Aircraft maintenance engineer (Canada)

In Canada an Aircraft maintenance engineer (AME) is a person who is responsible for signing the maintenance release of certified aircraft and is licensed to do so by the national airworthiness authority, Transport Canada (TC).[1] Their job is to ensure that aircraft are maintained in a safe condition.[2]

A Canadian AME conducts field maintenance on a Cessna 172.

The applicant for an AME licence must be at least 21 years old. Aircraft maintenance engineers must complete a training course at a TC approved training organization (ATO), which are mostly Canadian vocational colleges. There are also approved distance learning courses. A period of apprenticeship prior to writing the licensing examinations is required. Upon successful completion they are granted an AME licence, which is valid for ten years and may be renewed.[1][3]

AMEs retain their recency by completing maintenance or related work. The Canadian Aviation Regulations require that once the holder's licence is more than two years old that they complete six months worth of work in the previous two years performing or supervising aircraft maintenance, act in an executive capacity in a maintenance organization, or teach or supervise teaching of aviation maintenance at an approved training organization.[4]

Responsibilities and licensing

Under Canadian federal law, the release of maintenance work performed on aircraft in Canada – especially "transport category" fixed-wing aircraft or turbine-powered helicopter aircraft must be accomplished by a person with specific training and licensing. These persons are individually licensed by the Canadian Federal Government through TC and are known as aircraft maintenance engineers or "AMEs". While the term AME is not recognized by the Provincial Engineering Associations, AMEs act on behalf of the Minister of Transport to ensure the safety of the Canadian public with regard to the work performed during maintenance of certified aircraft. The AME is not required to actually conduct the maintenance work they sign for, but must supervise non-licensed personnel or conduct inspections of the work to be signed for to the extent necessary to satisfy themselves that the work was completed correctly.[1]

Not all aircraft maintenance releases require the signature of an AME in Canada. For work on Canadian aircraft conducted outside Canada, a person licensed by another country that has a bilateral agreement with TC may sign. In the case of amateur-built aircraft the owner may sign and for owner-maintenance category aircraft the owner may sign if they are also a licensed pilot. In Canada ultralight aircraft, hang gliders and paragliders as well as model aircraft do not require signatures for release to return to flight. In the case of aircraft parts maintained on the bench (i.e. while removed from the aircraft) persons authorized by an Approved Maintenance Organization (AMO) may also sign the release, whether they hold an AME licence or not. But the maintenance release for the subsequent installation of such parts into an aircraft may only be made by the holder of an AME licence.[5]

Canada has no legal system that requires the person who performs aircraft maintenance to hold a licence. Canada requires that the person who certifies the work has inspected it for accuracy and correct completion. The Canadian AME licence allows the holder to both perform AND to certify their own maintenance work, or to certify the maintenance work performed by an unlicensed person. This type of licence is unlike the system used in the United States of America, whereby the FAA issues licences to persons who perform maintenance work on aircraft as technicians by way of "ratings" (the "airframe" or "powerplant" rating or the combined "airframe and powerplant" rating) and a separate licence to accomplish the "Inspection" certification – the I.A certificate. The US has focused on "the performance of work", while Canada and the other Commonwealth countries make a distinction between actually working on the machines and inspecting them for safety.

Ratings

The AME licence may be endorsed with one or more ratings.[1] These are:

M1

Non-turbojet aircraft, under 19,000 lb (8,618 kg) max takeoff weight, and a passenger capacity of 19 or less.

M2

All aircraft not included in M1, excluding balloons, but including all airframes, engines, propellers, components, structures and systems of those aircraft.[1]

Note: Holders of either an M1 or M2 rated AME licence also have maintenance release privileges for all turbine powered helicopters and SFAR 41C aeroplanes, including their associated variants and derivatives.

E

Aircraft electronic systems, including communication, pulse, navigation, auto flight, flight path computation, instruments and the electrical elements of other aircraft systems, and any structural work directly associated with the maintenance of those systems[1]

S

Aircraft structures, including all airframe structures.[1]

Note: Holders of BOTH M1 and M2 licence also have some privileges of both the "E" and "S" licences.[1] Some systems (AFCS, HUD, etc.) require specialized training and the licence holder must be current and familiar with the system being signed for.

