CAR Module 10 (DGCA)

Cheatsheet Content

### CAR Module 10: Aviation Legislation (DGCA) - Comprehensive This module is crucial for DGCA Aircraft Maintenance Engineers (AMEs), covering the entire regulatory framework governing aviation safety and airworthiness in India. It integrates national laws, international agreements, and specific DGCA Civil Aviation Requirements (CARs), Airworthiness Advisory Circulars (AACs), and Airworthiness Procedures Manuals (APMs). **Key Areas:** Regulatory Bodies, Legislation, Personnel Licensing, Airworthiness, Maintenance Organizations, and Documentation. ### Regulatory Framework & Bodies - **Aircraft Act, 1934:** The foundational law empowering the central government to regulate civil aviation. - **Aircraft Rules, 1937:** Detailed rules framed under the Act, covering various aspects like registration, airworthiness, personnel licensing, and operations. - **Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA):** - **Functions:** Regulation of air transport services, airworthiness standards, licensing of personnel, accident/incident investigation (minor), environmental protection, approval of training organizations. - **Organizational Structure:** Divided into various directorates (e.g., Airworthiness, Flight Standards, Regulations & Information, Air Safety, Training & Licensing). - **Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS):** Regulates civil aviation security. - **Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB):** Investigates serious incidents and accidents. ### International Conventions & ICAO - **Chicago Convention 1944:** Established the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and fundamental principles of international air navigation. - **Sovereignty:** Each state has complete and exclusive sovereignty over the airspace above its territory. - **Freedom of the Air:** Rights for scheduled and non-scheduled flights. - **International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO):** - **Role:** Develops Standards and Recommended Practices (SARPs) for international civil aviation. Member states are expected to conform to SARPs. - **Annexes to Chicago Convention (Key for AMEs):** - **Annex 1:** Personnel Licensing (AME licensing). - **Annex 6:** Operation of Aircraft (Part I: Commercial Air Transport - Aeroplanes; Part II: General Aviation - Aeroplanes; Part III: Helicopters). - **Annex 7:** Aircraft Nationality and Registration Marks. - **Annex 8:** Airworthiness of Aircraft (C of A, continuing airworthiness). - **Annex 13:** Aircraft Accident and Incident Investigation. - **Annex 14:** Aerodromes. - **Annex 16:** Environmental Protection. ### Aircraft Registration & Marking (CAR Section 2, Series F, Part I) - **Mandatory:** All aircraft operating in India must be registered. - **Registration Process:** Application to DGCA, proof of ownership. - **Nationality Mark:** **VT-** for India (as per ICAO Annex 7). - **Registration Marks:** Three letters (e.g., VT-ABC). - **Location:** Clearly displayed on fuselage, wings, and fin as per CAR. - **Certificate of Registration (C of R):** Issued by DGCA, details owner, aircraft type, registration marks. Must be carried on board. ### Airworthiness & Certificates (CAR Section 2, Series F, Part II & III) - **Definition:** The state of an aircraft meeting its type design and being in a condition for safe operation. - **Certificate of Airworthiness (C of A):** - **Purpose:** Certifies that an aircraft conforms to its type design and is in a condition for safe operation. - **Issuance:** By DGCA, after satisfactory inspection and compliance with CARs. - **Validity:** Specified period (typically 1 year), renewable. Depends on satisfactory maintenance and inspections. - **Types:** Standard C of A, Special C of A (e.g., restricted, experimental). - **Permit to Fly (CAR Section 2, Series F, Part III):** - **Purpose:** Issued for aircraft that do not qualify for a C of A (e.g., ferry flights, test flights, prototype aircraft, after major repairs). - **Conditions:** Specific limitations and conditions apply. - **Continuing Airworthiness:** - **Responsibility:** Owner/Operator is primarily responsible. - **Means:** Scheduled maintenance, defect rectification, Airworthiness Directives (ADs), Service Bulletins (SBs), modifications, and repairs. - **Airworthiness Directives (ADs):** Mandatory instructions issued by the DGCA (or country of origin) to correct unsafe conditions in aircraft. Compliance is mandatory. - **Service Bulletins (SBs):** Recommendations from manufacturers for modifications or inspections. May become mandatory if referenced in an AD or required by the operator's maintenance program. ### Aircraft Maintenance Organization (AMO) (CAR Section 2, Series E, Part I & II - now CAR 145) - **Approval:** AMOs must be approved by DGCA as per **CAR 145**. - **Scope of Approval:** Specifies the types of aircraft/components and maintenance activities the AMO is authorized to perform. - **Accountability:** The AMO is responsible for the quality and airworthiness of maintenance performed. - **Maintenance Organization Exposition (MOE):** - **Mandatory Document:** Details the AMO's organization, procedures, facilities, personnel, scope of work, and quality system. - **Approval:** Must be approved by DGCA. Any changes require DGCA approval. - **Content:** Management system, safety management system, human factors, maintenance procedures, quality audit system, record-keeping. - **Quality System:** Mandatory. Ensures compliance with CARs and organizational procedures. Includes independent audits. - **Facilities:** Adequate hangars, workshops, stores, and office accommodation. - **Equipment & Tools:** Calibrated and suitable for the scope of work. - **Personnel:** Sufficient qualified and authorized personnel (AMEs, technicians). ### AME Licensing & Privileges (CAR Section 2, Series L, Part I - now CAR 66) - **CAR 66:** The