Aircraft Maintenance Engineer (India)
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An Aircraft Maintenance Engineer (AME) in India is a person specifically licensed by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), Government of India, to certify the airworthiness of an aircraft, powerplant, aircraft system or component after maintenance. Any aircraft engaged in public transport including aerial work and flying training shall not be flown unless it has been maintained in accordance with such requirements as may be specified by the Director-General; and all such maintenance has been certified by appropriately licensed engineers, approved or authorized persons by means of such a 'certificate' as may be prescribed by the Director-General.[1]
Maintenance in accordance with Rule 60 of the Aircraft Rules 1937, refers to performance of all work necessary for the purpose of ensuring that the aircraft is airworthy and safe including servicing of the aircraft and all modifications, repairs, replacements, overhauls, processes, treatment, tests, operations and inspection of the aircraft, aircraft components and items of equipment required for that purpose. No aircraft shall commence any flight if subsequent to the issue of a certificate in pursuance of this rule, it has suffered any damage or revealed any defect, other than items covered in the approved list of deficiencies, which would render the aircraft unsafe for flight and which would not, in accordance with the ordinary aeronautical practice, be remedied by the pilot or crew.[1]
The holder of an AME Licence is authorized to exercise the privileges of the licence as given in Rule 61 of the Aircraft Rules, 1937 subject to complying with the said rule and the licence holder is familiar with all the relevant information relating to the maintenance and airworthiness of the particular aircraft for which the licence holder is signing a Maintenance Release, or such airframe, powerplant, aircraft system or component and aircraft avionic system or component which the licence holder is certifying as being airworthy. Endorsement of aircraft types on the page(s) entitled LICENCE (SUB) CATEGORIES means the holder is qualified to issue a certificate of release to service for such aircraft from the date of endorsement in conjunction with a valid approved maintenance organization’s authorisation or so authorized by the Director General.[2]
AME Licensing
Provisions
An Aircraft Maintenance Engineer's Licence is issued in accordance with the provisions of the Aircraft Act 1934, the Aircraft Rules 1937 for the time being in force and in conformity with ICAO Annex 1 to the convention on International Civil Aviation signed on 7 December 1944.[2]
Aircraft Rule 61 details the procedure for grant of Aircraft Maintenance Engineers licence, its validity and procedure for renewal. The licences issued under this rule are valid for the particular type of aircraft, engines and equipment endorsed on the licence . Aircraft Maintenance Engineers from time to time get additional endorsements on their licences after acquiring experience and fulfilling the conditions mentioned in the said rule. The licences are renewed subject to the condition that the Aircraft Maintenance Engineer has been engaged in aircraft industry in the capacity of either Aircraft Maintenance Engineer or in a supervisory capacity including imparting of training to AMEs. "Open" licences may also be obtained which cover a class of aircraft up to a certain weight category as detailed in CAR Section 2, Series 'L'.[3]
The Central Government may grant licences, authorisations or approvals as provided in the Aircraft Rule 61, to persons who meet the requirements specified in this rule.[4]
The Central Government may grant authorization to the holders of an Aircraft Maintenance Engineer’s Licence to carry out maintenance of any new aircraft, engine or system which has been brought into the organisation and which is not within the scope of his licence, and to issue a certificate of release thereof, provided that the Director-General is satisfied that the applicant has sufficient knowledge, experience and training, and has passed such examinations as specified by the Director-General.[4]
Upon being satisfied that the applicant has sufficient knowledge, experience, training and skill and has passed such examinations as specified by the Director-General, the Central Government may grant approvals to persons employed in an organisation approved by Director-General to certify maintenance work carried out on aircraft, engine or components, in accordance with the procedures specified by the Director-General.[4]
Training
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation, under the authority of Rule 133B, grants approvals to AME training institutes for imparting ab-initio training to students in the field of Aircraft Maintenance Engineering for obtaining Basic licence/certificate (BAMEL/BAMEC) in the following streams:
(a) Mechanical stream (Aeroplane and Powerplants) -- Light Aeroplanes (LA), Heavy Aeroplanes (HA), Piston Engine (PE) and Jet Engine (JE).
