Chapter 12. Publications, Forms, & Records 14 CFR Part 125 — Certification and Operations: Airplanes Having a Seating Capacity of 20 or More Passengers or a Maximum Payload Capacity of 6,000 Pounds or More; and Rules Governing Persons on Board Such Aircraft This regulation applies to private and noncommon carriage when such operations are conducted in airplanes having 20 or more seats (excluding crewmembers) or having a payload capacity of 6,000 pounds or more. There must also be “operations specifications" issued to the operator which include the following information: Kinds of operations authorized Types of aircraft and registration numbers of the airplanes authorized for use Approval of the provisions of the operator’s manual relating to airplane inspections, together with the necessary conditions and limitations Registration numbers of the airplanes that are to be inspected under an approved airplane inspection program (AAIP) under §125.247 Procedures for the control of weight and balance of airplanes Any other item that the administrator determines is necessary Just as in part 121, subpart (E) identifies special airworthiness requirements dealing mostly with the mechanical devices of the aircraft. 14 CFR Part 135 — Operating Requirements: Commuter and On Demand Operations and Rules Governing Persons on Board Such Aircraft As the title of this section states, this regulation is applicable to short distance commercial aircraft operations or “commuters" and nonscheduled carriers that operate “on demand." These aircraft are frequently referred to as air taxi or air charter aircraft. Preceding the regulation are several SFARs. One of these, SFAR 36, is of interest to the technician because, although it is linked here directly to part 135, it is also linked in the text to parts 121 and 145. The significance of SFAR 36 is that it allows for a company with sufficient engineering and certification personnel to perform major repairs on products it is authorized to work on, without having the technical data approved by the FAA Administrator. Aircraft operated under part 135 must be operated and maintained in accordance with the certificate holder’s operations manual. This manual, when accepted by the FAA, specifies how the flight crew, ground personnel, and maintenance technicians will conduct their operations. A pivotal portion of this regulation is §135.411, Applicability, which is the first section in subpart J. This section specifies that having a type certificated passenger seating configuration of nine or less may be maintained in accordance with the maintenance manual provided by the aircraft manufacturer. Those aircraft having a type certificated passenger seating configuration of 10 or more seats must be maintained in accordance with a maintenance manual written by the air carrier, which must then be submitted to the FAA for review and approval. The requirements for the maintenance manual are specified in §135.427. Sections 135.415 through 135.417, and 135.423 through 135.443 specify additional maintenance requirements. It should be noted that sections (§§)135.415, 135.416 and 135.417 are applicable regardless of the number of seats in the aircraft. A major change in the “nine or less" aircraft maintenance requirements occurred in February of 2005 when §135.422 regarding aging aircraft was incorporated into part 135. This new subpart (note the even number) to 14 CFR part 135 specifically prohibits a certificate holder from operating certain aircraft unless the Administrator has completed the aging aircraft inspection and records review. This inspection requires the certificate holder to show the FAA that the maintenance of age-sensitive parts and components has been adequate to ensure safety. This section applies only to multiengine aircraft in scheduled operation, with nine or fewer passenger seats. It does not apply to aircraft operating wholly, or even partly, in Alaska. The required record review start date varies depending on the age of the aircraft. However, once initiated, the repetitive inspection intervals are not to exceed seven years. The certificate holder must make both aircraft and records available to the FAA for inspection and review. The certificate holder must notify the Administrator at least 60 days in advance of the availability of the aircraft and the records for review. The records must include the following information: Total years in service of the airplane Total time in service of the airframe Date of the last inspection and records review required by this section Current status of life-limited parts Time since the last overhaul of all structural components required to be overhauled on a specific time basis Current inspection status of the airplane, including the time since the last inspection required by the inspection program under which the airplane is maintained Current status of applicable airworthiness directives, including the date and methods of compliance, and, if the AD involves recurring action, the time and date when the next action is required A list of major structural alterations A report of major structural repairs and the current inspection status of those repairs

©AvStop Online Magazine                                                                                                                                                      Contact Us              Return To Books

Grab this Headline Animator