Opinion of the European Aviation Safety Agency for a Regulation amending Commission Regulation (EC) No 2042/2003 of 20 November 2003 on the continuing airworthiness of aircraft and aeronautical products, parts and appliances, and on the approval of organisations and personnel involved in these tasks.
Following a survey letter sent by the Agency to stakeholders and NAAs on 4 July 2011 and a workshop organised in Cologne on 27 October 2011, the Agency decided to create a ‘Part M General Aviation Task Force’ representing the diversity of General Aviation sectors, with the objective of discussing appropriate actions that would reduce the burden on the General Aviation community. Two separate phases were established:
- Phase I: Covering a first set of alleviations for which an extensive Regulatory Impact Assessment was not required (Maintenance Programmes and Airworthiness Reviews).
- Phase II: Covering other areas where further action was needed (rulemaking, standardisation, change management, etc.) but where more technical discussions and an extensive Regulatory Impact Assessment are required.
This Opinion covers the Phase I and proposes amendments to the rules in the following areas:
- Development of maintenance programmes by maintenance organisations.
- Possibility for the owner to declare the maintenance programme.
- Introduction of Minimum Inspection Programmes.
- Introduction of a simplified maintenance programme, which will be complemented in the AMC material by a template to customise the maintenance programme.
- Possibility for maintenance organisations to perform the airworthiness review at the same time as the annual inspection.
Later on, additional AMC material will be issued for the following:
- Clarification that, depending of the scope of work, the Subpart F maintenance organisation may not need a hangar and may use alternative suitable facilities.
- Introduction of guidance related to the use of the indirect approval procedure by the CAMO to introduce new type ratings in their scope of approval.
