Owner maintenance question

[airguy]

Question for you A&P guys, this is with respect to non-commercial Part 91 operations - I know an aircraft owner can change oil/filter and notate that in the logbook - but how does it happen if the aircraft is co-owned by 2 or more people? Are all fractional owners allowed to do owner maintenance and sign it off?

What about a club where you may have 10+ fractional owners? Or is that covered under commercial ops since you rent from the club by the flight hour?

And finally - on a personally owned bird - can another licensed pilot perform that maintenance under supervision of the owner? Who signs it off?

 

[Skylane81E]

Owner/operators who hold atleast a private pilots license may do preventative maintenance.

If you are licensed and own it or operate it you are set.

Re last question, sure, owner operator does the return to service.

 

[airguy]

If you are licensed and own it or operate it you are set.

Allright then - my uncle has a 172, I fly it on occasion and I'm covered under his insurance policy, but have no financial stake in the airplane. Strictly non-commercial part 91 - can I change the oil and sign the log on that aircraft? I guess this hinges on the FAA definition of "operator"...

 

[DouglasBader]

14 CFR 42.3(g):

§ 43.3 Persons authorized to perform maintenance, preventive maintenance, rebuilding, and alterations.
(g) Except for holders of a sport pilot certificate, the holder of a pilot certificate issued under part 61 may perform preventive maintenance on any aircraft owned or operated by that pilot which is not used under part 121, 129, or 135 of this chapter. The holder of a sport pilot certificate may perform preventive maintenance on an aircraft owned or operated by that pilot and issued a special airworthiness certificate in the light-sport category.

14 CFR 1.1 Definitions:

Operate, with respect to aircraft, means use, cause to use or authorize to use aircraft, for the purpose (except as provided in §91.13 of this chapter) of air navigation including the piloting of aircraft, with or without the right of legal control (as owner, lessee, or otherwise).

As an operator of the aircraft (see definition above) you may perform the oil change (so long as the owner has no problem with that). You're obligated to use the same techniques, practices and methods that would be required of a certificated mechanic, and you must use the same publications and standards and tools as a certificated mechanic would be required to use. You must have access to current manufacturers maintenance publications and must refer to them. This applies to all aspects of the oil change, from running the engine and warming the oil before the change, to any chemical additions to the oil, the proper type, weight and grade of the oil, to properly torquing and safetying the drain plug.

You're also required to make correct log entries for all work performed, as the aircraft is considered unairworthy without the necessary maintenance entries.

Part 43 applies to you the same as it applies to a certificated mechanic doing the same work.

 

[Henning]

Allright then - my uncle has a 172, I fly it on occasion and I'm covered under his insurance policy, but have no financial stake in the airplane. Strictly non-commercial part 91 - can I change the oil and sign the log on that aircraft? I guess this hinges on the FAA definition of "operator"...

An operator is a person with the authority to dispatch a flight. If you can walk up to the plane and take it flying without an authorization for that particular flight (ie blanket permission to use) you are an operator. Since you hold at least a PP, you will be legal to change oil (as well as all the rest of the items on the list) sign it off and return it to service.