Part-66 is the Annex III of Regulation (EC) 1321/2014 and is concerned with the licensing of AMEs.

Part-66 came into force on 29 November 2003, but various derogations allowed the regulation not to be
mandatory until September 2006 for large aircraft (MTOW > 5700 Kg), or September 2008 for light
aircraft (MTOW< 5700Kg). Part-66 is the Aircraft Maintenance Licence requirement for all EASA
member States. All staff issuing CRS in accordance with Part 145.A.50 are required to be licensed in
accordance with Part-66, and shall hold a Basic License and a type specific license. In addition, there are
experience and age requirements. The minimum age to hold a Part-66 license is 18 and minimum age
to certify with is 21. Experience requirements are varied depending on the type of basic training and
previous experience gained. It may be a little as 1 year or as much as 5 years. An AME can hold multiple
categories of license and of multiple types.

66.A.3 Licence Categories & sub categories

Aircraft maintenance licences include the following categories and, where applicable, subcategories and
system ratings:
 Category A
- A1 Aeroplanes Turbine
- A2 Aeroplanes Piston
- A3 Helicopters Turbine
- A4 Helicopters Piston
 Category B1
- B1.1 Aeroplanes Turbine
- B1.2 Aeroplanes Piston
- B1.3 Helicopters Turbine
- B1.4 Helicopters Piston
 Category B2: The B2 licence is applicable to all aircraft.
 Category B2L: The B2L licence is applicable to all aircraft other than those in Group 1 as set out in
Point 66.A.5(1) and is divided into the following system ratings:
- communication/navigation
- instruments
- auto flight,
- surveillance
- airframe systems
B2L licence shall contain, as a minimum, one system rating.
 Category B3: The B3 licence is applicable to piston-engine non-pressurized aeroplanes of 2000 kg
Maximum Take-off Mass (MTOM) and below.
 Category L: The L Licence is applicable to sailplanes, gas air balloons, airships etc.
 Category C: The C licence is applicable to aeroplanes and helicopters.

66.A.5 Aircraft Groups

For the purpose of ratings on aircraft maintenance licences, aircraft shall be classified as following
groups:
Group 1: CMPA as well as multiple engine helicopters, aeroplanes with maximum certified operating
altitude exceeding FL290, aircraft equipped with fly-by-wire systems and other aircraft requiring an
aircraft type rating when defined so by the Agency.
Group 2: aircraft other than those in Group 1 belonging to the following subgroups:
— sub-group 2a: single turbo-propeller engine aeroplanes
— sub-group 2b: single turbine engine helicopters
— sub-group 2c: single piston engine helicopters.
Group 3: piston engine aeroplanes other than those in Group 1.
Group 4: sailplanes, powered sailplanes, balloons and airships, other than those in Group 1.

66.A.10 Application
An application for an aircraft maintenance licence or change to such licence shall be made on an EASA
Form 19 in a manner established by the competent authority and submitted thereto competent authority
of the Member State that issued the aircraft maintenance licence. Each application shall be supported by
documentation to demonstrate compliance with the applicable theoretical knowledge, practical
training and experience requirements at the time of application.

66.A.20 Certification Privileges

Category A: A Category A certifying licence permits the holder to issue certificates of release to service
following minor scheduled line maintenance and simple defect rectification within the limits of tasks
specifically endorsed on the authorization. The certification privileges are restricted to maintenance
which the authorization holder has personally performed in a Part-145 organization.

