Hong Kong Airworthiness

The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology

MSc – Aeronautical Engineering

Airworthiness Concept

Ir Henry LEUNG
BEng(Hons), MSc(Eng), FHKIE, RPE, MRAeS, CEng

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 Expectation
• MSc professional course
• Interactions
• Questions
• Discussions

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 Class discussion
• Why is air travel one of the safest modes of
transportation?

The International Air Transport Association reported that there was just one major aviation crash
for every 7.7 million flights in 2021. The overall fatality risk is 0.23 meaning that on average, a
person would need to take a flight every day for 10,078 years to be involved in an accident with
at least one fatality. Whereas the odds of dying in a car crash are approximately 1 in 107 in 2019.

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 Course Description
• The civil aviation industry is one of the safest modes of transportation, yet
complex and highly regulated.
• Almost every part of the industry are regulated.
• From the design, manufacturing and operation of an aircraft, people
operating and maintaining the aircraft to organisations handling, operating
and maintaining the aircraft are regulated by various rules and regulations.
• This course introduces the concept of airworthiness and examines the
framework of both international and Hong Kong aviation regulations
governing the aviation industry.
• Allowing the students to understand the whole journey of the life of an
aircraft.
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 Course Objectives
• Understand what is Airworthiness, in particular Initial and Continuing
Airworthiness
• Appreciate how Airworthiness and Safety Regulation is controlled in
Hong Kong as well as international standards
• The journey of an aircraft from its design to withdraw from service

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 Learning Outcomes
Upon completion of this module, the students should be able to :

• Understand and explain the different between Initial and Continuing

Airworthiness.
• Identify the applicable airworthiness regulations that an aircraft
needs to comply for any time of its operating life and is a condition
for safe operation.
• Identify how operations and organisations in the aviation industry are
regulated.

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 Grading Policy
• Class assignments: 60% [each instructor will give out assignment on
their topics/modules and will sum up to 60% of the total score];

• Examinations: 40% [Multiple choose questions at the end of the

course]

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 Topics
1. What is Airworthiness
a. Airworthiness concept
b. Maintenance a safest mode of air transport system
c. The journey of an aircraft: from design to withdraw from service

2. Aviation Legislation and Airworthiness Requirements

a. International Standards – ICAO Annexes
b. Major aviation authorities and standards: FAA, EASA, CAAC
c. Hong Kong aviation legislation and airworthiness requirements framework

3. Initial and Continuing Airworthiness

a. Initial Airworthiness
b. Continuing Airworthiness

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 4. Design, modification and repairs
a. Aircraft Certification
b. Design Organisation and approvals
c. Requirements and applications

5. Maintenance
a. Approved Maintenance Organisation
b. Aircraft Maintenance License
c. Approved Maintenance Training Organisation

6. Quality Assurance System

a. Quality Assurance System in Aircraft Maintenance
b. Quality Assurance System in Operator
c. Mandatory and Incident Reporting
d. Accident Investigation
e. Safety Management System
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 7. Air Operator’s Certificate
a. CAD 360 Part 1 – Operation of Aircraft
b. CAD 360 Part 2 – Arrangement for Maintenance Support

8. Aircraft Maintenance programme

a. Schedule and unscheduled maintenance
b. Approved Maintenance Schedule
c. Engine Maintenance Programme
d. Component Reliability Programme

9. Procurement and material management

a. Procurement of aircraft and services
b. Management of aircraft parts and material

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 • Airworthy?
• Safe to fly?

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 What is Airworthiness?
• ICAO: Airworthy:-
The status of an aircraft, engine or part when it confirms to
its approved design and is in a condition for safe operation.

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 What is Airworthiness?
• An aircraft is airworthy "when it meets its type design and is in a
condition for safe operation" [FAA, 1998] and therefore starting a
flight in an airworthy aircraft is an important part of the achieving
acceptable levels of safety.

• The regulations require nothing less than this.

• The effort which goes into delivering airworthy aircraft stems from a
huge, complex and highly regulated industry.

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 Unsafe Operations

Safe Operations

ICAO SARP

HK Laws

Operation Procedures
Aircraft Manuals

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 Who is responsible?

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 The Airworthiness Concept
• Aviation Legislation
• Design and Production
• Initial Airworthiness
• Continuing Airworthiness & Maintenance
• Human Factors & Safety Management
• Interface

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 Aviation is a highly regulated
and complex industry

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 Airworthiness Certification
• A series of certification process leading to an
authorisation to operate an aircraft in flight

Approved Design Compliance to Approved Type

Process Design Standards Design

Approved Design Approved Manufacturing Approved Manufacturing

Organisation Process Organisation

Compliance to Compliance to aviation Approved

regulations requirements Maintenance

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 Who are those in the Aviation industry?
The Stakeholders
• Type Certificate holders (Design Organisation)
• Design Aircraft, Engine and Propeller

• Manufacturers (aircraft and components)

• Manufacturing and production

• International Civil Aviation Organisation

• a UN specialised agency to manage the administration
and governance of the Convention on International
Civil Aviation (Chicago Convention)
• i.e. International rules

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 • Civil Aviation Authorities
• government statutory authority in each country
that maintains an aircraft register and oversees the
approval and regulation of civil aviation

• International Standards Organisations

• global organization that works to provide
standardization across an array of products and
companies. Its main goal is to facilitate trade, but its
focus is on process improvement, safety, and quality
in several areas.

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 • Operators
• private, charters, airlines, cargo, etc.

• Maintenance & Repair Organisations

• An approved maintenance organisation may
perform maintenance, preventive
maintenance, or alterations on an aircraft,
airframe, aircraft engine, propeller, appliance,
component, or part thereof only for which it is
rated and within the terms, conditions, and
authorisations placed in its operations
specifications.

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 • Ground Handling/Services agents
• the servicing of an aircraft while it is on the ground
and (usually) parked at a terminal gate of an
airport.

• Airport Services
• an aerodrome with extended facilities, mostly for
commercial air transport

• Inventory and distributors

• Manage and distribute of aircraft parts and
equipment, ranging from engine components to
fasteners

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 • Training Organisations
• an organisation staffed, equipped and operated in a
suitable environment offering approved flying
training, and/or synthetic flight instruction and/or
theoretical knowledge instruction for specific flight
training programmes
• crews, maintenance personnel and others

• Security
• ground, air and network

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 • Navigation Services
• air traffic services; communication, navigation and
surveillance services; meteorological services for
air navigation; and aeronautical information
services.

• Financial institutions
• financing for the purchase and operation of
aircraft, including secured lending, operating
leasing and finance leasing

• Insurance companies
• insurance coverage geared specifically to the
operation of aircraft and the risks involved in
aviation

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 The
Regulator

Monitoring
Type Airworthiness Instructions The
Certificate Operator
Service Information
Holder

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 The Journey of an aircraft

Design Certification Manufacture

Enter into Withdraw from

In Service
Service Service

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