primary regulation for Aircraft Maintenance Engineer (AME) licensing in India. - **Categories of AME License:** - **Category A:** Line Maintenance Certifying Mechanic (minor scheduled line maintenance, simple defect rectification). - **Category B1:** Mechanical (Aeroplanes Turbine, Aeroplanes Piston, Helicopters Turbine, Helicopters Piston). Certifies airframe, engine, mechanical, and electrical systems. - **Category B2:** Avionics (Avionics and Electrical systems). - **Category B3:** Piston Engine Aeroplanes (non-pressurised, less than 2000 kg MTOW). - **Category C:** Base Maintenance Certifying Engineer (certifies entire aircraft after base maintenance). - **Type Rating:** Specific endorsement on the license for a particular aircraft type (e.g., Boeing 737, Airbus A320). Required for certifying maintenance on that type. - **Privileges:** What an AME is legally authorized to certify. Directly linked to license category, sub-category, and type ratings. - **Requirements for License Issuance:** - **Age:** Minimum 18 years. - **Educational Qualification:** 10+2 with Physics, Chemistry, Maths or equivalent. - **Experience:** Specified practical maintenance experience (e.g., for B1/B2, typically 5 years in an AMO for non-basic course holders, less for approved basic course graduates). - **Examinations:** Pass modular examinations conducted by DGCA. - **Practical Assessment:** Demonstrate competency. - **License Validity:** 5 years, subject to meeting recency requirements (e.g., 6 months of maintenance experience in the preceding 2 years). - **Suspension/Revocation:** Grounds include fraud, negligence, non-compliance with CARs, substance abuse. ### Maintenance Release & Records (CAR M & CAR 145) - **Maintenance Release (Certificate of Release to Service - CRS):** - **Purpose:** A formal statement, signed by an appropriately authorized person (AME or AMO certifying staff), certifying that the maintenance work has been completed satisfactorily, and the aircraft/component is airworthy and ready for service. - **Content:** Details of work performed, date, time, location, identity of the certifying staff, cross-reference to work order. - **Requirement:** Mandatory after any maintenance. - **Aircraft Logbooks & Records:** - **Mandatory:** Aircraft Logbook, Engine Logbook, Propeller Logbook, Component Logbooks. - **Purpose:** Detailed history of the aircraft, engines, and components, including flight hours, cycles, maintenance performed, AD/SB compliance, modifications, and repairs. - **Retention:** Records must be retained for specified periods (e.g., for the life of the aircraft for critical components). - **Technical Log (Tech Log):** Carried on board. Records defects, flight hours, cycles, fuel, oil, and minor maintenance tasks. ### Safety Management Systems (SMS) (CAR Section 5, Series F, Part I) - **Mandatory:** For operators and AMOs. - **Purpose:** A systematic approach to managing safety, including the necessary organizational structures, accountabilities, policies, and procedures. - **Components:** 1. **Safety Policy & Objectives:** Management commitment. 2. **Safety Risk Management:** Hazard identification, risk assessment, mitigation. 3. **Safety Assurance:** Monitoring and evaluation of safety performance. 4. **Safety Promotion:** Training, communication, safety culture. - **Human Factors:** Integration of human factors principles into SMS and maintenance procedures to minimize human error. ### CAR Series and Parts Overview (Key for AMEs) - **CAR Section 2 (Airworthiness):** - **Series A:** General Airworthiness. - **Series E:** Aircraft Maintenance Organization (Now CAR 145). - **Series F:** Airworthiness Certificates, Registration, Continuing Airworthiness. - Part I: Aircraft Registration and Marking. - Part II: Certificate of Airworthiness. - Part III: Permit to Fly. - Part IV: Continuing Airworthiness Requirements. - **Series L:** Aircraft Maintenance Engineer Licensing (Now CAR 66). - **Series M:** Maintenance Procedures. - **CAR 145:** Approval of Maintenance Organizations. - **CAR M:** Continuing Airworthiness Management. - **CAR 21:** Certification of Aircraft and Related Products, Parts, and Appliances, and Design Organizations. - **CAR 66:** Licensing of Aircraft Maintenance Engineers. - **CAR 147:** Maintenance Training Organizations. - **CAR Section 3 (Air Transport):** - **Series C:** Operation of Aircraft (e.g., minimum equipment list - MEL). - **CAR Section 5 (Air Safety):** - **Series F:** Safety Management System. ### Miscellaneous Important Topics - **Minimum Equipment List (MEL) & Master Minimum Equipment List (MMEL):** - **MMEL:** Developed by the aircraft manufacturer, approved by the primary airworthiness authority (e.g., FAA, EASA). Lists equipment that may be inoperative under specified conditions. - **MEL:** Operator-specific document, derived from the MMEL, approved by DGCA. Allows operation of an aircraft with certain items of equipment inoperative, provided specific conditions and procedures are followed. - **Configuration Deviation List (CDL):** Lists external structural items that may be missing from an aircraft and the associated performance penalties. - **Defect Reporting & Rectification:** Procedures for reporting defects, troubleshooting, and ensuring proper rectification. - **Modifications & Repairs:** Requirements for approval and embodiment of modifications and repairs, ensuring continued airworthiness. - **Stores & Material Control:** Requirements for storage, segregation, and control of aircraft parts and materials (e.g., new, used, serviceable, unserviceable, condemned). Traceability. - **Fuel, Oil, and Consumables:** Quality control, handling, and documentation. - **Dangerous Goods:** Regulations for transport of dangerous goods by air (ICAO Annex 18 and DGCA CAR Section 10). - **Legal Liabilities:** AMEs' responsibilities and potential liabilities for negligence or non-compliance.