5 December 2011
Owners of de Havilland aircraft types now have the choice of continuing to operate their aircraft on a Certificate of Airworthiness (C of A) or a Permit to Fly. This move follows the de Havilland Support Ltd’s decision to rescind the Type Certificates for all of its aircraft from April 2012.
A statement from de Havilland Support Ltd explained, ‘For many of the aircraft types supported by DHSL, it is increasingly unrealistic and disproportionate for them to follow all the maintenance protocols now implied by a Standard Category Certificate of Airworthiness. Migrating these aircraft types to a Permit to Fly would offer their owners a more viable route to sustaining the airworthiness of their aircraft.
‘Agreement has therefore been reached with the UK CAA for DHSL to relinquish its responsibilities as a Type Certificate Holder (TCH) and to take out a Type Responsibility Agreement (TRA) for the Tiger Moth, Dragon Rapide, Chipmunk and Bulldog only. This will allow the owners of aircraft types covered by the TRA to elect to operate on the form of certification which best suits their operational requirements.’
The statement went on to explaing that all other aircraft types previously supported by DHSL will no longer be eligible for the grant of a UK Certificate of Airworthiness and must transfer to a Permit to Fly. The Permit to Fly may be supervised by the UK CAA or the Light Aircraft Association (LAA) at the discretion of the owner, except that in the case of the multi-engined types being orphaned (Dragon, Dragonfly, Dove and Heron) only a CAA-supervised Permit to Fly will be available.
‘It is anticipated that the UK CAA will issue an Information Notice to define the regulatory implications of the DHSL actions, and the transition arrangements. Before the date of implementation it will be necessary for owners of only the Tiger Moth, Dragon Rapide, Chipmunk and Bulldog aircraft to declare what their future certification basis will be. To help owners decide on the basis of certification which best suits their needs, DHSL will be holding an Operators’ Conference at Duxford in the New Year.
‘Associated with these fundamental changes, we are revamping our website which will soon host a substantially reinforced FAQ section to help answer many of your questions on these important issues. The changes will mean that fees for our Continuing Airworthiness Service will rise but we hope that the benefits of membership, especially the discounts available on publications and an increasing range of spares, will continue to prove attractive.
‘Unfortunately, to ensure our ongoing presence in support of the certificated aircraft, an annual TRA membership fee will become payable by commercial and other operators who require a Certificate of Airworthiness to allow operation for valuable consideration or unhindered operation overseas.
Speaking on behalf of the Light Aircraft Aviation Chief Engineer, Francis Donaldson, commented, “For very many years the LAA has campaigned for CAA to allow a dual route option with vintage aircraft rather than being bound to the principle that if an aircraft can be kept on a Certificate of Airworthiness then no other options are permissible. The change in CAA policy which came about early this year represented a sea change in the Authority’s approach and DHSL’s latest move springboards off this result.
“We are particularly delighted to welcome vintage de Havilland and Bulldog owners into the LAA system as we believe that for private owners, the LAA scheme with its long- embedded craftsman mentality provides the scope for enthusiasts to care for these much-loved aircraft personally and maintain them in a manner appropriate to the aircraft’s age and orphaned status. We look forward to working with de Havilland Support to make the transfer of these aircraft types as seamless as possible so that they can take their place alongside all the vintage Moths, Stampes and Jodels etc., that are already in the LAA fleet.”
<a href=”http://www.dhsupport.com”>Click here for more</a>
