AMC1 CAO.A.030 Facilities    

CAA ORS9 Decision No. 1

FACILITIES FOR AN ORGANISATION HOLDING MAINTENANCE PRIVILEGES

(a) Where a hangar is not owned by the organisation, it may be necessary to establish proof of tenancy. In addition, sufficiency of hangar space to carry out planned maintenance should be demonstrated by the preparation of a projected aircraft hangar visit plan relative to the AMP. The aircraft hangar visit plan should be updated on a regular basis.

(b) For balloons and airships, a hangar may not be required where maintenance of the envelope and bottom-end equipment can more appropriately be performed outside, providing all necessary maintenance can be accomplished in accordance with ML.A.402. For complex repairs or component maintenance requiring an CAA Form 1, suitable approved workshops should be provided. The facilities and environmental conditions required for inspection and maintenance should be defined in the CAE.

(c) Subject to agreement by the CAA, the organisation may use alternative suitable facilities other than a hangar at the approved location for certain aircraft maintenance tasks, provided that adequate protection from contamination and environment are ensured for the particular work package.

(d) Protection from the weather elements relates to the normal prevailing local weather elements that are expected throughout any 12-month period. Aircraft hangar and aircraft component workshop structures should be to a standard that prevents the ingress of rain, hail, ice, snow, wind and dust, etc. Aircraft hangar and aircraft component workshop floors should be sealed to minimise dust generation.

(e) Aircraft maintenance staff should be provided with an area where they may study maintenance instructions and complete continuing airworthiness records in a proper manner.

(f) Special case for aircraft to which Part-ML applies:

(1) It is acceptable not to have access to a hangar or dedicated workshops. Depending on the scope of work, other facilities are acceptable as long as protection is ensured from inclement weather and contamination. This may include, for example, working in the field or in non-aviation premises (closed or not).

(2) These facilities do not need to be individually approved by the CAA as long as the CAE describes for each type of facility the scope of work, the tooling and equipment available, and the permitted environmental conditions (weather, contamination).

(3) The organisation should include, as part of the quality system/organisational review, a sampling of the compliance with these conditions during certain maintenance events.

(g) It is acceptable to combine any or all of the office accommodation requirements into one office subject to the staff having sufficient room to carry out the assigned tasks.

(h) Storage facilities for serviceable aircraft components should be clean, well ventilated and maintained at an even dry temperature to minimise the effects of condensation. The manufacturer’s storage recommendations should be followed for those aircraft components identified in such published recommendations.

(i) Adequate storage racks should be provided and strong enough to hold aircraft components and provide sufficient support for large aircraft components such that the component is not damaged during storage.

(j) All aircraft components, wherever practicable, should remain packaged in their protective material to minimise damage and corrosion during storage. A shelf life control system should be utilised and identity tags used to identify components.

(k) ‘Segregation' refers to storing unserviceable components in a separate secured location from serviceable components.

(l) Segregation and management of any unserviceable component should be ensured according to the pertinent procedure approved to that organisation.

(m) Procedures should be defined by the organisation describing the decision process for the status of unserviceable components. This procedure should identify at least the following:

(1) role and responsibilities of the persons managing the decision process;

(2) description of the decision process to choose between maintaining, storing or mutilating a component; and

(3) traceability of decision.

(n) Once unserviceable components or materials have been identified as unsalvageable in accordance with M.A.501(a)(3) or ML.A.504(c), the organisation should establish secure areas in which to segregate such items and to prevent unauthorised access. Unsalvageable components should be managed through a procedure to ensure that these components receive the appropriate final disposal according to M.A.504(b) or ML.A.504(d) or (e). The person responsible for the implementation of this procedure should be identified.