European Aviation Safety Agency

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European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) is an agency of the European Union with offices in Cologne, Germany, which has been given specific regulatory and executive tasks in the field of aviation safety. It became operational on September 28, 2003, and continues to grow. It is expected to reach full staffing and functionality in 2006, but the public should expect a constant state of growth in this regulatory agency.

EASA may be thought of as the philosophical successor to the Joint Aviation Authorities (JAA), although it is not a legal successor agency. One main difference between EASA and JAA is that EASA has regulatory authority through the enactment of its regulations through the European Parliament, while most of the JAA regulatory products were merely harmonized codes without direct force of law (JAA's regulations needed to be implemented by the individual EU members to achieve force of law).

EASA exists in parallel with the National Aviation Authorities (NAAs) of the EU members. EASA has jurisdiction over new type certificates (design approval for aircraft, engines and propellers). EASA has undertaken the responsibility of negotiating international harmonization issues with the rest of the world on behalf of the EU member nations. EASA also sets policy for aeronautical repair stations (Part 145 organizations in Europe and the US - also known as Part 571 organizations in Canada) and issues repair station certificates for repair stations located outside the EU (which permits foreign repair stations to perform work acceptable to the European Union on EU aircraft). EASA is currently in the process of developing regulations for flight standards and will also soon be regulating this field as well.

1 EASA Part-66 Certifying Staff
2 EASA Part-145 Maintenance Organisation Approval
3 EASA Part-M Continuing Airworthiness
4 EASA Part-147 Training Organisation Requirements
5 See also
6 External link

[edit] EASA Part-66 Certifying Staff

In Europe, Aircraft Maintenance Technicians have to comply to part-66 Certifying Staff of the EASA.

Part 66 is based on the older JAR system and ATA 104 system. There are 4 levels of authorization:

level 1: General familiarisation , Unlicenced
level 2: Ramp and transit , Category A
level 3: Line and base maintenance, Category B1 (mechanical) and/or B2(avionics)
level 4: Release to Service , Category C

A significant difference between the US and the European systems is that in the United States, aircraft maintenance technicians (Part 65 Airframe and Powerplant Mechanics) are permitted to work under their own certificates and approve their own work for return to service. European Part 66 certificate holders are required to perform their functions under the aegis of a Part 145 organization. The part 145 organization in the EASA system has the authority to approve for return to service. Many non-European countries have been moving toward the European approach, most notably Canada (See Part 571 of the Canadian Aviation Regulations).

[edit] EASA Part-145 Maintenance Organisation Approval

To obtain approval to be an aeronautical repair station, an organisation must write, submit and keep updated a 'Maintenance Orangainsation Expostion (MOE). To support their MOE they must have a documented set of procedures. Thirdly the organisation must have a compliance matrix to show how they meet the requirements of Part-145.

[edit] EASA Part-M Continuing Airworthiness

The organisation must write a Continuing Airworthiness Management Expositioin (CAME), a set of supporting procedures and a compliance matrix to show how they comply with the Part-M requirements.

[edit] EASA Part-147 Training Organisation Requirements

To go with Part-66 on the issuing of licenses is the larger area of setting up and gaining approval for a training school for aircraft mechanics. Part-147 governs the larger situation of establishing such a training school