Category B1: A category B1 certifying staff authorization permits the holder to issue certificates of
release to service following maintenance including aircraft structure, power plants and mechanical
and electrical systems. Authorization to replace avionic line replaceable units requiring simple tests
to prove their serviceability is also permitted. Compass compensation and adjustment certification
privileges are contained within a Category B1 licence. B1 licence issued in a particular sub-category also
entitles the holder to exercise the privileges of a Category

Category B2: A category B2 certifying staff authorization permits the holder to issue certificates of
release to service following maintenance on avionic and electrical systems. Category B2 certifying
staff can qualify for any A sub category subject to compliance with the appropriate requirements.
Compass compensation and adjustment certification privileges are contained within a Category B2
licence. A licence for other aircraft types. The B2 licence broadly covers the following areas:
- instrument systems
- automatic pilot systems (fixed and rotary wing), including auto-throttle and auto land systems,
radio communication, navigation and radar Systems
- electrical power generation and distribution to avionic systems

Category B3: A category B3 licence shall permit the holder to issue certificates of release to service and
to act as B3 support staff for maintenance performed on aeroplane structure, powerplant and
mechanical and electrical systems, work on avionic systems requiring only simple tests to prove
their serviceability and not requiring troubleshooting. The category B3 licence does not include any
A subcategory. Nevertheless, this does not prevent the B3 licence holder from releasing maintenance
tasks typical of the A2 subcategory for piston-engine non-pressurized aeroplanes of 2000 kg MTOM
and below, within the limitations contained in the B3 licence.

Category C: A category C certifying staff authorisation permits the holder to issue certificates of release
to service following base maintenance. The authorisation is valid for the aircraft, in its entirety,
including all systems. The Category C licence certifier will act primarily in a maintenance management
role controlling the progress of aircraft maintenance work. A Category C licence alone does not permit
the holder to act as a B1, B2 or B3 certifier.

Limitation of Privileges
The holder of an aircraft maintenance licence may not exercise certification privileges unless:
 he/she is in compliance with the applicable requirements of Part-M and/or Part-145.
 in the preceding two-year period he/she has, either had six months of maintenance experience in
accordance with the privileges granted by AML or, met the provision for issue of appropriate
privileges.
 he/she is able to read, write and communicate to an understandable level in the language(s) in
which the technical documentation and procedures necessary to support the issue of the certificate
of release to service are written.

Medical
Certifying staff must not exercise the privileges of their certification authorisation if they know or suspect
that their physical or mental condition fenders them unfit to exercise such privileges. All Engineering
Staff should also be aware of the sanctions that can be applied found to be unfit at their place of work.

66.A.25 Basic Knowledge Requirements

An applicant for an AML, or for the addition of a category/subcategory, shall demonstrate a level of
knowledge by examination of the appropriate subject modules in accordance with Appendix I, Annex III
(Part-66). The examination shall comply with the standard set out in Appendix II, Annex III (Part-66) and
shall be conducted either by a training organisation appropriately approved in accordance with
Annex IV (Part-147), or by the competent authority or as agreed by the competent authority. Upon
passing the first module taken there is then a 10-year window in which all modules must be passed.

Extension to the Basic License

A license holder is permitted to extend his basic license to include an additional category. To achieve
this, he/she needs to pass those exams or parts of exams to satisfy the extra license requirement and also
show proof of experience in the new category.

Exemption from Knowledge Requirements

Full or partial credit against the basic knowledge requirements and associated examination shall be given
for any other technical qualification considered by the Competent Authority to be equivalent to the
knowledge standard of Part-66. The NAAs shall publish details of exemptions they will consider, each
one being considered individually.
1. For an applicant being a person qualified by holding an academic degree in an aeronautical, mechanical
or electronic discipline from a recognised university or other higher educational institute the need for any
examination will depend upon the course taken in relation to Appendix I to Part-66.
2. Knowledge gained and examinations passed during previous experiences, for e.g., in military aviation
and civilian apprenticeships will be credited where the competent authority is satisfied that such
knowledge and examinations are equivalent to that required by Appendix I to Part-66.