Issuance

Upon request of licence issuance, applicants shall include proof of age, training, knowledge, experience and skill as follows:[1]

Age

Prior to licence issue, the applicant shall have attained the age of 21 years.[1] As proof of age, the following documents are acceptable:

  • Canadian citizenship certificates;
  • Birth or baptismal certificates;
  • Passports; or
  • Any Federal or provincial identifying document showing the applicant's birth date.
  • Where proof of age cannot be provided by means of a document referred to in any of subparagraphs (i) to (iv), a declaration of age may be accepted in lieu.

Training
Students of aviation maintenance program evaluating a B727-200 with instructor.

Applicable training may be obtained by means of distance learning courses or traditional college. In any case, the organization has to be approved by Transport Canada.[1]

With some exceptions, an applicant shall successfully complete basic training applicable to the rating. As proof of training, the applicant shall provide a certificate of successful completion of an acceptable aircraft maintenance training course. Where the applicant is seeking experience credit for the training, the certificate shall be issued by an Approved Training Organizations (ATO).[1]

Knowledge

Transport Canada approved training courses include technical examinations on the subjects covered by the course. Applicants shall successfully complete all the applicable examinations for the subjects concerned, conducted by the ATO in accordance with its approved procedures. As proof, the applicants shall submit a certificate or letter, issued by the ATO, attesting to the successful completion of the examinations.[1]

Experience

Applicants shall have acquired the applicable amount of total, specialty, and civil aviation maintenance experience set forth in Appendix A. As proof of experience, the applicants shall submit a personal log book or equivalent document signed by the persons responsible for the maintenance release of the work items recorded. At the time of application, the applicants shall have acquired all but six months of the required total experience. Credit toward the total aviation maintenance experience requirement shall be granted for time spent in approved basic training, in the ratio of one month's credit for each 100 hours of training, up to a maximum of:

  • 24 months for M or E rating applicants.
  • 18 months for S rating applicants.

Therefore, a graduate from an ATO with a curriculum of 1800 hours, would qualify for 18 months credit.[1]

Experience requirements expressed in months are predicated upon full-time employment of 1800 working hours per year. Applicants with part-time experience acquired at a lower rate than this may convert their actual working hours to months at the rate of one month for each 150 working hours, but in no case can a higher rate of work be used to obtain more than one month's credit for each actual calendar month worked.[1]

Maintenance of military aircraft, or parts intended for installation on military aircraft, may be counted toward the total and specialty experience requirements, but not toward the civil aviation experience requirement. Maintenance of ultra-light, advanced ultra-light, amateur built, or owner maintained aircraft, does not qualify for any experience credit.[1]

Skill

Applicants shall have performed a representative selection of eligible maintenance tasks, over the full range of applicable systems and structures. These tasks must cover at least 70 percent of the items listed in Appendix B that are applicable to the rating sought and to the aircraft, systems or components for which the experience is claimed.[1]

Proof of having completed aircraft maintenance tasks shall take the form of a certification by the AME, or equivalent person who supervised the work. The certification statement shall include the date, aircraft type, registration mark, or component serial number as applicable.[1]

Validity period

Unless surrendered, suspended or cancelled, an AME licence remains valid until the date indicated on the licence. Transport Canada Advisory Circular (AC) No. 566-003 indicates that the licence is valid for ten years calculated after the applicant's last birthday. As of June 2021 the Canadian Aviation Regulations still indicate a six-year validity period.[1][6]

Recency requirements

No person shall exercise the privileges of an AME licence unless, within the preceding 24 months; they have successfully completed the regulatory requirements examination, or have, for at least six months:[1]

  • Performed aircraft maintenance;
  • Supervised the performance of maintenance, either directly or in an executive capacity; or
  • Provided aviation maintenance instruction within an ATO, or an approved training program in an AMO or directly supervised the delivery of such instructions.

An AME who attempts the regulatory requirements examination as required by subsection 566.05(1) and fails will not be entitled to renewal until the examination has been successfully completed.[1]

Professional status

The issue of the divided loyalty that is inherent upon the Canadian AME as both a private sector work performer and a Ministerial delegated certifier, of their own work and of others', was the focus of a 1988 report, which noted that in contrast to some other countries which had done so, "...there is a need in Canada to develop our own perspectives on the phenomenon of inspection."[7]

The Aircraft Maintenance Engineers of Canada/Techniciens D'Entretien 'D'Aeronefs du Canada (AMEC/TEAC) is the professional association for AMEs at national level.[8] AMEC/TEAC is financed by the six regional associations; Atlantic, Quebec, Ontario, Central, Western and Pacific. It changed its name in 2019 from the Canadian Federation of Aircraft Maintenance Engineers Associations, (CFAMEA).[9]

The Aircraft Maintenance Engineers qualification and license were instituted in 1920 when the Canadian Air Regulations introduced Air Engineers and Air Engineer certificates into Canadian Aeronautics law.[10] The first AME license issued in Canada, Air Engineer License #1, was issued on the 20th of April 1920 to Mr. Robert A. McCombie by the Canadian Air Board.[11][12][13]

Twelve factors

Transport Canada identified twelve human factors (known in English as the "dirty dozen") that degrade people's ability to perform effectively and safely.[14] They were adopted by the aviation industry in order to avoid human errors in aircraft maintenance.

