SofemaOnline www.sofemaonline.com takes a look at the regulatory requirements and typical member state deliverables

National State Responsibilities typically include the following:

▪ Developing the Overall policy and strategy on aviation security

▪ Ensuring the development and implementation of the National Aviation Security Programme (NASP)

▪ Ensuring the development and implementation of the National Quality Control Programme (NQCP)

▪ Intelligence-based assessments of risk to aviation which underpin the NASP and NQCP

SofemaOnline www.sofemaonline.com looks at the working of the EU regulatory machine

Terminology Introduction

Decisions

Decisions are binding legal acts that apply to 1 or more EU countries, companies or individuals. The party concerned must be notified and the decision comes into effect upon such notification. They don’t need to be transposed into national law.

SofemaOnline.com looks at the benefits of being able to personally demonstrate EASA CAMO Regulatory Training background

Introduction

Continuing Airworthiness Management Organisation (CAMO) obligations are proscribed within EASA’s Implementing Rules EU 1321/2014.

A CAMO is directly responsible to the Air Operator Certificate (AOC) holder. A CAMO must also maintain detailed airworthiness records of the maintenance due as well as the maintenance performed ensuring we are able to demonstrate Continuing Airworthiness.

Key CAMO Staff typically engage in Maintenance Planning, Technical Engineering, Technical Records, and Reliability Staff and are usually employed in multiple roles within the Continuing Airworthiness Management Organisation, consider that each and all of these staff have the potential to impact on the organisation’s safety outcomes.

Sofema Aviation Services (www.sassofia.com) and SofemaOnline (www.sofemaonline.com) takes a look

With a growing Portfolio of Executive and Post Holder Course Sofema Classroom & Online Training is ideally placed to support your objectives to bring your leadership team up to speed related to awareness of regulatory driven roles & responsibilitites.

Understanding and Interpreting EASA Form 4 Post Holder Qualifications - The first comment to share is that in general EASA requirements and obligations are or should be considered as minimum compliance. There is a good chance that if you feel that you are falling short in respect of the qualifications, there may be additional issues in respect of managing competence.

Availability of Nominated Persons Training

Sofema Online www.sofemaonline.com offers an interesting and cost effective solution for CAMO new starters – see below for details.

The Challenge

To bring new starters up to speed with the EASA regulations essentially related to regulation 1321/2014 

How to engage with a process which supports the initial development of competence? 

What is Available?

So there are essentially 2 elements to this presentation:

a) Considering the Role of Quality Assurance means What does an EASA Quality Assurance Do?
b) Maximising the Return on the Investment (Which Investment? - Essentially the Investment the Organisation makes to deliver the role of Quality Assurance)

Considering the QA - QC connection

One interpretation defines QC as “to check, test, or verify by evidence or experiments” and assurance being defined as “confidence of delivery” (maybe too narrow for our needs).

As the technical complexity of aircraft have developed over the last 100 years the nature of interaction with people associated with the maintenance of aircraft began to matter more & more and in fact today human factors is relevant in just about every aspect and element of the maintenance system. 

The use of the term "human factors" in the context of aviation maintenance engineering is relatively new. In fact EASA only started mandating Compulsory HF training from 2005.

Several Landmark aircraft accidents, for example Aloha aircraft in the USA in 1988 and British Airways BAC 1-11 windscreen accident in the UK in June 1990 showed that there was an unacceptable level of exposure to the potential of Maintenance Human Factors MHF.

Presentation Introduction – The Aviation Quality & Safety Management Symposium - Holiday Inn Sofia Bulgaria – Tues May 14th & Wed May 15th 2019  

If you are engaged in Aviation Quality & Safety Management this is your one "must attend" event of the year.

Here is your opportunity to engage with a professional who has decades of experience and is able to rise to the challenge of any Airport Security issue and to share an understanding regarding best practice solutions.

For event details please see the following link:

https://sassofia.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/General_Updated_3.pdf 

Introduction

Related to SMS Quality Assurance has 2 distinct roles:

This Subject will be presented, considered and discussed during the forthcoming Aviation Quality & Safety Management Symposium 2019 May 14 & May 15 at the Holiday Inn Sofia. 

One of the measures of a successful Safety Management System (SMS) within an organisation, is a common understanding throughout the company of what needs to be achieved to deliver the objectives and how it should be done.

Getting Behind the Objective

Provide a unified approach, one in which we all understand our individual roles, bring a common organisational system

Find out how you can improve and develop your current Flight Data Monitoring System by attending The Aviation Quality & Safety Management Symposium 2019 Holiday Inn Sofia Bulgaria on May 14^th & 15^th

‘If you are engaged in Aviation Quality & Safety Management in an EASA Environment this is your one ‘must attend’ event of the year’

Introduce your OPS Team to Aerosight Flight Data Monitoring Software

▪ See a Presentation and Understand the benefits of the Software
▪ Update regarding Challenges Facing Quality, Safety & Security Business Areas
▪ Network with Industry Colleagues

Regulatory Background

According to Regulation (EC) No 216/2008, (Basic Regulation Replaced by 2018/1139) Pilot training organisations and aero-medical centres are to hold a certificate.

