Regulation (EU) No 1178/2011 covers flight crew licensing.

A Part-66 licence is issued by the competent authority of an EU Member State and is recognised by the other Member States; its privileges are exercised within the scope of the employing organisation's approval.

EASA rulemaking sequence: Terms of Reference, NPA (notice of proposed amendment), CRD (comment response document), certification/rulemaking Opinion to the European Commission, then Commission Regulation.

AMC and GM are issued by EASA Executive Director Decisions; applying an AMC gives presumption of compliance, and any alternative means of compliance must demonstrate an equivalent level of safety.

Where an AMC or GM conflicts with the implementing regulation, the regulation prevails; certification specifications (CS) are the design standards used under Part-21.

Part-66 categories are A, B1, B2, B3 and C; B1 has subcategories B1.1 (turbine aeroplane), B1.2 (piston aeroplane), B1.3 (turbine helicopter) and B1.4 (piston helicopter).

A Part-66 licence is valid for 5 years from the date of issue; renewal is granted by the competent authority, not by the employing organisation.

To exercise certification privileges in a Part-145 organisation, certifying staff must have at least 6 months of maintenance experience within the preceding 24 months.

Category A covers minor scheduled line maintenance and simple defect rectification within the limits of approved maintenance data; Category C covers release of the aircraft after base maintenance.

Experience requirements: Category A = 3 years (1 year where a Part-147 basic training course has been completed); Categories B1/B2 = 5 years, reduced where relevant technical training has been completed.

The pass mark for Part-66 basic knowledge examinations is 75 per cent for each module, at the level defined in Part-66 Appendix I and Appendix II.

Certification on a type requires type training with theoretical and practical elements per Part-66 Appendix III, plus on-the-job training where required for the first type rating.

Certifying staff must not certify maintenance on an aircraft with a known defect that significantly hazards flight safety, nor certify work outside the scope of the organisation's approval.

A Part-145 approval is required to maintain aircraft used in commercial air transport and to issue certificates of release to service for those aircraft.

A Part-145 organisation requires an accountable manager, a documented quality/compliance monitoring system, suitable facilities, tooling, stores, current data and competent personnel.

The Maintenance Organisation Exposition (MOE) defines the scope of work, procedures and responsibilities, and must be approved by the competent authority.

The approval certificate lists ratings and limitations; maintenance outside the listed scope may not be performed or certified by the organisation.

Detailed maintenance records and copies of released certificates must be retained for at least 3 years after the aircraft or component is released to service.

EASA Form 1 is the Authorised Release Certificate used for components; the aircraft certificate of release to service is entered in the aircraft technical log or maintenance record.

Level 1 findings are significant non-compliances that seriously endanger flight safety; the competent authority requires corrective action and may suspend or revoke the approval.

Changes to the organisation such as name, location, scope of work or procedures require prior approval by the competent authority before they take effect.

Regulation (EU) No 965/2012 (Air OPS) is structured as Part-ORO (organisation requirements), Part-CAT, Part-SPA, Part-NCC, Part-NCO and Part-SPO.

Commercial air transport requires an Air Operator Certificate (AOC) issued by the competent authority, together with the operations specifications attached to it.

The MEL is derived from the Master MEL, adapted to the operator's type and operation, and approved by the competent authority; it sets the dispatch conditions for inoperative equipment.

The CDL is approved with the type certificate and lists exterior parts that may be missing at dispatch, with the associated limitations and performance penalties.

The operator remains responsible for the continuing airworthiness of its aircraft and must arrange it through a continuing airworthiness management organisation.

Aircraft operated under an AOC must be maintained by a Part-145 organisation in accordance with an approved aircraft maintenance programme.

Specific approvals (Part-SPA) cover operations such as PBN, RVSM, ETOPS, LVTO, MNPS and dangerous goods, each authorised in the operations specifications.

Part-21 (Regulation (EU) No 748/2012) covers type certificates, restricted type certificates, supplemental type certificates, and changes and repairs to products, parts and appliances.

Changes are classified as major or minor: a major change requires approval by the competent authority, a minor change is covered by approved design data or an approved design organisation.

Production is covered by a Production Organisation Approval or an equivalent arrangement, and each part is released with an EASA Form 1.

The Certificate of Airworthiness is issued by the State of Registry when the aircraft conforms to an approved type design and is maintained in accordance with the applicable requirements.

Instructions for Continuing Airworthiness (ICA) form part of the type certificate and are the basis for developing the operator's aircraft maintenance programme.

An ETSO authorisation approves a part against a European Technical Standard Order; standard parts and parts produced under a POA are acceptable for installation as defined in Part-21.

Airworthiness Directives are issued by the authority of the State of Design to correct an unsafe condition and are mandatory for all affected aircraft.

The owner or operator is responsible for continuing airworthiness; aircraft used in commercial air transport require a continuing airworthiness management organisation (CAMO).

The Aircraft Maintenance Programme must be approved by the competent authority and must include compliance with airworthiness directives and mandatory modifications.

The Airworthiness Review Certificate is valid for 1 year and is issued after an airworthiness review of the aircraft, its records and its maintenance status.

Defects may be deferred only under an approved deferral procedure that defines a time limit and confirms the defect does not hazard flight safety.

Continuing airworthiness records include the aircraft logbook, component records, AD status, modification status, mass and balance data and the certificate of release to service.

Part-ML applies to light non-commercial aircraft (for example aeroplanes up to 2730 kg); Part-M applies to the remaining aircraft, including those used in commercial air transport.

MEL, CDL, mass and balance and the weighing schedule are continuing airworthiness data that must remain valid for every flight.

ICAO Annex 1 covers personnel licensing, Annex 6 operation of aircraft, Annex 7 nationality and registration marks, Annex 8 airworthiness of aircraft and Annex 19 safety management.

Article 33 of the Chicago Convention: certificates of airworthiness and licences issued by a contracting State must be recognised by other States provided they meet or exceed ICAO minimum standards.

Article 37 obliges States to collaborate to secure the highest practicable degree of uniformity in regulations; differences from SARPs must be notified to ICAO under Article 38.

Standards in the Annexes are binding on contracting States; Recommended Practices are desirable but not mandatory.

National authorities issue licences and approvals for their own jurisdiction, for example the FAA under 14 CFR Parts 21/43/65/145, the UK CAA, and each EU Member State NAA.

A Part-66 licence issued by an EU Member State is valid throughout the EU; outside the EU it is accepted only through bilateral agreements or national acceptance.

ICAO's USOAP audits States' safety oversight capability and publishes findings, but it does not itself create maintenance or certification requirements.