10.2 Certifying Staff Flashcards
Support staff are personnel with the appropriate aircraft-rated category B or L Part-66 licence who, in accordance with an authorisation delivered by the organisation, verify or perform maintenance during base maintenance activities. The maintenance that is verified is within the scope of his/her authorisation.
The use of support staff with type-rated B licence is required during base maintenance of complex motor-powered aircraft (CMPA). For base maintenance of other types of aircraft, support staff is not required but may be used.
Aircraft maintenance licences include the following categories
Category A, divided into the following subcategories:
A1 Aeroplanes Turbine;
A2 Aeroplanes Piston;
A3 Helicopters Turbine;
A4 Helicopters Piston.
Category B1, divided into the following subcategories:
B1.1 Aeroplanes Turbine;
B1.2 Aeroplanes Piston;
B1.3 Helicopters Turbine;
B1.4 Helicopters Piston.
Category B2
The B2 licence is applicable to all aircraft.
Category B2L
The B2L licence is applicable to all aircraft other than those in Group 1
communication/navigation (com/nav),
instruments,
autoflight,
surveillance,
airframe systems.
The B3 licence is applicable to piston-engine non-pressurised aeroplanes of 2 000 kg Maximum Take-off Mass (MTOM) and below
L1C: composite sailplanes,
L1: sailplanes,
L2C: composite powered sailplanes and composite ELA1 aeroplanes,
L2: powered sailplanes and ELA1 aeroplanes,
L3H: hot-air balloons,
L3G: gas balloons,
L4H: hot-air airships,
L4G: ELA2 gas airships,
L5: gas airships other than ELA2.
Category C
The C licence is applicable to aeroplanes and helicopters.
Aircraft groups
Group 1: complex motor-powered aircraft, helicopters with multiple engines, aeroplanes with maximum certified operating altitude exceeding FL290, aircraft equipped with fly-by-wire systems, gas airships other than ELA2 and other aircraft requiring an aircraft type rating when defined as such by the CAA.
subgroup 2a:
single turboprop engine aeroplanes,
those turbojet and multiple-turboprop aeroplanes classified by the CAA in this subgroup because of their lower complexity.
subgroup 2b:
single turbine engine helicopters,
those multiple turbine engine helicopters classified by the CAA in this subgroup because of their lower complexity.
subgroup 2c:
single piston engine helicopters,
those multiple piston engine helicopters classified by the CAA in this subgroup because of their lower complexity
Group 3: piston engine aeroplanes other than those in Group 1.
Group 4: sailplanes, powered sailplanes, balloons and airships, other than those in Group 1
Definition of Complex motor-powered aircraft shall mean:
An aircraft:
With a maximum certificated take-off mass exceeding 5700 kg, or
Certificated for a maximum passenger seating configuration of more than nineteen
Certificated for operations with a minimum crew of at least two pilots
Equipped with (a) turbojet engine(s) or more than one turboprop engine
Definition of Complex motor-powered aircraft shall mean:
a helicopter:
With a maximum certificated take-off mass exceeding 3175 kg, or
For a maximum passenger seating configuration of more than nine, or
For operations with a minimum crew of at least two pilots, or
A tilt-rotor aircraft
An application for an aircraft maintenance licence or change to such licence shall be made on an CAA Form 19
once a Form 19 is submitted (including evidence of experience) to the Authority, an assessment of the application is completed by a Licensing Officer and technical standards surveyor. Following an acceptable assessment, the Licence (Form 26) is then processed, signed and dispatched to the individual.
An applicant for an aircraft maintenance licence shall be at least 18 years of age
Line maintenance: Is any maintenance that is carried out before flight to ensure that the aircraft is fit for the intended flight. This may include, troubleshooting, defect rectification, fluid replenishment and wheel/brake changes
Base maintenance: Involves the removal of an aircraft from service, usually more than one day and up to 30 days. However, depending on the design of the maintenance program it could take up to 3 months. Base Maintenance occurs in a hangar, where the aircraft is separated from its operating environment; specialised tools and equipment are required.
Support Staff: In Base Maintenance, the Cat-B engineers are known as support staff as they are supporting the Cat-C engineer who is in overall control of the base maintenance
A category A aircraft maintenance licence permits the holder to issue certificates of release to service following minor scheduled line maintenance and simple defect rectification within the limits of tasks specifically endorsed on the certification authorisation referred to in point 145.A.35 of Annex II (Part-145). The certification privileges shall be restricted to work that the licence holder has personally performed in the maintenance organisation that issued the certification authorisation
A category B1 aircraft maintenance licence shall permit the holder to issue certificates of release to service and to act as B1 support staff following:
maintenance performed on aircraft structure, powerplant and mechanical and electrical systems,
work on avionic systems requiring only simple tests to prove their serviceability and not requiring troubleshooting.
A category L aircraft maintenance licence shall permit the holder to issue certificates of release to service and to act as L support staff for the following:
maintenance performed on aircraft structure, power plant and mechanical and electrical systems;
work on radio, Emergency Locator Transmitters (ELT) and transponder systems; and
work on other avionics systems requiring simple tests to prove their serviceability.
he category B2 licence does not include any A subcategory.