  • Lack of communication

Accurately completing the maintenance report without skipping any steps allows the next technician to start work exactly where it was finished. This is especially important when more than one technician is working on the same plane at the same time.

  • Complacency

The technician's experience and knowledge cause him to feel overconfident and complacent, which is why routine tasks are performed without proper concentration.

  • Lack of knowledge

The lack of specific knowledge about servicing different aircraft models can lead to catastrophic results.

  • Distraction

It is estimated that 15 percent of maintenance related errors are caused by distractions. Distracted attention may cause the technician to lose sight of a detail that requires attention.

  • Lack of teamwork

Since the maintenance of an aircraft involves the work of several people and even teams, the lack of communication and overall direction increases the complexity of the work, and disagreements between teams can directly affect the physical integrity of the aircraft.

  • Fatigue

Fatigue can be both physical and mental. This factor is especially dangerous because until fatigue becomes critical, the person does not realize that he is tired, and his attentiveness is constantly reduced.

  • Lack of Resources

Lack of quality resources may prevent the technician from performing the maintenance task in accordance with the engineering documentation.

  • Pressure

Some companies use strict schedules to ensure that technicians do their work quickly and efficiently. In most cases, excessive pressure negatively affects the results of work.

  • Lack of assertiveness

Assertiveness is the ability to express feelings, opinions, and needs in a positive and productive manner. The lack of this quality may cause the technician not to report a potential problem.

  • Stress

Working in dark, closed rooms, with a lack of qualitative resources, for a long time, as well as a lot of responsibility are the main stressful factors that cause errors in service.

  • Lack of awareness

Failure to recognize all the consequences of your actions and/or lack of foresight may cause maintenance errors.

  • Norms

Unwritten standards and rules adopted by companies that bypass the engineering documentation. Some of them are unsafe or have a negative impact on the work of technicians.

See also

References
  1. Transport Canada (March 2017). "Part V – Airworthiness Manual Chapter 566 – Aircraft Maintenance Engineer (AME) Licensing and Training". Retrieved 20 March 2017.
  2. Sam Longo; "Uniting AMEs in Canada", Helicopters, 15 January 2019. (retrieved 10 June 2021)
  3. Canada, Transport (27 August 2015). "Airworthiness Chapter 566 - Aircraft Maintenance Engineer (AME) Licensing and Training - Canadian Aviation Regulations (CARs)". Transport Canada.
  4. "CARs Part 403.05 – Recency Requirements". Transport Canada. Retrieved 29 March 2017.
  5. Transport Canada. "Canadian Aviation Regulation 571.11 Persons Who May Sign a Maintenance Release". Transport Canada. Retrieved 29 March 2017.
  6. Canada, Transport (18 April 2019). "Advisory Circular (AC) No. 566-003". 00000000. Retrieved 3 June 2021.
  7. John C. Clifford; "Inspection: A Case Study and Selected Rererences", Law Reform Commission of Canada, 1988. Page 3.
  8. "Aircraft mechanics and aircraft inspectors (7315)", The Canadian Information Centre for International Credentials, cicic.ca. (retrieved 11 June 2021)
  9. Lisa Gordon; "AMEs unite to create strong national voice", Skies, 22 February 2019. (retrieved 11 June 2021)
  10. Air Regulations 1920, Canada. part IV: Personnel, pp.18 ff. Archive copy (retrieved 03 October 2022)
  11. Ferguson, William Paul; The Snowbird Decades, Butterworth, 1979.Archive page
  12. Green, David; The Saskatchewanians, The Saskatchewan Diamond Jubilee, 1967. p.52.Archive page
  13. AMEC/TEAC Info Letter, Vol. 1, No. 4, August 2022. p.6.Archive copy
  14. "THE DIRTY DOZEN ERRORS IN MAINTENANCE" (PDF). Federal Aviation Administration. Retrieved 2 November 2020.
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