Part-66L Information
Glider maintenance plays an essential role in flight safety and the longevity of our aircraft. Gliding clubs face a growing need for volunteers capable of carrying out routine and regulatory maintenance operations. In addition, certain maintenance tasks can only be performed by individuals holding a Part66L licence.
UK continuing airworthiness regulation requires BGA inspectors to hold a UK Part-66 licence with the correct category to certify a release to service for Part-21 sailplanes, powered sailplanes, TMGs and aeroplanes. There is no requirement to hold a Part66L licence to qualify as a BGA inspector – read more about becoming a BGA inspector here.
The following information is published to support BGA inspectors and potential BGA inspectors who choose to qualify for a Part66L licence.
- A step by step approach
- Qualifying for an initial issuePart66L licence
- Tips for successfully completing the pathway
- The essential role of clubs
- More about the Part66L exams
- Part66L licence holder recency
- Adding a Part66L category
- Renewing a Part66L licence
- The part66L regulation
Prerequisites – motivation and practical experience
Contrary to what many people assume, there is no requirement for a particular educational level or aeronautical qualification before starting. The essential qualities are:
- an interest in how things work and getting involved
- attention to detail
- and above all… practical experience. This experience is mandatory and must be gained by participating in maintenance activities within a club. It should cover different types of tasks such as:
- inspections
- routine maintenance
- repairs
In gliding, where activity is often concentrated at weekends, experience can be accumulated progressively provided participation is regular and varied. A motivated person can build the required experience over a couple of seasons. Think about your glider maintenance experience to date gained helping others – you might be surprised!
A Step-by-Step Approach
Candidates do not immediately become fully qualified. The initial Part66L licence is often granted with limitations, for example:
- Restricted to certain structural types
- Excluding powered aircraft
These limitations can gradually be removed through additional experience and training.
Qualifying for an initial issue Part66L licence
The BGA has developed a compliant process that can lead to a BGA recommendation for Part66L licence issue by the CAA. The BGA CAO Part66L training process is detailed here.
In summary, the three headlines are:
1. Demonstrate by examination a level of knowledge in the appropriate subject modules in accordance with UK Regulation (EU) No 1321/2014. The examinations can be conducted by specifically authorised BGA invigilators.
Read more about the theoretical knowledge examinations here. Don’t forget that you can study for the multi-choice examinations and sit them in any order.
2. Have gained practical maintenance experience on operational aircraft in a form acceptable to the CAA and signed by an appropriate signatory. The experience needs to be carefully logged, ensuring that in each case there is enough detail for a CAA surveyor to identify the depth and scope of experience gained. A practical experience BGA logbook is available as a download here.
3. Submit a CAA application complete with an SRG 1029 recommendation certified by the BGA CTO and a covering letter from the applicant. The CAA online application is described here.
Tips for Successful Completion
A few simple recommendations can make a significant difference:
- Participate regularly in club maintenance activities
- Immediately start recording experience in your logbook
- Study one theoretical knowledge topic at a time and then take the e-exam. Repeat for the next topic. Etc.
- Carry out a variety of maintenance tasks and follow approved maintenance data
- Work under the supervision of a qualified inspector with a Part66L licence
- Progress step by step rather than trying to achieve everything at once
The Essential Role of Clubs
The progress of future inspectors depends greatly on their operating environment at clubs.
Organising Maintenance Activities
Regular maintenance days allow clubs to:
- Create learning opportunities
- Structure experience acquisition
- Encourage member participation
Supervising and passing on knowledge
Experienced inspectors are essential to:
- Supervise maintenance work
- Explain techniques and technical decisions
- Validate completed tasks
Facilitating traceability of experience
Simple good practices include:
- Encouraging future inspectors to keep their logbooks up to date
- Scheduling regular validation sessions
- Formalising completed work, e.g. by the supervising inspector signing and dating when complete
👉 Without this structure, it becomes very difficult for candidates to demonstrate their experience.
More about the Part66L examinations
Part66L licence holder recency
To use the licence privileges, Part66L licence holders need to be able to demonstrate, in the last 2 years, practical experience which includes a representative cross section of maintenance activities relevant to the licence.
‘A representative cross section of maintenance activities’ means a representative cross-section of the tasks listed in Appendix II to AMC to Annex III (Part-66) Aircraft Type Practical Experience and On-the-Job Training – List of Tasks. ‘Demonstrate’ means having a record, such as a logbook.
Adding a Part66L category
Some Part66L L1 qualified inspectors may wish to add L2 (powered sailplanes and ELA1 aeroplanes). They need to pass the 8L powerplant examination and have relevant experience. Please refer to Part66L theoretical knowledge examinations above.
Regarding experience, potential candidates are encouraged to contact the BGA CTO for guidance. His mobile phone number is available from the BGA office.
Renewing a Part66L licence
A Part66L licence is renewable by the CAA every five years. The BGA strongly recommends that Part66L licence holders do not allow their licence to lapse. A Part66L licence renewal application should be submitted to the CAA complete with payment by the licence holder as close to 60 days as possible prior to expiry (in exceptional circumstances, the 60 days can be extended to 120 days) with no loss of validity period.
Important note: Microsoft Edge and Google Chrome browsers work fine with the CAA website functionality including payment system. The Firefox browser does not.
Application to renew a Part66L licence is made direct to the CAA – read more here.
CAA’s charge for a Part66L licence is £435 (reference this ORS 5 Scheme of Charges Page 42). Note – HMRC allows tax relief on the cost of an aircraft maintenance licence renewal. Follow the links here.
BGA guidance re the CAA Part66L licence renewal procedure
The CAA online application process can be confusing. We offer the following guidance.
First create a CAA Portal account if you don’t already have one. Click here the the CAA portal webpage.
Once you have a CAA portal account in place, log in to the CAA Portal and in ‘your services’, click on ‘Aircraft Maintenance Licence Applications’ which opens the ‘Engineer Licence’ webpage.
Click on ‘All Applications’, then ‘Engineer Licence’, then ‘Apply for Engineer Licence’.
Complete the online form. We recommend you declare yourself as ‘self-employed’. The process may stop you applying if your expiry date is outside the CAA’s application timeline window, in which case you will need to go back and apply to renew at a future date.
You’ll need to submit identification. A selfie/photo of you holding up clearly visible photo ID such as a driving licence or passport is acceptable. If in doubt, read the CAA supplied instructions describing acceptable forms of ID.
The CAA fee is paid direct to the CAA as part of the online application process.
Part66L regulation
You can view the Part-66L regulation here.