66.A.30 Basic Experience Requirements

An applicant for an aircraft maintenance licence shall have acquired experience in relevant field as
following:
1. for category A, subcategories B1.2 and B1.4 and category B3:
- 3 years of practical maintenance experience on operating aircraft, if the applicant has no previous
relevant technical training or
- 2 years of practical maintenance experience on operating aircraft and completion of training
considered relevant by the competent authority as a skilled worker, in a technical trade or
- 1 year of practical maintenance experience on operating aircraft and completion of a basic
training course approved in accordance with Annex IV (Part-147)
2. for category B2 and subcategories B1.1 and B1.3:
- 5 years of practical maintenance experience on operating aircraft if the applicant has no previous
relevant technical training or
 - 3 years of practical maintenance experience on operating aircraft and completion of training
considered relevant by the competent authority as a skilled worker, in a technical trade or
- 2 years of practical maintenance experience on operating aircraft and completion of a basic
training course approved in accordance with Annex IV (Part-147)
3. for category C with respect to CMPA:
- 3 years of experience exercising category B1.1, B1.3 or B2 privileges on complex motor-powered
aircraft or as support staff according to point 145.A.35, or, a combination of both or
- 5 years of experience exercising category B1.2 or B1.4 privileges on complex motor-powered
aircraft or as support staff according to point 145.A.35, or a combination of both
4. for category C with respect to other than CMPA:
- 3 years of experience exercising category B1 or B2 privileges on other than complex motor-
powered aircraft or as support staff according to point 145.A.35, or a combination of both
5. for category C obtained through the academic route:
- an applicant holding an academic degree in a technical discipline, from a university or other
higher educational institution recognised by the competent authority, 3 years of experience
working in a civil aircraft maintenance environment on a representative selection of tasks directly
associated with aircraft maintenance including 6 months of observation of base maintenance
tasks.
An applicant for an extension to an aircraft maintenance licence shall have a minimum civil aircraft
maintenance experience requirement appropriate to the additional category/subcategory of licence applied
as defined in Appendix IV Annex Part-66. The experience shall be practical and involve a representative
cross section of maintenance tasks on aircraft. At least 1 year of the required experience shall be recent
maintenance experience on aircraft of the category/subcategory for which the initial aircraft maintenance
licence is sought. For subsequent category/subcategory additions to an existing aircraft maintenance
licence, the additional recent maintenance experience required may be less than 1 year, but shall be
at least 3 months. The required experience shall be dependent upon the difference between the licence
category/subcategory held and applied for. Such additional experience shall be typical of the new licence
category/subcategory sought. Maintenance experience gained outside a civil aircraft maintenance
environment shall be accepted when such maintenance is equivalent to that required by this Annex Part-
66 as established by the competent authority. Additional experience of civil aircraft maintenance shall,
however, be required to ensure adequate understanding of the civil aircraft maintenance environment.
To be considered as recent experience, at least 50% of the required 12-month recent experience
should be gained within the 12-month period prior to the date of application for the aircraft
maintenance licence. The remainder of the recent experience should have been gained within the 7-
year period prior to application. It must be noted that the rest of the basic experience required by
66.A.30 must be obtained within the 10 years prior to the application as required by 66.A.30(f).

66.A.40 Continued Validity of AML

The AML becomes invalid 5 years after its last issue or change, unless the holder submits his/her aircraft
maintenance licence to the competent authority that issued it, in order to verify that the information
contained in the licence is the same as that contained in the competent authority records, pursuant to point
66.B.120. The licence holder shall complete and submit EASA Form 19 with the holder's copy of the
licence to the competent authority that issued the original AML, unless the holder works in a maintenance
organisation approved in accordance with Annex II (Part-145) that has a procedure in its exposition
whereby such organisation may submit the necessary documentation on behalf of the licence holder. Any
certification privilege based upon aircraft maintenance licence becomes invalid as soon as the aircraft
maintenance licence is invalid. The aircraft maintenance licence is only valid when issued and/or
changed by the competent authority and when the holder has signed the document.

