The Airworthiness of Gliders is primarily the responsibility of the owners.
The EASA Regulations came into force for gliders on the 28th September 2009.
The IAA are responsible for
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- Registering Gliders.
- Issue Certificates for Airworthiness (CofA)
- Oversight of Airworthiness through audits
The IGSA are responsible for
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- Processing applications for ARC renewals
- Issuing ARCs following an Airworthiness review
- Training of Certifying Staff subject to IAA approval
- Issuing Certifying Staff with Personal Authorisation Certificates
- Issuing Authorisation Certificates for Airworthiness Review Officers
- IGSA Certifying Staff perform an annual physical survey of each Glider and, if satisfied, will sign a CRS (Certificate of release to Service)
- IGSA Certifying Staff also monitor and where applicable, approve all work done on gliders.
- Maintain complete set of maintenance records for each glider.
- Reviewing Self Declared Maintenance Programmes (SDMP) during the ARC renewal process.
The IGSA has been granted a EASA PART-CAO Approvals by the IAA to carry out Maintenance on Gliders and issue ARCs. These are valid for 2 years.
Every 2 years, the IGSA is subject to an Audit by the IAA prior to renewal of the Approvals and any findings addressed.
The IGSA has an internal audit process known as a Organisational Review. A full review is carried out at least annually.
Procedures
Airworthiness Directives
These are notices concerning Airworthiness which can range from urgent action to minor changes.
Sources of ADs
Authoritative Source for all ADs issued since 2004:
- EASA EASA AD Page
- and EASA AD Tool – Enter Sailplane or glider type into the Search box.
Authoritative sources – pre 2004:
- Web site of National Aviation Authorities.
- Germany: LBA LBA ADs German Aviation Authority
- UK: CAA
- France: GSAC
Other sources – not for official use:
- BGA BGA ADs – British Gliding Association
EASA
The European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) was established in 2003 to manage all aspects of Aviation in Europe. Initally responsibly was assigned to EASA for Certification and Airworthiness with 28th Sept 2008 as the deadline for full implementation. In the near future EASAs remit will be extended to Licensing and Operations.
From 29th March 2007 all Irish Gliders came under EASA and were issued with EASA CofAs. Airworthiness rules are knows an Part-21 and Part-M and will apply in full in Sept.
Under EASA Part-CAO (Combined Airworthiness Organisation), the IGSA has received approval as CAO Maintenance organisation with ARC privileges.
Forms and Documents
Many form and Documents dealing with Airworthiness can be found on the Documents and Forms page.