The safety of our gliders is achieved through a process of design, certification, operations and maintenance. All aspects of this process need to be managed, because each depends on the others. The outcome of this process is Airworthiness.
Many parts of this process occur out of sight of the pilot or maintainer, but they underpin the whole system. Once a glider has been issued a Certificate of Airworthiness, the average pilot or maintainer is not concerned with anything except the operations and maintenance of the glider.
GAus Manuals of Standard Procedures (MOSP) provide the rules, particularly MOSP3 – Airworthiness. Many pilots think that airworthiness is in the hands of the inspector who signs for the Annual Inspection on their glider each year, but this is only partly true. The Annual Inspector (AI) does indeed have responsibilities for airworthiness, but MOSP3, and the Civil Aviation Safety Regulations, place the primary responsibility for an aircraft’s continuing airworthiness with the Registered Operator (RO).
The RO is the person or organisation that has custody of the aircraft and whose name is recorded in the aircraft register. The responsibilities of the RO are covered by MOSP3 and the GAus Registered Operator’s Handbook (AIRW-M02) provides a handy summary. If you are a Registered Operator, the RO Handbook is essential reading.
RO Responsibilities
The continuing airworthiness of an aircraft depends on a range of issues, all of which are the responsibility of the RO. These include:
* Ensuring that details of the RO and the Registration Holder held by GAus are correct at all times, because GAus will always contact the RO on airworthiness matters.
*Ensuring that they obtain all airworthiness information relating to their aircraft from the Type Certificate (TC) Holder, the National Airworthiness Authority (NAA) of the State-of-Design for the aircraft, engine, propeller and other equipment (noting that they are often different organisations), CASA and GAus
* Ensuring that the aircraft is maintained in accordance with its approved system of maintenance (ie, Form 2 or an approved Logbook Statement) and that any Logbook Statement is appropriate to the aircraft’s class of operation.
* Ensuring that all required maintenance - including annual inspections, periodic and non-periodic maintenance, replacement of lifed components, as well as life extension inspections or surveys - are completed at the appropriate time in service or due date, and that the aircraft is not flown if required maintenance is outstanding;
* Ensuring that all modifications and repairs are approved, and that only approved spare parts are used;
* Ensuring that all airworthiness activities are conducted by authorised and qualified individuals to approved standards;
* Ensuring that the aircraft’s documents, including the Flight Manual and any Maintenance Manuals, are available and up to date; and
* Ensuring that all the aircraft’s maintenance records and servicing history are maintained and retained.
This does not mean that the RO has to do all these things themselves, only that they must ensure that they are done. If a glider is owned by a syndicate, the jobs can be distributed among members, but only one can be the designated RO, and that person is responsible overall for the discharge of the duties of the RO.
For aircraft owned by clubs or commercial organisations, the Airworthiness Administration Officer (AAO) acts as the RO on the organisation’s behalf, although the organisation remains the RO. Neither the RO or the AAO is required to be an Annual Inspector.
The Value of Being Organised
From the list above it is obvious that the responsibilities of the RO are not trivial, nor are they onerous. Once organised, the tasks need only take a few hours each year. Being organised means that all records and data are available and up-to-date when the time comes for the annual inspection, and that major airworthiness events, such as the expiry of a lifed component, an engine or propeller overhaul or a life extension inspection do not come as a nasty surprise. An organised approach also minimises the risk that required maintenance is overlooked or missed.
It also means that the costs of routine maintenance are minimised. Engaging an Annual Inspector from a commercial organisation to do work for which the RO is responsible can be very expensive. If a volunteer Annual Inspector is requested to do the inspection, tidy, well organised and complete documentation can make their job a lot easier, quicker and a lot less onerous. If the opposite is true, the inspector may not be willing to volunteer for the next inspection – word gets around!
The result of the RO's efforts should be a tidy, well organised, complete and up-to-date package of information that can be presented to the Annual Inspector or AMO. The package should contain, as a minimum:
* the aircraft’s logbooks complete and up-to-date,
* previous maintenance releases,
* the previous year’s Form 2,
* other maintenance documentation (W&B records, Survey/Life Extension reports, Engineering orders, approval documents for spare parts or replacement components, etc)
* the Certificate of Airworthiness and Certificate of Registration,
* a list and copies of all applicable Airworthiness Directives, Airworthiness Alerts, Airworthiness Notices, and
* a list of the TC holder's Service Bulletins or equivalent.
The existence of such a package will increase the value of an aircraft when the time comes to sell it. A prospective buyer will feel more confident about the airworthiness status of an aircraft when the data package is obviously well maintained, and this will reflect positively on the aircraft.
Data Package and Documentation
When an RO hands their aircraft over to the Annual Inspector, along with its data package, the AI assumes responsibility for the work they do, and only the work they do. It is not the inspector’s job to check or update the data pack. If the data package is incomplete, or out of date, the AI could be forgiven for strictly complying with that package and certifying for the wrong requirements. In fact, the vast majority of AIs will check the data package is complete and up-to-date, but that takes time motivation, and possibly money.
When an RO purchases a Form 2 pack from GAus, as well as the blank Form 2 and the new Maintenance Release, they are supplied with a printout listing all airworthiness documents that GAus believes are applicable to the aircraft, engine, propeller and other equipment. However, there are far too many possible combinations and permutations for GAus to know everything about every aircraft, so while the GAus airworthiness and office staff do their best, it is the responsibility of the RO to check that the package is complete and up-to-date. The Form 2 pack carries a warning to this effect.
At any stage, if in any doubt, ROs should contact their club AAO, an Annual Inspector, or Regional Manager Airworthiness (RMA).
Club Aircraft – Damage, Defects and Incidents
The reporting of and damage or defects found on any aircraft, or any occurrences which might result in damage or defects, are an important element of airworthiness and our safety. Damage and defects will not be repaired or corrected if the airworthiness people, particularly the AAO, do not know about them. The same goes for possibly damaging occurrences. All damage, defects and occurrences must be entered in the Maintenance Release. If you are not sure that the damage is a minor defect, it must be regarded as major until assessed and, if appropriate, signed off by an annual inspector (or better).
Damage resulting from an occurrence may only be apparent after a thorough inspection of the aircraft, and while this can be inconvenient, it is much less so than having an aircraft out of service for a significant period when the damage grows to a point where it becomes obvious, or even dangerous, at a later date. While the following list is not exhaustive, occurrences that may cause damage to an aircraft include:
* Heavy landings;
* Ground loops;
* Loss of directional control on take-off or landing, particularly if it imposes side-loads on the undercarriage;
* Landing in a very rough paddock or rolling over a ditch;
* Flight beyond Vne, or flight above Va in strong turbulence;
* Exceeding the aircraft’s maximum G limit; or
* Opening of the canopy in flight.
All such incidents must be reported to the Duty Instructor and to the club Airworthiness Officer. Any damage discovered or suspected must be entered into the Maintenance Release, and a SOAR Report may also be required. In a club environment, informing the AAO of any defect or damage, whether minor or major, ensures that appropriate action can be initiated as soon as possible and excessive down-time can be avoided.
