Fundamental Definitions in Aviation Legislation
Acceptable means of compliance is an additional document which is developed by the Agency and the Member States may use to establish compliance with the relevant Part. When the acceptable means of compliance are complied with, the related requirements of this Part shall be considered as met.
Accountable manager means the manager who has corporate authority for ensuring that all applicable activities can be financed and carried out to the standard required by the Authority.
Air carrier is an organisation certified or licensed to carry passengers or goods by air.
Aircraft means any machine that can derive support in the atmosphere from the reactions of the air other than reactions of the air against the earth’s surface. It includes aeroplanes and helicopters.
Aircraft component means any engine, propeller, part or appliance. “parts and appliances” shall mean any instrument, equipment, mechanism, part, apparatus, appurtenance or accessory, including communications equipment, that is used or intended to be used in operating or controlling an aircraft in flight and is installed in or attached to the aircraft. It includes parts of an airframe, engine or propeller.
Aircraft maintenance licence means a document issued as evidence of qualification confirming that the person to whom it refers has met the Part-66 knowledge and experience requirements for any aircraft basic category and aircraft type rating specified in the document.
Airframe means the fuselage, booms, nacelles, cowlings, fairings, aerofoil surfaces (including rotors but excluding propellers and rotating aerofoils of engines), and landing gear of an aircraft and their accessories and controls.
Air operator is an organisation engaged in or offering to engage in aircraft operation.
Airworthiness means a condition in which the aircraft, airframe, engine, propeller, accessories, and appliances meet their type design and are in a condition for safe operation.
Airworthiness Directive (AD, CN, BLA…) is a mandatory order issued by an aviation authority usually applying to specific types of aircraft, engines or appliances, when an unsafe condition exists and that condition is likely to exist or develop in other aircraft, engines or appliances of the same design.
Alternate equipment is equipment, other than recommended by the OEM in the maintenance manual, but at least equal to the recommended with respect to form, fit and function, as established by means of an equivalence determination process.
Alternate part is part which is fully interchangeable with its original (form, fit and function), even though it may bear a different part number.
Approved by the Authority means documented by the Authority as suitable for the purpose intended.
Approved Maintenance Organisation (AMO) is a maintenance organisations appropriately approved under Part-145.
Approved Training Organisation (ATO) is a training organisations appropriately approved under Part-147.
Audit means comprehensive detailed examination of a procedure or work performance to ensure full compliance with the approved requirements and applicable standards.
Authority means: 1. The competent body responsible for the safety regulation of Civil Aviation; or 2. An official or government body with the power to make decisions; or 3. Complete control or power over something.
Calibration means periodically compare precision tools and measuring & test equipment with calibration standards. These calibration standards must be traceable to national or international standards.
Category A Certifying Staff means line maintenance certifying mechanic.
Category B1 Certifying Staff means line maintenance certifying technician – mechanical.
Category B2 Certifying Staff means line maintenance certifying technician – avionic.
Category C Certifying Staff means base maintenance certifying engineer.
Category B1 and B2 support staff means those category B1 and B2 staff in the base maintenance environment who do not hold necessarily certification privileges.
Certification Authorisation means the authorisation issued to certifying staff by the approved maintenance organization and which specifies the fact that they may sign certificates of release to service within the limitations stated in such authorisation on behalf of the approved maintenance organisation.
Certificate of Airworthiness means a document issued by an aviation authority stating that an aircraft meets specific safety and performance requirements that allow it to be used in service.
Certificate of Release to Service is a document which shall be issued before flight/use showing that all required aircraft/component maintenance activities in accordance with the regulations are correctly carried out.
Certifying staff means those personnel who are authorised by the approved maintenance organisation in accordance with a procedure acceptable to the Authority to certify aircraft or aircraft components for release to service.
Civil aircraft means any aircraft on the civil register of a State, other than those which that State treats as being in the service of the State, either permanently or temporarily.
Civil Aviation Authority means the organisation which licences operators, aircraft and employees for non-military aviation.
Commercial Air Transport means the carriage of Passengers/Cargo/Mail for remuneration
Competent authority means the capable authority designated to monitor and control a real or legal person services under a specific regulation.
Component means a part or a construction of parts, sub-assemblies or units that can perform an individual function in an aircraft system, and/or may be disassembled such as engine, propeller, …
Consumables are any material which is only used once, such as lubricants, compounds, paints, chemicals, dyes, sealants, and or low value parts, such as bolts, nuts, and inserts, etc. That are routinely replaced for economic reasons.
Continuing airworthiness means all of the processes ensuring that, at any time in its operating life, the aircraft complies with the airworthiness requirements in force and is in a condition for safe operation.
Crew member means a person assigned to perform duty in an aircraft during flight time.
Engine means an engine used or intended to be used for aircraft propulsion. It consists of at least those components and equipment necessary for the functioning and control, but excludes the propeller.
Equipment is all tooling and other means used by maintenance staff for the execution of maintenance on aircraft, components and engines.
Equivalent equipment (See alternate equipment.)
Equivalent Part (See alternate part)
ETOPS is an acronym for Extended-range Twin-engine Operational Performance Standards, an International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) rule permitting twin-engined commercial air transporters to fly routes that, at some points, are farther than a distance of 60 minutes’ flying time from an emergency or diversion airport with one engine inoperative.
Expendable Parts are parts for which no authorized repair procedure exists or for which the cost of repair would not be economical.
