jnmeade
Cleared for Takeoff
Completed the 16 hour FAA-approved Repairman Inspection Airplane course given at Iowa City by Rainbow Aviation of Corning, CA and taught by Jim Scott of Aircore Aviation, Arlington, WA. 15 students, all middle-aged to older men, all pilots, nearly all with airplane builder experience and many familiar with Rotax engines. The course was roughly 75% classroom and 25% hands-on. Upon completion the certificate holder can sign off the annual condition report on an E-LSA s/he owns. The repairman must take the certificate and airworthiness certificate of his airplane to the FSDO in person for issuance of a temporary Repairman certificate pending issuance of the plastic one from OK City.
The course was well designed. Questions and discussion were very good and on point. A relaxed but attentive group of students. The course took the entire 16 hours and ended with a 40 question quiz (you needed to pass with 80% right) which addressed all of the syllabus but was not tricky. We all passed.
The course covered maintenance rules and regulations, maintenance resources, records/logs and references, how to inspect airframe structures, engines and propellers and more. The hands on portion used a Flight Design CT and both reinforced the classroom portion and gave opportunity to go into more detail on engine (especially Rotax) features which included demonstration of inspection techniques needed to do a complete visual and aural inspection.
If one's goal is to be legal to do your own annual condition inspection of an E-LSA you own, and to have a good basis for knowing where to look for more information on aircraft maintenance, the course did a good job of accomplishing that objective.
The RIA in itself does not permit one to do the condition inspection on SLSA or the 100 hour, if needed, on one's own ELSA - that takes the 120 hour Repairman Maintenance course or an A&P. An inspection on an EAB takes the builder's certificate (not sure of exact nomenclature) or an A&P.
The course was well designed. Questions and discussion were very good and on point. A relaxed but attentive group of students. The course took the entire 16 hours and ended with a 40 question quiz (you needed to pass with 80% right) which addressed all of the syllabus but was not tricky. We all passed.
The course covered maintenance rules and regulations, maintenance resources, records/logs and references, how to inspect airframe structures, engines and propellers and more. The hands on portion used a Flight Design CT and both reinforced the classroom portion and gave opportunity to go into more detail on engine (especially Rotax) features which included demonstration of inspection techniques needed to do a complete visual and aural inspection.
If one's goal is to be legal to do your own annual condition inspection of an E-LSA you own, and to have a good basis for knowing where to look for more information on aircraft maintenance, the course did a good job of accomplishing that objective.
The RIA in itself does not permit one to do the condition inspection on SLSA or the 100 hour, if needed, on one's own ELSA - that takes the 120 hour Repairman Maintenance course or an A&P. An inspection on an EAB takes the builder's certificate (not sure of exact nomenclature) or an A&P.
