CASA announced a project yesterday to review Civil Aviation Regulation 4A to better adapt it for small aircraft maintenance, with the dual aims of improving efficiencies and removing anomalies.
In the process, CASA will not supercede the regulation with a new CASR until it is better suited to general aviation.
"CASA expects that the Civil Aviation Regulations 1988 (CAR) will continue to be required to regulate the non-airline maintenance sector until specific requirements for the small aircraft maintenance sector are introduced into the Civil Aviation Safety Regulations 1998 (CASR)," the CASA announcement said.
"In view of this, CASA acknowledges that a review is required to identify provisions that are inappropriate in the small aircraft maintenance environment. In addition, feedback from the maintenance industry has highlighted the need to simplify and rationalise the maintenance regulations, and update them to reflect the current state of aviation practice and technological development."
The general aviation maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) industry, driven by the Aviation Maintenance Repair and Overhaul Business Association (AMROBA) has been critical of the proposed CASRs because they effectively imposed regulations on GA that were designed to apply to airline transport aircraft.
CASA says it has already identified a number of areas that need attention, but will be seeking input from MROs and operators as the project progresses.
According to CASA, the CAR will need to be re-worked to make it sustainable into the future, with aims to:
- simplify the regulations
- reduce red tape
- reduce compliance burdens
- align with current policy.
"The project will update the CAR airworthiness regulations to ensure uniformity of interpretation and application," CASA says. "Along with the CAR update, CASA intends to provide associated guidance material. The updated CARs are expected to reduce costs to industry."
More information on the review project is available on the CASA website.