Flight crew member means a pilot, flight engineer, or flight navigator assigned to duty in an aircraft during flight time.
Human Factors means principles which apply to aeronautical design, certification, training, operations and maintenance and which seek safe interface between the human and other system components by proper consideration of human performance.
Human Performance means human capabilities and limitations which have an impact on the safety and efficiency of aeronautical operations.
Inspection means the examination of an aircraft/aircraft component to establish conformity with an approved standard.
Large aeroplane means an aeroplane of more than 5 700 kg (12 500 pounds) maximum certificated take-off weight.
Legal person means registered organisation.
Life Limited Parts are parts that upon reaching a certain life-limit may no longer be used, regardless of their condition unless life-limit is extended by OEM with proper approval.
Local Authority means a government body responsible for the various services doing within an area locally.
Maintenance means any one or combination of overhaul, repair, inspection, replacement, modification or defect rectification of an aircraft/aircraft component.
Maintenance data means any information necessary to ensure that the aircraft or aircraft component can be maintained in a condition such that airworthiness of the aircraft, or serviceability of operational and emergency equipment as appropriate, is assured.
Maintenance Organisation Exposition means the document(s) that contain the material required by Part-145 to show how the organisation complies with regulations.
Master Minimum Equipment List (MMEL) is a document which lists the equipment that may temporarily be inoperative, subject to certain conditions, whilst maintaining an acceptable level of safety. MMEL does not take into account the operating circumstances of individual operators of the type concerned and therefore it cannot, in itself, be regarded as providing operational permission.
Measuring & test equipment means equipment used to perform a measurement value and its accuracy is decisive for the release to service of the aircraft, component or engine.
Minimum Equipment List (MEL) is a document that allows for the operation of an individual aircraft by a specific operator under specified conditions, with particular item(s) of equipment inoperative at the time of dispatch for an intended flight.
Modification means the alteration of an aircraft/aircraft component in conformity with an approved standard.
National Aviation Authority means a government body (belonging to a country) responsible for the various aviation services doing within that country.
New-unused parts (Surplus) are product, assembly, accessory, component, part or material produced in conformity with approved data which has been released as surplus by the manufacturer, owner-operator, repair facility, etc., has no operating time cycles and may be accompanied by the manufacturer’s certification at the time of sale, and which is being sold by a person other than the Original Equipment Manufacturer.
OEM standard parts are parts that are designed by an Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) and incorporated in the OEM Aircraft Maintenance Manual. The OEM standard Parts are identified with an OEM part number. For example: BAC (Boeing), etc.
Overhaul is the restoration of an aircraft/aircraft component by inspection and replacement in conformity with an approved standard to extend the operational life.
Pre-flight inspection means the inspection carried out before flight to ensure that the aircraft is fit or the intended flight.
Principal Place of Business means the head office or the registered office of the undertaking within which the principal financial functions and operational control of the activities are exercised.
Product shall mean an aircraft, engine or propeller.
Qualified Personnel are persons having required qualifications (experience, basic, specialised or task training, age limits, etc.) for performing maintenance or inspection according to the approved procedures and maintenance data.
Quality Control Delegate (QCD) means quality control delegate is a qualified person delegated by the Quality department to inspect maintenance work performed according to the assigned code defining the scope of authority delegated to him.
Quality policy is the overall intentions and direction of an organisation as regards quality, as approved by the accountable manager.
Repair means the restoration of an aircraft/aircraft component to a serviceable condition in conformity with an approved standard.
Required Inspection Item (RII) is a mandatory maintenance activity that, due to its importance to the overall airworthiness of an aircraft, must be inspected after being accomplished Required Inspection Items will include, at a minimum those items that could result in failure, malfunction, or defect endangering the safe operation of the aircraft if maintenance is not performed properly or if improper parts or materials are used.
Rotable Component is a component that, in principle, is repairable without lifetime restrictions.
Relevant aircraft and/or components means those aircraft or components specified in the particular certification authorisation.
Scheduled (routine) maintenance is the performance of required maintenance tasks at prescribed intervals.
Service Bulletin (SB) is a document issued by the manufacturer to notify the owner or operator of an aircraft(or engine or other device) of recommended(or required by Airworthiness Directive) modifications, substitute parts, special inspections/checks, reduction of existing life limits or establishment of first time life limits and conversions from one engine model to another. Service Bulletins may or may not be approved by the authorities.
Standard Part is a part manufactured in complete compliance with an established U.S. government or industry accepted specification, which includes design, manufacturing, and uniform identification requirements. The specification must include all information necessary to produce and conform to the part. The specification must be published so that any party may manufacture the part. For example: NAS, MS, DIN, AN, AS, SAE etc.
Structural inspection is a detailed inspection of the airframe structure-may require special techniques to determine the continuous integrity of the airframe and its related parts.
Subcontractor is vendor performing subcontracted maintenance.
Supplemental Type Certificate means a type certificate issued to approve the major changes on the type design.
Type Certificate is a document issued by an aviation authority which indicates that the design of a certain aircraft, engine etc has been approved.
Unscheduled (non-routine) maintenance is the performance of maintenance tasks when mechanical irregularities occur. These irregularities are categorized as to whether or not they occur during flight time.
Vendor means any person who delivers a product and./or services to E&M, whether this is a manufacturer, distributor, surplus dealer, repair station, aircraft maintenance organisation or airline.