Approved Persons (AP)
An Approved Person (AP) in a nutshell is somebody who is authorised to maintain, repair and inspect Non-Type Certified Aircraft (NTCA) within different classes and types covering their particular expertise or discipline. It is in broad terms equivalent / similar to an Aircraft Maintenance Engineer (AME) who is authorised to maintain, repair and inspect Type-Certified Aircraft (TCA).
The formal definition of an AP can be found in Civil Aviation Regulations (CAR) Part 1 as follows:
“Approved person” means a natural person who has been authorised in terms of Part 66 by the Director or the organisation designated for the purpose in terms of Part 149, as the case may be, to carry out maintenance inspections and repairs on a non-type certificated aircraft in compliance with the applicable aircraft maintenance schedule;
Furthermore Part 149 organisations are classified as Aviation Recreational Organisations “AROs”. Some ARO’s are Member Associations of the Aero Club of South Africa (AeCSA), whose members are involved in the construction, restoration, maintenance and operation of Non Type Certificated Aircraft (NTCA) used in South Africa in the categories listed below:
(a) Amateur-built aircraft
(b) Production-built aircraft
(c) Veteran aircraft
(d) Ex-military aircraft
(e) Any other aircraft not qualifying, or no longer qualifying for the issue of a certificate of airworthiness in terms of Part 21.
