Certification of a Repairman (General)

Advisory

U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Aviation Administration

Circular

Subject: Certification of a Repairman (General) Date: 9/11/07 AC No: 65-24 Initiated by: AFS-300 Change: 1 1. PURPOSE. This advisory circular (AC) has been revised to update AC 65-24, Certification of a Repairman (General), dated February 1, 1983.

2. PRINCIPLE CHANGES. This change updates all references, including those related to Title 14 of the Code of Federal Regulations (14 CFR).

PAGE CONTROL CHART Remove Pages Dated Insert Pages Dated 1 thru 6 02/01/83 1 thru 6 9/11/07 ORIGINAL SIGNED BY Carol Giles for James J. Ballough Director, Flight Standards Service

Advisory

U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Aviation Administration

Circular

Subject: Certification of a Repairman (General) Date: 9/11/07 AC No: 65-24 Initiated by: AFS-300 Change: 1 1. PURPOSE.

a. This advisory circular (AC) provides information to the aviation public on the procedures for certification of a repairman. It also contains procedures for certification, wherein formal training may be substituted for experience.

b. These procedures must also be applied for changes in ratings.

c. This AC provides an acceptable means of complying with the regulations; however, it is not the only means of compliance. This AC is not mandatory and does not constitute a regulation. When this AC uses mandatory language (e.g., “must” or “may not”) it is paraphrasing a regulatory requirement or prohibition. When this AC uses permissive language (e.g., “should” or “may”) it describes an acceptable means, but not the only means, of complying with regulations. However, if you use the means described to comply with a regulatory requirement, you must follow it in all respects.

2. REFERENCES (current editions).

a. Title 14 of the Code of Federal Regulations (14 CFR) part 65, §§ 65.1, 65.12, 65.13, 65.14, 65.15, 65.101, 65.103, 65.104, 65.105, and 65.107.

b. 14 CFR part 121, §§ 121.371 and 121.709.

c. 14 CFR part 135, §§ 135.429 and 135.443.

d. 14 CFR part 145, §§ 145.159 and 145.201.

e. Title 49 of the United States Code (49 U.S.C.), § 44703.

f. AC 65-23A, Certification of Repairmen (Experimental Aircraft Builders).

g. AC 65-32, Certification of Repairmen (Light-Sport Aircraft).

AC 65-24 CHG 1 9/11/07 3. BACKGROUND. Part 65, subpart E, provides the regulatory requirements for certification of repairmen. Due to recent regulatory changes, it has become necessary to update the references for the step-by-step procedure for certification of a repairman.

4. GENERAL. An applicant for a repairman certificate will normally be employed by a certificated repair station operating under the provisions of part 145, or a holder of an air carrier operating certificate under the provision of parts 121 or 135, and is not required to take a written, oral, or practical test.

a. When an applicant is employed by a certificate holder under the provisions of parts 121 or 135, and the certificate holder also operates a certificated repair station under part 145, the applicant will need only a single repairman certificate provided the ratings are identical for both certificates.

b. A repairman may be employed by more than one repair station. In this case the person will need a separate repairman certificate for each repair station.

c. An applicant for a repairman certificate, who is employed by a person holding an air carrier certificate, should be assigned to a position responsible for the maintenance work of a shop or department and be authorized to perform required inspections, or be authorized to sign the airworthiness release or log entry, required by parts 121 or 135, §§ 121.709 or 135.443.

d. An applicant for a repairman certificate, who is employed by a certificated repair station, should be at or above the level of shop foreman or department head and should be directly in charge of the maintenance function for which the individual is certificated.

5. ELIGIBILITY. To be eligible for a repairman certificate each applicant is required by § 65.101 to: a. Be at least 18 years of age; b. Be specially qualified to perform maintenance on aircraft or a component thereof, appropriate to the job for which the individual is employed; c. Be employed for a specific job requiring those special qualifications by a certificated repair station, or by a certificated commercial operator or certificated air carrier, that is required by its operating certificate or approved operations specifications to provide a continuous airworthiness maintenance program according to its maintenance manual; d. Be recommended for certification by the individual’s employer, to the satisfaction of the Administrator, as able to satisfactorily maintain aircraft or components appropriate to the job for which the individual is employed; e. Have one of the following: (1) Have at least 18 months of practical experience in the procedure, practices, inspection methods, materials, tools, machine tools, and equipment generally used in the maintenance duties of the specific job for which the individual is employed and certificated; or Page 2 Par 3

9/11/07 AC 65-24 CHG 1 (2) Complete formal training that is acceptable to the Administrator, and is specifically designed to qualify the applicant for the job in which the person is employed; and f. Be able to read, write, speak, and understand the English language. In the case of an applicant who does not meet these requirements, and who is employed outside the United States by a certificated repair station, a certificated U.S. commercial operator, or a certificated U.S. air carrier described in paragraph c, the individual’s certificate should be endorsed as “Valid only outside the United States.” NOTE: A repairman certificate may be issued to an individual working for a U.S. certificated repair station outside the United States, but it is not required per § 145.157(b).

6. EXPERIENCE. The 18 months of practical experience required for certification of a repairman should not be computed from experience gained as a student mechanic. Practical experience should be documented through the use of employment records or military service records that show in detail the specialized experience gained in the specific job for which the repairman applicant applies.

