How realistic would it be to set up one’s very personal own maintenance shop? As I read these pages, there would still be a need for a CAMO, if on EASA registry, and of course it would take a lot of tuition to pass the exams. Perhaps certain parts of the syllabus are not taught in any organised school?
Do I understand right that, for an N-reg, it would suffice to acquire A&P status?
How realistic would it be to set up one’s very personal own maintenance shop?
In EASA land this would be very very difficult. There are so many formal requirements for a part 145 organization that you need several people just doing paperwork, audits etc. Maybe the third or fourth person you hire is the first to turn any wrenches at all because the other ones are just sitting on their desk.
As you write for N-reg things are easier because at least you only require a personal A&P qualification so you can work on your own without the overhead of an organisation. But also for a pilot/owner with another job this would be tremendous effort.
The best approach is to team up with a local maintenance shop, do the labour intensive work yourself under their supervision and pay them for the inspections, paperwork etc. Also much work with old airplanes is diagnosing problems, chasing down parts etc. and that usually does not even require any formal maintenace qualification but lots of dedication…
Jan_Olieslagers wrote:
As I read these pages, there would still be a need for a CAMO, if on EASA registry, and of course it would take a lot of tuition to pass the exams.
CAMO is not mandatory for private operations, but having one makes things a lot easier for those with little maintenance experience. The Part 66 exams aren’t complex, either – the most onerous part is the actual maintenance experience as an unlicensed technician:
66.A.30(a)
An applicant for an aircraft maintenance licence shall have acquired:
1. for category A, subcategories B1.2 and B1.4 and category B3:
(i) 3 years of practical maintenance experience on operating aircraft, if the applicant has no previous relevant technical training; or
(ii) 2 years of practical maintenance experience on operating aircraft and completion of training considered relevant by the competent authority as a skilled worker, in a technical trade; or
(iii) 1 year of practical maintenance experience on operating aircraft and completion of a basic training course approved in accordance with Annex IV (Part-147);
2. for category B2 and subcategories B1.1 and B1.3:
(i) 5 years of practical maintenance experience on operating aircraft if the applicant has no previous relevant technical training; or
(ii) 3 years of practical maintenance experience on operating aircraft and completion of training considered relevant by the competent authority as a skilled worker, in a technical trade; or
(iii) 2 years of practical maintenance experience on operating aircraft and completion of a basic training course approved in accordance with Annex IV (Part-147);
Category B3 covers piston-engine non-pressurised aeroplanes of 2000 kg MTOM and below.
Category B2 covers avionics.
Thank you, dear old friend. Just to make sure: “Part 66”, is that EASA-speak, or FAA? It sounds like FAA in my memory, but your context, plus the rather vague references to “the competent authority” imply it is EASA. So if one is to take exams – which is not an absolute requirement, sufficient experience will do, too, as I read you – those exams can still be geverned nationally?
@Sebastian: thanks, you confirmed my earlier impressions.
@Jan_Olieslagers, Part 66 here is EASA-speak. The exams are required in addition to practical experience, but unlike CPL/ATPL ones, self-study is allowed, and the exams themselves aren’t difficult. If I remember correctly, the question bank is EU-wide, but the exams are administered at a national level. In Czech Republic, they aren’t even held at the CAA but rather directly at the schools.
@Sebastian_G, you don’t have to have Part 145 approval to do your own maintenance. Everything you will need is covered by Part M Subpart F, and even that is only necessary if you do things like engine overhaul. Simpler operations like annuals and line maintenance can be done with just a Part 66 license (a.k.a. AML) as described in Part M Subpart H.
I have seen some of the EASA66 exam material and it is appalling. Even worse than the bollox filled JAA ATPL stuff. And many of the electrical or electronic topics have simply wrong answers so if you know the topic you will probably fail it. An A&P friend did this stuff and asked me about it so I saw it.
But I think the work experience requirement would be the biggest barrier.
But ultimately the whole proposition comes down it being viable if you don’t cost in your time. That is the biggest cost saver with a homebuilt too (comparing like for like). There is no free lunch.
The next factor after free labour is skimping on maintenance that is actually required, which is generally illegal on certified but generally legal on a homebuilt. But it happens widely…
If you want to improve the maintenance situation then the key thing is to put together a good team. On an N reg you just need the A&P/IA but a similar thing is possible under EASA with a Subpart G working out of the back of a van. Avoiding the use of a company saves a few k a year immediately, but needs a hangar you can work in, which is precisely why landowners don’t like people doing work in hangars…
Peter wrote:
a similar thing is possible under EASA with a Subpart G working out of the back of a van
It’s Subpart H. Subpart G is CAMO.
Am I right that ELA2 needs an EASA66 guy (or gurl) plus a CAMO to sign it off?
Peter, not exactly so. It’s true that for ELA2, unlike ELA1, the maintenance organisation cannot issue the ARC by itself. However, to have an ARC issued or extended, you can use a CAMO (in principle, your maintenance organisation may also hold a CAMO (Subpart G) approval), or you can apply directly to the CAA. In the UK, the former option is obviously easier, but in other countries your mileage may vary.
However, according to e.g. this document, ELA2 aircraft will be granted the same regime as ELA1 around 2017.