66.A.45 Endorsement with type ratings

In order to be entitled to exercise certification privileges on a specific aircraft type, the holder of an
aircraft maintenance licence needs to have their licence endorsed with the relevant aircraft ratings:
 For category A, no rating is required, subject to compliance with the requirements of point 145.A.35 of
Annex II Part-145.
 For category B1, B2 or C, the relevant aircraft ratings are the following:
- for Group 1 aircraft, the appropriate aircraft type rating
- for Group 2 aircraft, the appropriate aircraft type rating, manufacturer subgroup rating or full
subgroup rating
- for Group 3 aircraft, the appropriate aircraft type rating or full group rating
- for Group 4 aircraft, for the category B2 licence, the full group rating.
 For category B3, relevant rating is piston-engine non-pressurized aeroplane of 2000 kg MTOM &
below.
In order that a Part-145 or Part M Subpart F can issue certification authorization to a Part-66 licence
holder in categories B1 and B2, the relevant type rating must be held. Without the relevant type rating and
authorization, the license holder cannot sign the CRS for work carried out on the aircraft. There are
additional requirements to be satisfied for authorization issue. “Certification Authorization” means the
authorization issued to certifying staff by the Organization, which specifies the fact that they may sign
CRS within the limitations stated in such authorization on behalf of the organization.

66.A.50 Limitations
Limitations introduced on an aircraft maintenance licence are exclusions from the certification privileges
and, in the case of limitations referred to in point 66.A.45, they affect the aircraft in its entirety. For
limitations referred to in point 66.A.45, limitations shall be removed upon:
1. demonstration of appropriate experience; or
2. after a satisfactory practical assessment performed by the competent authority.
For limitations referred to in point 66.A.70, limitations shall be removed upon satisfactory completion of
examination on those modules/subjects defined in the applicable conversion report referred to in point
66.B.300.

66.A.55 Evidence of qualification

Personnel exercising certification privileges as well as support staff shall produce their licence, as
evidence of qualification, within 24 hours upon request by an authorised person.

66.A.70 Conversion provisions

The holder of a certifying staff qualification valid in a Member State, prior to the date of entry into force
of Annex III Part-66 shall be issued an AML by the competent authority of this member state without
further examination subject to the conditions specified in Section B Subpart D. A person undergoing a
certifying staff qualification process valid in a member state, prior to the date of entry into force of Annex
III Part-66 may continue to be qualified. The holder of a certifying staff qualification gained following
such process shall be issued an aircraft maintenance licence by the competent authority of this member
state without further examination subject to the conditions specified in Section B Subpart D. Where
necessary, AML shall contain limitations in accordance with point 66.A.50 to reflect the differences
between:
(i) the scope of the certifying staff qualification valid in the Member State before the entry into force of
the applicable licence category or subcategory provided for in this Annex Part-66
(ii) the basic knowledge requirements and the basic examination standards laid down in Appendices I and
II to this Annex Part-66.

Part-147 Approved Type Course

An approved B1 or B2 type course consists of all the elements of an aircraft, as required for a B1 or B2
staff to carry out the requirements of his/her approval. Full details can be obtained in Annex III of Part-
66- The completion of aircraft type training will be achieved and demonstrated by:
 THEORETICAL ELEMENT and multi-choice written examination carried out by Part 147
organization.
 PRACTICAL ELEMENT and Assessments carried out by a Part147 organization.
Category A Training Routes:
A course approved under Part-147 of between 650 and 800 hours duration teaching theoretical and
practical skills required. The approved course must be followed by a minimum of 1 year practical line
maintenance experience to consolidate the training received prior to licence application.
Self-Starter and Other Experienced Applicants Category A applicants who have not successfully
completed a Part-147 approved course of training, should have at least 3 years practical maintenance
experience on operating aircraft.
Skilled Worker is a person who has successfully completed a course of training, acceptable to the
competent authority, involving the manufacture, repair, overhaul or inspection of mechanical, electrical or
electronic equipment The training would have included the use of tools and measuring devices. 2 years
experience is required in this category. Aircraft maintenance experience gained outside a civil aircraft
maintenance environment can include experience gained in armed forces, coast guards and police. At
least 1 year of civil experience on aircraft typical of the category or sub-category for which application is
made, is required.

