Approved Maintenance Organisations, CAR-145 (GCAA)
CAR-145 approval and scope, the Maintenance Organisation Exposition, accountable manager and postholders, facilities, tooling, parts, data, compliance monitoring and the CRS; CAR-M Subpart F for smaller aircraft.
CAR-145 organisations, summary notes
- CAR-145 sets the requirements for a GCAA approved maintenance organisation, with a defined scope of ratings and classes of work stated on the approval certificate.
- The organisation operates to a Maintenance Organisation Exposition (MOE) accepted by the GCAA, describing its procedures, scope, facilities and management. The MOE must be kept current, and working outside it breaches the approval.
- Key requirements: suitable controlled facilities including hangars, workshops and secure environmentally-suitable stores; sufficient competent personnel with nominated postholders (an Accountable Manager plus quality and maintenance managers); certifying staff qualified under CAR-66 holding company authorisations; and calibrated, controlled tooling and equipment.
- Parts and materials must be acceptable, traceable and serviceable with the correct release documentation, and current approved maintenance data (aircraft maintenance manual, service bulletins, airworthiness directives) must be available and actually used.
- A quality and compliance-monitoring system with independent audits and a corrective-action feedback loop is mandatory, together with a safety management system, occurrence reporting to the GCAA, and retention of maintenance records for the required period.
- On completing maintenance the organisation issues the certificate of release to service through its authorised certifying staff. Continued approval depends on ongoing compliance verified by GCAA oversight and audit. Smaller non-commercial aircraft may be maintained under CAR-M Subpart F rather than full CAR-145.
- Governing document
- Maintenance Organisation Exposition (MOE), accepted by the GCAA
- Nominated postholders
- Accountable Manager + quality/compliance + maintenance
- Smaller aircraft route
- CAR-M Subpart F instead of full CAR-145
What document defines how a CAR-145 organisation works, and who accepts it?
The Maintenance Organisation Exposition (MOE), which sets out the scope, procedures, facilities and management of the organisation, and is accepted by the GCAA.
Why must a CAR-145 organisation have an independent compliance-monitoring function?
To audit its own activities against the regulation and the MOE and drive corrective action, demonstrating continued compliance between GCAA audits rather than relying on the regulator to find problems.
CAR-145 organisations quiz
GCAA CAR-145 Organisations, quiz
1. The document describing how a CAR-145 organisation complies with the regulation is the:
Maintenance Organisation Exposition (MOE)Operations ManualType Certificate Data Sheet2. The person with overall corporate authority and responsibility in a CAR-145 organisation is the:
Accountable ManagerChief pilotQuality auditor3. Tools and test equipment used for maintenance must be:
Controlled and calibrated as requiredPersonally ownedReplaced yearly4. Parts fitted to an aircraft must be:
Serviceable, traceable and correctly releasedCheapest availableMarked by the fitter only5. A CAR-145 organisation must carry out maintenance using:
Current approved maintenance dataAny workshop manualExperience alone6. The purpose of the compliance-monitoring (quality) system is to:
Audit the organisation against the regulation and MOE and drive corrective actionMarket and sell the organisation's maintenance services, and monitor customer satisfaction with the work doneDeliver and record the recurrent training of flight crew who operate the aircraft the organisation maintains7. The certificate of release to service is issued by:
Authorised certifying staff of the approved organisationThe customer or operator's representative, once satisfied that the work has been completedThe GCAA itself, after reviewing the worksheets submitted at the end of each maintenance input8. Smaller non-commercial aircraft may alternatively be maintained under:
CAR-M Subpart FCAR-OPSCAR-147