The process of small repair maintenance in aeronautical aviation has gained significant agility with the publication of Supplemental Instruction – IS No. 145-009, Revision C (“IS No. 145-009 Revision C”), as part of the immediate actions of the Simple Flight Program, launched by the Federal Government in conjunction with the National Civil Aviation Agency (“ANAC”) on October 7, 2020.
Among the changes promoted by IS No. 145-009 Revision C, it highlights the simplification of the maintenance process for aircraft in remote locations, a typical situation for aero-agricultural operations. Before the publication of IS No. 145-009, Revision C, if If an aircraft presents a simple problem during field activities, the aero-agricultural operator would have only two alternatives, wait days (even weeks) for an ANAC licensed mechanic to arrive on site; or take the aircraft by ground to the nearest certified repair shop. In both situations, no matter how simple the repair could be, the aircraft would have to remain inoperative for a considerable time, making the operation more costly and, at the same time, less profitable for the aero operator.
With the measures implemented by IS Nº145-009 Revision C, small repairs, component replacements and other low complexity maintenance, can now be carried out with the performed by mechanics’ assistants “on site”, provided that under the remote supervision of an Aircraft Maintenance Mechanic attached to an airline operator certified by the Brazilian Civil Aviation Regulation (RBAC) nº 137, provided that the remote communication technology applied allows observing whether the work was properly performed, and that the supervisor is readily available to respond to queries from the performer, throughout the period of execution of the supervised maintenance activities.
This is, therefore, one more measure to promote the airline industry! The possibility of using new communication technologies such as videoconferencing, photographs, recordings, and voice communication, for example, will enable simple repairs to be carried out in the field, bringing greater speed and effectiveness to the aircraft repair process, and thus contributing to the optimization of the aero-agricultural operation.
The Aeronautical Law team at DDSA – De Luca, Derenusson, Schuttoff & Advogados will continue to monitor the issue and update its clients and partners.