Category B1 Training Routes

A Course approved under Part-147 training can be undertaken under the auspices of a Part-147
approved basic training school, The course will consist of a minimum of 2,400 hours instruction. The
purpose of the course is to teach the individual the basic underpinning theoretical knowledge required of
the category B1 role and to provide basic skills and maintenance practices training to establish basic
practical competence. The course includes theory exams and practical skills assessments as part of the
training and
qualification philosophy.
For B1.1 and B1.3 sub categories - The approved course must be followed by a minimum of 2-years
practical maintenance experience.
For B1.2 and B1.4 Sub Categories - The approved course must be followed by a minimum of 1-year
practical maintenance experience.
Self-starter and other experienced applicants in Category B1.1 or B1.3 applicants who have not
attended a Part- 147 approved course of training, should have at least 5 years practical maintenance
experience on operating aircraft.
Experienced engineers such as Skilled Workers, Armed Forces, Coast Guards or Police, may be eligible
for a reduction in experience required.
Self-starter and Other experienced applicants in Category B1.2 or B1.4 applicants who have not
attended a Part-147 approved course of training, should have at least 3 years practical maintenance
experience on operating aircraft.
Experienced engineers such as Skilled Workers, Armed Forces, Coast Guards or Police, may be eligible
for a reduction in experience required. However it should be noted that the NAA will assess each
application on its merits.

Category B2 Training Routes

A Course approved under Part-147 training can be undertaken under the auspices of a Part-147
approved basic training school. The course will consist of a minimum of 2400 hours instruction. The
purpose of the course is to teach the individual the basic underpinning theoretical knowledge required of
aircraft and the related systems required of the category B2 role and to provide basic skills and
maintenance practices training to establish basic practical competence, The course includes theory exams
and practical skills assessments as part of the training and qualification philosophy. The approved course
must be followed by a minimum of 2 years practical maintenance experience to consolidate the
training received.
Self-starter and other experienced applicants category B2 applicants who have not attended a Part-147
approved course of training should have at least 5 years practical maintenance experience on operating
aircraft.
Experienced such as Skilled Workers, Armed Forces, Coast Guards or Police, may be eligible for a
reduction in experience required. A reduction in the 5 years’ experience requirement may be considered
for certain applicants who fall into the “self-starter or skilled worker” category. These reductions are
normally detailed in this relevant NAAs sections. However it should be noted that the NAA will assess
each application on its merits.

Category C Training Routes

The Category C licence may be obtained via one of two available routes: either by experience gained
through category B1 or B2 or as a graduate entrant that is considered to be acceptable to the NAA.
The B1, B2 and B3 Route requires that an applicant has spent 3 years as a B1.1, B1.3 or B2 Certifying
LAE on Large Aircraft or 5 years for B1.2 and B1.4. This time period is reduced to 3 years for all
categories of small aircraft (B3).
The Graduate Route holding a degree in Aeronautical Engineering, or a similar discipline that is
considered by the NAA relevant to aircraft maintenance that has been accepted for this purpose by the
NAA, must have at least 3 years’ experience in a civil aircraft maintenance environment including 6
months of observation of base maintenance tasks. A person qualifying for a Category C licence via this
route will not be entitled to a Category B1, B2 or B3 licence unless the requirements for those Categories
are also met.

Knowledge Requirements for Category C

Category C certifying staff with a mechanical background should meet the Category B1 basic knowledge
levels. Category C certifying staff with an avionic background should meet the category B2 basic
knowledge levels. Category C Certifying staff for light aircraft should meet the B3 knowledge
requirement.
Applicants following the Graduate route for direct issue of Category C must still pass either the Category
B1, B2 or B3 full examinations unless the degree course qualifies for the standard exemptions as listed in
section F4, or exemptions have been agreed as a result of the assessment of the particular degree course.

Support Staff
To certifying individual tasks during base maintenance B1, B2 and B3 type qualified engineers, who may
or may not have certification privileges in their own right, are defined as Support Staff. The C license
engineer can only certify the whole aircraft after the Support Staff have signed off the individual task.