A category B2L aircraft maintenance licence shall permit the holder to issue certificates of release to service and to act as B2L support staff for the following:
maintenance performed on electrical systems;
maintenance performed on avionics systems within the limits of the system ratings specifically endorsed on the licence, and
when holding the ‘airframe system’ rating, performance of electrical and avionics tasks within power plant and mechanical systems, requiring only simple tests to prove their serviceability.
A category B3 aircraft maintenance licence shall permit the holder to issue certificates of release to service and to act as B3 support staff for the following:
maintenance performed on aeroplane structure, power plant and mechanical and electrical systems; and
work on avionics systems requiring only simple tests to prove their serviceability and not requiring troubleshooting.
for category B2 and subcategories B1.1 and B1.3:
5 years of practical maintenance experience on operating aircraft if the applicant has no previous relevant technical training; or
3 years of practical maintenance experience on operating aircraft and completion of training considered relevant by the CAA as a skilled worker, in a technical trade; or
2 years of practical maintenance experience on operating aircraft and completion of a basic training course approved in accordance with Annex IV (Part-147)
for category C with respect to complex motor-powered aircraft:
3 years of experience exercising category B1.1, B1.3 or B2 privileges on complex motor-powered aircraft or as support staff according to point 145.A.35, or, a combination of both; or
5 years of experience exercising category B1.2 or B1.4 privileges on complex motor-powered aircraft or as support staff according to point 145.A.35, or a combination of both;
The aircraft maintenance licence becomes invalid 5 years after its last issue or change, unless the holder submits his/her aircraft maintenance licence to the CAA that issued it, in order to verify that the information contained in the licence is the same as that contained in the CAA records, pursuant to point 66.B.120.
The holder of an aircraft maintenance licence shall complete the relevant parts of CAA Form 19 (see Appendix V) and submit it with the holder’s copy of the licence to the CAA, unless the holder works in a maintenance organisation approved in accordance with Annex II (Part-145) that has a procedure in its exposition whereby such organisation may submit the necessary documentation on behalf of the aircraft maintenance licence holder.
Any certification privilege based upon a aircraft maintenance licence becomes invalid as soon as the aircraft maintenance licence is invalid.
The aircraft maintenance licence is only valid (i) when issued and/or changed by the CAA and (ii) when the holder has signed the document.
For category B1, B2 or C, the relevant aircraft ratings are the following:
for Group 1 aircraft, the appropriate aircraft type rating;
for Group 2 aircraft, the appropriate aircraft type rating, manufacturer subgroup rating or full subgroup rating;
for Group 3 aircraft, the appropriate aircraft type rating or full group rating;
for Group 4 aircraft, for the category B2 licence, the full group rating
for category B1, unless the applicant provides evidence of appropriate experience, Group 3 rating shall be subject to the following limitations, which shall be endorsed on the licence:
pressurised aeroplanes,
metal-structure aeroplanes,
composite-structure aeroplanes,
wooden-structure aeroplanes,
aeroplanes with metal-tubing structure covered with fabric;
For all L licence subcategories, other than L5:
the endorsement of ratings requires demonstration of practical experience which shall include a representative cross section of maintenance activities relevant to the licence subcategory;
unless the applicant provides evidence of appropriate experience, the ratings shall be subject to certain limitations, defined under Part-66, which shall be endorsed on the licence.
Limitations can be included on an aircraft maintenance license which exclude the license holder from exercising some certification privileges e.g. a Cat B1 candidate who held a mechanical aircraft engineering license prior to the creation of the new B1 system (pre-2003) could still be issued a Cat B1 license but they were not permitted to carry out electrical tasks.
Limitations attached to aircraft engineering licenses can be removed once a candidate demonstrates that they have enough experience, or they successfully complete a practical assessment performed by the CAA.
Personnel exercising certification privileges as well as support staff shall produce their licence, as evidence of qualification, within 24 hours upon request by an authorised person.
The CAA shall suspend, limit or revoke the aircraft maintenance licence where it has identified a safety issue or if it has clear evidence that the person has carried out or been involved in one or more of the following activities:
obtaining the aircraft maintenance licence and/or the certification privileges by falsification of documentary evidence;
failing to carry out requested maintenance combined with failure to report such fact to the organisation or person who requested the maintenance;
failing to carry out required maintenance resulting from own inspection combined with failure to report such fact to the organisation or person for whom the maintenance was intended to be carried out;
negligent maintenance;
falsification of the maintenance record;
issuing a certificate of release to service knowing that the maintenance specified on the certificate of release to service has not been carried out or without verifying that such maintenance has been carried out;
carrying out maintenance or issuing a certificate of release to service when adversely affected by alcohol or drugs;
issuing certificate of release to service while not in compliance with Annex I (Part-M), Annex II (Part-145) or Annex III (Part-66).
B2 licenses can certify on any aircraft irrespective of if it is an aeroplane or a helicopter or if it has a piston or turbine engine
in which group would an aircraft with max certified take-off mass of 7000kg be categorised
group 1