(b) Mechanical stream (Helicopters and Powerplants) -- Rotary Wing Aircraft (RA), Piston Engine (PE) and Jet Engine (JE).
(c) Avionics stream -- Electrical System (ES), Instrument System (IS) and Radio Navigation System (RN).[5]
For AME training course, the candidates shall have passed minimum 10+2 class with Mathematics, Physics and Chemistry from a recognized board or university or its equivalent. The trainees shall be subjected to a medical examination before they are admitted to the training institute by a doctor possessing at least an MBBS degree. Candidates shall not have any physical disabilities or color blindness, which may interfere in discharging the duties as an AME.[5]
The AME training course is not equivalent to a degree and is not affiliated to AICTE and not recognized by the UGC. It is a licence/certificate course conducted by the DGCA approved AME Training Institutes as per the syllabus(as amended from time to time to cover various subjects/modules of DGCA licensing system) prescribed by the Central Examination Organization (CEO), a body under DGCA which deals with the licencing examinations. The minimum duration of training for various streams is of three years including six months On Job Training (OJT).[5]
All semesters in training institute shall contain both theoretical and practical classes in equal proportion. The period assigned for OJT shall be exclusively practical oriented. After completing each semester the candidate shall be subjected to an examination. The examination shall be conducted semester-wise every six months. Before a candidate is allowed to appear for the examination, he should have been present for at least 80% of the training period. To be declared successful in the course, the candidates must obtain a minimum 70% in each paper of semester examinations conducted by the institute.[5]
The period of training in the approved training institute will be counted as maintenance experience for the purpose of computing total aeronautical experience required to become eligible for appearing in the AME licence examinations.[5]
AME Licence Examinations
AME licence examinations are conducted by DGCA three times in a calendar year i.e., in the months of February, June and October[5] at the designated centres namely New Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Kanpur, Bangalore, Chennai, Patna, Lucknow, Bhopal, Guwahati, Bhubaneshwar, Ahmedabad and Kochi. The examination for AME licence will consist of two parts i.e., written papers followed by an oral cum-practical test (skill test).[6]
Written Papers
The written papers will consist of Basic Papers and a Specific Paper. The written papers will contain multiple-choice questions. The pass percentage in each paper will be 70%.
Basic Papers
The Basic Papers will consist of the following written papers:
1) Paper I – Air Law, Airworthiness Requirements & Human Performance This paper contains questions pertaining to Aircraft Rules, Civil Aviation Requirements, and human factors etc. as in the syllabus. This paper will be common to all categories of AME/ Basic Licence. The applicant, who has once passed Paper I, will not be required to appear in this paper at any time thereafter.
2) Paper II – Aircraft Engineering This paper contains questions pertaining to general engineering, workshop practices, basic electricity and electronics, basic knowledge of computers etc. as detailed in the syllabus. This paper will be common to all categories of AME/ Basic Licence. The applicant, who has once passed Paper II, will not be required to appear in this paper at any time thereafter.
3) Paper III – Basic Aircraft/ Power Plant/ Systems This paper will contain questions on the basic principles and general theory of flight or power plants or electricity or instruments or radio systems as prescribed in the syllabus for each category of the AME/Basic Licence. There will be a separate question paper for each category of AME/Basic Licence. The applicant, who passes this paper in a category of AME/Basic License, will not be required to appear any time thereafter.[6]
Specific Paper
1) Paper IV
The Specific Paper will consist of only one written paper. This paper will contain questions pertaining to maintenance / overhaul / repair / construction, as applicable to the category of AME license to cover particular type of aircraft/ engine/ system. However, the applicants who have successfully completed a DGCA approved or manufacturer’s training course on the particular type of aircraft / engine / systems, will be exempted from this paper.
