13. Airworthiness of Aircraft-1 Certificate of Type Approval Certificate of Type Approval A Certificate of Type Approval approves the basic design and airworthiness of the design of a particular type of aircraft It is required when an aircraft first enters the State (or is the first one of that type produced in the State) It is issued by the IAA It may comprise the validation (acceptance) of a Type Approval issued by another State or may require tests to demonstrate the airworthiness of the aircrafts design A Certificate of Type Approval is required before a Certificate of Airworthiness can be issued and before an aircraft of a particular type can be registered in the State

13. Airworthiness of Aircraft-2 Certificate of Airworthiness (C of A) A Certificate of Airworthiness issued or recognised by the State of Registration of an aircraft is required for any heavier than air aircraft to fly in Ireland, unless a Flight Permit has been granted (see below) All aircraft registered in Ireland (whether flying in Ireland or outside its borders) require an Irish C of A A Certificate of Airworthiness certifies the basic airworthiness of an aircraft on detailed inspection It has no expiry, but continued airworthiness must be confirmed every year The annual document is known as an Airworthiness Review Certificate (ARC) and lasts for 1 year (for private category aircraft) It is only valid as long as all conditions in the C of A continue to be are complied with One condition of the C of A is that the aircaft must carry a Flight Manual detailing operating limitations designed to ensure the safe operation of the aircraft

13. Airworthiness of Aircraft-3 Weight Schedule Before a C of A is issued, an aircraft must be weighed by an “authorised person” to produce a weight schedule which will include the following information: aircraft basic weight (empty weight + unusable fuel and oil + installed equipment) the position of the centre of gravity (needed to check the aircraft weight and balance limits) The IAA may request the reweighing of an aircraft (after major repairs or the installation of new equipment e.g. different type of engine)

13. Airworthiness of Aircraft-3 Permit to Fly A Permit to Fly (issued by the IAA) is required if an aircraft - is of an age or type which falls outside the scope of a Certificate of Airworthiness or -is being flown to a facility to enable the issue or renewal of an ARC (the previous one having expired). PROVIDING The aircraft has been certified as fit to fly by an authorized engineer The flight stays within the State or if entering another State, also complies with its Regulations Only flight crew essential for the safety of the flight are on board and no passengers or freight are carried The aircraft does not overfly congested areas or open-air assemblies unless taking off from or landing at an aerodrome approved by the IAA Where the Permit to Fly authorises only a single flight, subsequent flights must be approved by the IAA but after maintenance, a sufficient number of test flights may be made to establish that the aircraft is fit for service, provided the results of each flight are recorded.

13. Airworthiness of Aircraft-4 Maintenance Aircraft shall be maintained (inspected and serviced) at specified intervals. For private category aircraft ( i.e. those not in the aerial work or transport categories) the maintenance frequency is units of 50h and follows the manufacturers maintenance schedule for the aircraft (known as a LAMS – Light Aircraft Maintenance Schedule) Maintenance must be carried out by IAA licensed engineers at IAA approved facilities (apart from specified minor repairs like changing spark plugs or changing wheels that the pilot is auhorised to do) A Certificate of Compliance is required for any component inspection, overhaul or replacement. It must be kept for 2 years from the date of issue for private category aircraft The owner/operator shall keep a record of total time in service, date of last overhaul and date of last inspection of all major aircraft components (e.g. propeller if variable pitch) for two years after the end of the operating life of the component Following any repairs or maintenance, the maintenance engineer must issue a Release to Service or Maintenance Release certifying that inspection, maintenance, repairs etc.have been carried out in an approved manner (private category) Equipment that fails or becomes unreliable in flight should be noted by the pilot in the aircrafts Journey Log at the end of the flight. A nil entry should be made if no defects. The aircraft cannot be flown again until the defect has been corrected and signed off by an authorised maintenance engineer (Release to Service)