Sofema Online (SOL) www.sofemaonline.com takes a high level look at EASA Part 147 & Part 66

Introduction

Commission Regulation (EC) No 1321/2014 is a regulatory framework established by the European Union to ensure a high level of civil aviation safety in Europe, which is managed by the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA).

Sofema Online (SOL) www.sofemaonline.com considers the specific tasks which require a QC input to ensure the production process integrity.

Introduction

With effect from 7th March 2023 EASA Part 21G - 21.A.139 Quality System is being renamed 21.A.139 Production Management System, however the functional requirements which can be considered as Quality Control Activities essentially remain the same.

Consider the following elements which are required to support the production planning process:

Measuring the effectiveness of your company's quality system should be an essential element of the management of your overall quality management system strategy.

The process starts with a review of the organizational QMS policy together with a detailed gap analysis to assess full compliance with all regulatory obligations.

Having established regulatory compliance a further measure for assessing the strength of QMS is to employ a formal “internal” compliance audit process which will be set against an expected organisational standard.

 Sofema Online (SOL) www.sofemaonline.com Considers best-practice behaviours to improve the effectiveness of your Aviation Quality System.

 Introduction: Let’s start by considering the composition of an EASA/GCAA compliant Quality System.

       »  The first comment to make is that there are actually 2 distinct elements as shown below:

           o   Quality Control - In just a few words this measures the organisation's ability to comply with the rules and deliver the production process in an effective way involving process procedures, management, competence, training, and effective culture and behavior.
           o   Quality Assurance - Again, in a nutshell, the QA process is intended to “ensure’ the effectiveness of the QC process by means of independent assessment (means the assessor is not part of the delivery of the product)

Sofema Online (SOL) www.sofemaonline.com – considers the various techniques which can be employed to ensure an effective compliance audit

Introduction EASA OPS Regulation 965/2012 

The issue of OPS regulation 965/2012 moved the emphasis of EASA driven organizational systems further in the direction of assessing compliance related to performance. With adjustments to the audit schedule to include additional attention being given to the effectiveness of the business processes.

Are You Up to Speed with EASA Regulatory Changes? 

Are you familiar with the Part CAMO Management System Requirements? 

SofemaOnline Launches updated Online Training Support for EASA Large Aircraft CAMO Operations.

Sofema Online (SOL) will be offering the following new courses individually and together as a package:

Sofema Aviation Services considers the various obligations to ensure the effective delivery of an EASA

CAO.A.100 Quality System and Organisational Review

Two options depending on size & scope:

1) Independent Reviews - Small CAO - Only Part ML Aircraft

Reality Check! 

RCA should be conducted at a point where informed conclusions can be made, and realistic action plans formulated. In this way the process has the potential to drive real change in the short, medium and longer term.

SofemaOnline (www.sofemaonline.com) looks at the Root Cause Analysis (RCA) process

Introduction

Is RCA used for negative or positive purposes? In fact, often it is used in connection with negative reviews – means something has gone wrong and we are attempting to get to the bottom of it!

RCA can also be useful as a means to identify and promote positive outcomes and aspects which may not necessarily be a “finding” but which are however identified as an “opportunity” during specific audits.

Steve Bentley CEO of Sofema Aviation Services www.sassofia.com looks at common errors made by MRO’s in allocating responsibilities for process 7 procedures – compounded by the weakness of regulatory auditors to identify such. 

All comments are welcome office@sassofia.com 

145.121 Maintenance procedures and quality system

(a) The organisation shall establish a safety and quality policy for the organisation which shall be included in the organisation’s exposition.

Steve Bentley MD of Sofema Aviation Services (www.sassofia.com) takes a look at the Flight Ops Quality System

Introduction

In 1998 The Joint Aviation Authorities launched JAR OPS 1 (and “3”) contained within the document was for the first time a specific requirement (JAR OPS Subpart B 1.035) for an independent audit function within the Operations Environment – With the transition to EASA Regulation 965/2012 a number of anomalies and miss conceptions where addressed. 

The UAE Ops Regulation is fundamentally based on JAR OPS 1.

What is an EASA Quality System?

Essentially it consists of a method to deliver the organisations “product” under the control of nominated persons – this is a “Control of Quality” together with an independent function to assess compliance and this is known as “Quality Assurance”.

As an EASA approved organisation Aviation Postholder, your primary responsibility is to ensure full compliance of your business area with all regulatory requirements externally as well as all organizational requirements internally. Other challenges faced by both the EASA approved organisation Aviation Postholders and Senior Aviation Business Leaders involve effectively managing your team and developing effective strategies to optimize performance whilst maintaining standards.

In order to effectively manage aviation standards it is essential to both document and communicate clearly all expected objectives, challenges, and team goals. The level of communication must ensure that this is confirmed and understood.

EASA Approved Organisation Postholder Quality Control Obligations

The starting point is to put in place the most effective Quality Control processes because it is necessary not only to ensure compliance but also to promote efficiency wherever possible in the work place. This in turn brings the growing need to measure the effectiveness of the processes and people you are managing. Increasingly, the focus will be orientated towards integrated management standards. This is why it is required to develop a process approach with embedded quality principles.

Let’s get real!

Question – Is SMS is all about Compliance?
Answer – No – It’s about Managing Risk.

Safety management goes far beyond traditional compliance led approaches to auditing.
So a Safety Management System has to identify potential safety risks and Hazards. At the heart of any effective Safety Management System is a formal Risk Management process that identifies hazards and assesses and mitigates risk.
The next step is to mitigate or manage any risks identified to an acceptable or tolerable level. An essential aspect being the management of risk generated by Contract or Sub Contracted organization particularly where this may directly impact the organization.

Question – Is SMS is just an extension of the Quality System?
Answer – No – Safety Auditing is very different. In fact Safety Auditing is very subjective, almost holistic. Safety Auditing is looking at Risk or in other words the potential exposures, faced by the Organisational system.