The certificate is to be issued upon fulfilment of certain technical and administrative requirements. Rules on the administration and management system of these organisations should therefore be provided for.

Commission Regulation (EU) No 1178/2011 (amended by Regulation 290/2012) lays down detailed rules for certain pilots’ licences and for the conversion of national pilots’ licences and of national flight engineers’ licences into pilots’ licences, as well as the conditions for the acceptance of licences from third countries.

Introduction 

Agreement was reached in relation to the extension of 145 certification approval between the European Community (European Aviation Safety Agency - EASA) and the USA (Federal Aviation Administration - FAA) and between EASA and Canada (Transport Canada Civil Aviation - TCAA).

Details of the agreements are issued in the form of two separate guidance materials known as Maintenance Annex Guidance and hereinafter referred to as the MAG. 

Maintenance Annex Guidance 

Is sub-divided into three Sections; 

Official Title

Technical Implementation Procedures for Airworthiness and Environmental Certification under The Agreement on Civil Aviation Safety between The Government of Canada & the European Union (Revision 3 - 18 September 2017).

Purpose

The purpose of these Technical Implementation Procedures is to define the interface requirements and activities between Transport Canada Civil Aviation (TCCA) and the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) for the import, export, and continued support of civil aeronautical products.

TCCA and EASA shall conduct their certification and validation activities consistent with the Agreement on Civil Aviation Safety (hereafter referred to as the Agreement) and these Technical Implementation Procedures.

FDM Data Analysis Introduction

Introduction

EASA Compliant Flight Data Monitoring (FDM) is the exploitation of flight data to support an understanding of the various exposures, the knowledge of which, may successfully lead to the development of mitigations which can be employed to enhance flight safety.

Aircrafts are analysed to identify any exceedances (a specialist task typically performed using software tools). Analysts can analyse data from normal ops to identify trends before there is a significant event or incident.

The amount of Digital Data available in modern aircraft facilitates FDM providing the opportunity for effective analysis which is essential to provide for the best decisions regarding both the performance of flight crew as well as the aircraft systems and processes.

Aircraft are analysed to identify any exceedances (a specialist task typically performed using software tools).

Gathering FDM Data

Traditionally, data needs to be downloaded to a removable disk regularly before the data is lost. But latest technologies allow wireless data transmission from recorders to the ground station, which is more accessible for research and monitoring purposes.

What is Flight Operational Quality Assurance (FOQA)?

Even though Aviation is probably the safest form of mass transport, there remains an inherent obligation to reduce exposure and thereby drive down accident rates.

Operational Flight Data Monitoring, known more recently as Flight Operational Quality Assurance (FOQA), is probably the most important safety tool available to aviation.

Essentially Flight Data Monitoring (FDM) is the exploitation of flight data to support an understanding of the various exposures, the knowledge of which, may successfully lead to the development of mitigations which can be employed to enhance flight safety.

SofemaOnline www.sofemaonline.com takes a looks at a typical FDM configuration

Primary Objective

According to Commission Regulation (EU) 965/2012, “Flight Data Monitoring (FDM) means the proactive and non-punitive use of digital flight data from routine operations to improve aviation safety”.

European regulations expect the National Aviation Authority – NAA (competent authority) to have oversight of the Management Systems of their aircraft operators.

An EASA Flight Data Monitoring System (FDM) provides a set of tools for the operator to monitor operational safety. (FDM becomes the main data sources for monitoring the operational safety level.)

Operational Flight Data Monitoring, known more recently as Flight Operational Quality Assurance (FOQA), is probably the most important safety tool available to aviation.

Rather than reacting to serious incidents, operators have a very useful tool to proactively identify safety hazards and mitigate the risks.

What Happens to Identified Events?

Whilst each individual event typically needs to be investigated so that the appropriate management decisions may be made by the airline, there is an opportunity for a deeper and longer lasting outcome.

Event data may be managed to facilitate the wider and longer-term trend analysis so that events & issues can be identified and corrective action is taken.

The following white paper considers a number of challenges faced by EASA Regulatory Authorities to engage with a Performance-Based Approach in this case with Aircraft continuing airworthiness monitoring (ACAM) (however there is a read across into SMS).

Steve Bentley is MD of Sofema Aviation Services www.sassofia.com

The Role of EASA 

EASA commenced operations on September 28, 2003. Under the regulation, EASA initially has responsibility for: 

a) All design approvals
b) Continued airworthiness
c) Design organization approvals
d) Environmental certification
e) Approving production
f) Maintenance (repair station), and
g) Maintenance training organizations