2) Approved Course
The type training programme of Aircraft / Power Plant / systems consisting of theoretical and OJT, conducted by the manufacturer or training establishments approved by FAA/ EASA/ DGCA, is considered as approved course. The approved training course conducted abroad at manufacturer’s facilities or at manufacturer’s approved OEM, if approved by FAA or EASA under Part 147, shall be acceptable to DGCA and an individual approval will not be required. The duration of approved training course if conducted in India by an airline shall not be less than that of manufacturer’s training or OEM’s training.[6]
The applicant will be permitted to appear in Paper IV (Specific) or attend the approved training course on a particular type of aircraft / engine / system only after he has passed all the basic papers relevant to the category of AME License.
Oral-cum-Practical Test (Skill test)
a) Applicants having passed Paper IV or approved course of specific types of aircraft/ power plant/ systems can avail three chances of skill test within a period of 30 months from the date of passing of the Paper IV or successful completion of the approved course. b) This test will be conducted to assess the knowledge of the applicant’s familiarization with the aircraft / power plant / system, and his skill/competency in carrying out maintenance tasks, snag rectification, etc. use of maintenance data, tools and equipments. The pass percentage will be 70%.[6]
Experience Requirements for appearing in Written Papers
1. DGCA Approved AME Training Institutes
1.1 The students who have completed one year of approved training curriculum shall be allowed to appear in Paper I (Air Law, Regulations and Human Performance) of AME/basic license examination.[6]
1.2 The students who have completed two years of approved training curriculum shall be allowed to appear in Paper II (Aircraft Engineering) of AME/basic license examination.[6]
1.3 The students who have completed two and a half years of the approved training curriculum will be allowed to appear in Paper III of AME/ basic license examination.[6]
2. Graduate Engineers Training (GET) Scheme
2.1 GETs who have successfully completed one year of training under the GET scheme will be allowed to appear for Paper I & II of AME/ basic license examination.[6]
2.2 GETs who have successfully completed two years of training under the GET scheme will be allowed to appear for Paper III of Basic License examination in their respective stream.[6]
2.3 GETs shall be eligible to appear for Paper IV (Specific) / undergo approved training in the relevant category after passing Paper III of that Category.[6]
3. General Candidates
3.1 A general candidate is eligible to appear in Paper I & Paper II after acquiring at least two years of aeronautical engineering experience.[6]
3.2 A general candidate is eligible to appear in Paper III after acquiring three years of aeronautical engineering experience on the relevant stream / category.[6]
Note: A general Candidate is one who does not fall in the categories of candidates in paragraphs 1 and 2 above.[6]
4 Defence Services Personnel
4.1 Defence personnel (serving or retired) are eligible to appear in the AME/basic license examination provided they meet the requirements of basic qualifications and experience as laid down in CAR Section 2 Series ‘L’ Part I.[6]
4.2 An applicant is eligible to appear in Paper I & Paper II after acquiring at least two years of aeronautical engineering experience.[6]
4.3 An applicant is eligible to appear in Paper III after acquiring three years of aeronautical engineering experience in the relevant Branch / Trade.[6]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 "60. Maintenance standards and certification". Dgca.nic.in. 1976-07-23. Retrieved 2012-09-21.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 "CAR-66: LICENSING OF AIRCRAFT MAINTENANCE ENGINEERS" (PDF). Retrieved 21 Sep 2012.
- ↑ "CIVIL AVIATION REQUIREMENTS SECTION 2 – AIRWORTHINESS SERIES 'L' PART V" (PDF). 20th JANUARY, 1992. Retrieved 21 Sep 2012. Check date values in:
|date=(help) - ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 "61. Licensing of Aircraft Maintenance Engineers". Dgca.nic.in. Retrieved 2012-09-21.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5 http://www.dgca.nic.in/ftppub/D2E-E8.pdf
- ↑ 6.00 6.01 6.02 6.03 6.04 6.05 6.06 6.07 6.08 6.09 6.10 6.11 6.12 6.13 6.14 6.15 http://www.dgca.nic.in/ftppub/d2l-l2.pdf
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