7. TRAINING IN LIEU OF EXPERIENCE. In the past, the only means of obtaining a repairman certificate was by presentation of a letter of recommendation from the repair station or the holder of an air carrier operating certificate, indicating that the applicant has had at least 18 months of specialized experience in the specific job for which the applicant applied. Current procedures provide for certification of a repairman utilizing formal training that is acceptable to the Administrator in lieu of experience. Formal training acceptable to the Administrator includes: a. Current specialized formal training for a specific job when it is accomplished by the manufacturer of the product, a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) certificated repair station, the holder of an air carrier operating certificate, an FAA maintenance technician school, or an accredited college or university.

b. Training proposals should be submitted to the certificate-holding district office (CHDO) having jurisdiction over the area in which the training is to be conducted and found acceptable.

The training should contain the following: (1) A complete curriculum for the specialized training to be given.

(2) A breakdown of the number of hours to be spent in training, including a breakdown of hours spent in a classroom and the number of hours spent in a shop or laboratory.

(3) A breakdown of the grading system to be used and a schedule of phase testing and final testing.

(4) A method showing that a student has successfully completed the current specialized training, including the number of hours the student completed and the student’s final examination grade.

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AC 65-24 CHG 1 9/11/07 c. Training given on a continuing basis needs to be submitted for evaluation to the CHDO having jurisdiction over the training facility only once, unless substantial curriculum changes are made at a later date.

d. Training conducted at a training facility, under a controlled environment, should be designed so that the majority of training time is spent in shop or laboratory instruction.

e. Training conducted in accordance with a curriculum, and designed so that it will encompass all of the basic knowledge required for the specialized job function for which the training is given, should include the procedures, practices, inspection methods, materials, tools, machine tools, and equipment normally used in the maintenance function of the specific job for which the training was conducted. This training should not be mistaken for training obtained for a mechanic certificate with an airframe or powerplant rating and should not be confused with on-the-job-training.

8. RATINGS. Repairman ratings should coincide with the specialized skill or talent required from the person employed to perform the specific job. In no case will a repairman certificate be issued to circumvent an applicant obtaining a mechanic certificate with appropriate ratings.

a. When employed by a certificated repair station, the repairman rating should coincide only with the ratings held by the repair station which requires specialized training such as gyro instruments, propeller overhaul, argon heliarch welding, and nondestructive testing.

b. When employed by a person holding an air carrier operating certificate, the repairman ratings should correspond to the specialty or shop they work in, such as hydraulic component overhaul, landing gear overhaul, special inspections, and turbine disc overhaul.

9. REPAIRMAN PRIVILEGES. The holder of a repairman certificate employed by a certificated repair station, or the holder of an air carrier operating certificate, may perform or supervise the maintenance, preventive maintenance, or alteration of aircraft or aircraft components appropriate to the job for which the repairman was employed and certificated.

Unless the repairman understands the current instructions of the certificate holder by whom he or she is employed, and the manufacturer’s instructions for continued airworthiness, that person may not perform or supervise duties under his or her repairman certificate. A certificated repairman employed by a person holding an air carrier operating certificate may sign the release or entry only for work for which he or she is employed and certificated as required by §§ 121.709 and 135.443(b)(3).

10. APPLICATION PROCEDURE. For each repairman rating desired, an applicant should submit: a. An original of FAA Form 8610-2, Airman Certificate and/or Rating Application, with all appropriate items in Section I through IV completed. The repairman box should be checked on the top of the form and the rating sought should be typed underneath. See Appendix 1 for an example of a properly completed form.

b. A letter of recommendation is required from the applicant’s employer for each rating for which an application is made. The letter of recommendation should clearly state that the Page 4 Par 7

9/11/07 AC 65-24 CHG 1 applicant meets the requirements of §§ 65.101, 145.151, 145.159, and 145.201 (for repair stations), §§ 65.101 and 121.709 (for part 121 operators), and §§ 65.101 and 135.443 (for 135 operators). The letter of recommendation should clearly state the specialized job the applicant will perform or supervise, the total amount of experience or training the applicant has in the specialized job, and a statement that the repair station or person holding an air carrier operating certificate has a need for the applicant as a repairman.

c. The applicant must present positive identification in person in order to receive a repairman certificate. Such identification must include an official photograph of the applicant, the applicant’s signature, and the applicant’s residential address, if different from the mailing address.

NOTE: The repair station, or person holding an air carrier operating certificate, should recommend to the Administrator only qualified person(s) that have the required experience or specialized training for the job for which they are to be employed.

11. APPLICATION DISAPPROVAL. If an applicant for a repairman certificate is disapproved, the application and letter of recommendation will be returned to the applicant. The returned documents will be accompanied by a letter explaining the exact portions of the regulations that the applicant did not meet.

12. REISSUANCE OR CHANGE RATING. When the application is for reissuance, or a change in rating, the certificate number, date of issue, and appropriate ratings will be transcribed in the appropriate spaces on the temporary certificate exactly as they appear on the holder’s Airman Certificate, FAA Form 8060-4. The superseded certificate will be attached to the application and forwarded with the file.

13. SURRENDER CERTIFICATES. When a repairman is relieved from, or no longer performs the duties for which he or she was employed, the repairman certificate is no longer effective and must, under § 65.15, be returned to the CHDO that issued the certificate by the employer with the reason for surrender.

Par 10 Page 5 (and 6) 9/11/07 AC 65-24 CHG 1 Appendix 1 Appendix 1. Sample FAA Form 8610-2 Page 1 (and 2)