Page 164 - UK Regulation Part 21 Initial Airworthiness Annex I (consolidated) March 2022

PART 21 - INITIAL AIRWORTHINESS (ANNEX I)

The defined method should cover the following points:
- the identification of changes to a type design or repairs, including the applicable
requirements as per the type certification data sheet (TCDS);
- the classification of changes as major if additional work is required to demonstrate
compliance with the applicable requirements;
- the classification of changes as minor if no additional work is required to
demonstrate compliance with the applicable requirements;
- the recording of the classification, and documented justification of the classification,
for those cases that are not straightforward;
- approval of the classification by the authorised signatories.
It is acceptable to use the same classification process for repairs as for changes.
Nevertheless, GM 21.A.435(a) should be taken into consideration when classifying repairs.
(b) The privilege to approve minor changes and minor repairs is granted together with the
privilege of classification, on the basis of the application of the method defined in response
to AMC-ELA No 2 to 21.A.239(a).
The defined method should cover the following points:
- the identification of whether additional work is required to demonstrate compliance
with the applicable requirements;
- determination of the required compliance documentation and the verification by
following the same workflow as the one applied for the initial design and certification;
- approving the repair under the DOA privileges by using a formalised approach. This
may be, for example, defined by an adequately structured form that provides:
- adequate identification of the change;
- the identification of the applicable requirements;
- reference to compliance documents;
- the identification of the effects on limitations and approved documentation (if
any);
- evidence that independent checking has been conducted;
- the date and evidence of the approval given by the relevant nominated staff.
- identification of the authorised signatories for the approval of minor changes and
minor repairs;
- a statement that the design of minor changes/repairs is conducted using the same
provisions as those defined for the design work during the initial design and
certification.
It is acceptable to use the same approval process for minor repairs as the one used for
minor changes.
(c) Instructions required by the certification specifications, such as the maintenance manual,
the MMEL, etc., are usually prepared within the type investigation process to comply with
the certification requirements. These documents are covered by the type investigation
process. The generation and publication of information or instructions related to continued
airworthiness, including updates to the above-mentioned ICA and MMEL and to any related
design activity, are handled according to the same principles as any type design, change
design or repair design activity/documentation if no separate method/process as per GM
21.A.265(h) is defined. The DOH should state how documents under this obligation are
issued and distributed to the aircraft owner and to other interested parties. Using the
change/repair process would be the simplest way for small companies to do this.
(d) The approval of minor revisions to the AFM and its supplements should contain the
following statement: ‘Revision No [YY] to AFM (or supplement) ref. [ZZ] is approved under
the authority of DOA ref. CAA. 21J. [XXXX].’. Such a change is treated as a change to the
type certificate, as the AFM is formally a part of the type certificate, and it is consequently
classified on the basis of the application of the method defined in response to AMC-ELA
No 2 to 21.A.239(a), and identified as being related to a ‘minor’ design change.
Administrative revisions to the AFM are also expected to be classified as ‘minor’. The
following revisions to the AFM are defined as minor revisions:
1. editorial revisions or corrections to the AFM;
2. changes to parts of the AFM that are not required to be approved by the CAA;
3. changes to limitations or procedures that are achieved without altering or exceeding
the certification data;
4. conversions of units of measurement that were previously approved by the FAA or
by the CAA, and that are added to the AFM in a previously approved manner;
5. the addition of aircraft serial numbers to an existing AFM if the aircraft configuration,
as related to the AFM, is identical to the configuration of the aircraft already in that
AFM;
6. the removal of references to aircraft serial numbers that are no longer applicable to
that AFM;
7. the translation of an CAA-approved AFM into the language of the State of Design or
the State of Registration;
8. AFM revisions as part of minor changes to a type design.
(e) In order to be granted a privilege to approve flight conditions (FC) and to issue PtFs, the
design organisation should have in place an adequate FTOM in accordance with AMC-
ELA No 2 to 21.A.243 that is limited to the products designed and produced by the
company, and over which the company has full configuration control. Authorised
signatories shall be defined within the FTOM, or its equivalent.
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