EASA&TCAA Technical Implementation Procedures (TIP) Considerations
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Sofema Online (SOL) www.sofemaonline.com considers the role and purpose of EASA & TCAA Technical Implementation Procedures (TIP)
Introduction
EASA-TCAA Technical Implementation Procedures (TIP) outlines the collaborative framework between the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) and Transport Canada Civil Aviation (TCAA) regarding the airworthiness and environmental certification of civil aeronautical products.
Streamlining the processes for product certification, validation, and continued airworthiness helps facilitate the international trade of aeronautical products while ensuring the highest levels of safety and regulatory oversight.
Consider the Following Aspects:
Purpose of the TIP
• The primary goal of the TIP is to define the interface requirements and mutual activities for the import, export, and ongoing support of civil aeronautical products between the two entities.
• It ensures that certification and validation activities between EASA and TCAA are conducted in line with the Agreement on Civil Aviation Safety between Canada and the European Union.
• The procedures foster regulatory cooperation, thereby enabling mutual acceptance of airworthiness approvals and environmental certifications.
Objectives and Scope
• The certification of new civil aeronautical products such as aircraft, engines, and parts.
• Procedures for validating design changes, repair designs, and technical standard orders across both jurisdictions.
• Maintaining continuing airworthiness, such as addressing product defects and unsafe conditions.
• Addressing the import and export of certified aeronautical products.
Key Areas of Cooperation - Certification and Validation:
• The TIP facilitates reciprocal acceptance of certification and validation, meaning that when one party certifies a product, the other party typically recognizes and accepts the certification with minimal additional validation. This is built on the principle of trust in each other’s regulatory systems.
Design Approvals Consider the following guidance procedures
• Type Certificates (TC) for new aircraft, engines, or propellers.
• Supplemental Type Certificates (STC) for modifications or changes to certified products.
• Technical Standard Order Authorizations (ETSOA) are approvals for specific components like avionics or safety equipment.
Continuing Airworthiness
EASA and TCAA share obligations to monitor and maintain safety throughout the lifecycle of certified aeronautical products. The TIP sets out processes for:
• Failure reporting and defect tracking.
• Issuing mandatory airworthiness information (e.g., airworthiness directives) to address identified safety issues.
• Collaborating on investigations into defects, accidents, and incidents involving aeronautical products certified by either party.
Governance and Maintenance of the Agreement
• The Joint Sectorial Committee on Certification (JSCC) oversees the implementation, revision, and validity of the TIP.
• The JSCC ensures that mutual confidence is maintained between EASA and TCAA by promoting regular audits, sharing information on standards, and coordinating any necessary revisions to procedures.
Amendments and Updates
• The TIP allows for amendments based on decisions from the JSCC, which may revise the procedures to reflect changes in airworthiness standards, certification systems, or the regulatory environment of either EASA or TCAA.
Applicability to Non-EU States
Though primarily between the European Union and Canada, the TIP also provides provisional arrangements for non-EU member states like Iceland, Norway, and Switzerland, ensuring their civil aviation safety activities are maintained until formal agreements are established.
Next Steps
Sofema Aviation Services (SAS) and Sofema Online (SOL) provide regulatory training related to Bilateral relationships between EASA, FAA, TCAA and UK CAA. Please see the websites or email [email protected].
