SAE AIR6671

This AIR provides means of developing a composite training program, as stipulated by FAA AC 20-107B, FAA AC 65-33A, EASA AMC 20-29, and other similar regulatory guidance. Its approach is a comprehensive, sequential training curriculum build-up, customized to the specific needs of the organization (see Figure 2). It contains recommendations for the skill-building, training, and qualification of persons involved in the design, fabrication, maintenance, and repair of aircraft composite structures or other aviation composite components. It further addresses the qualification of administrative personnel and instructors. Flight operations are usually not in the scope of an SAE CACRC Standard; however, the recommendations of this report may be used also for this target audience. This report addresses persons responsible for the definition of training, qualification and authorization, or the supervision of aviation personnel. Its content intends to facilitate the development of a formal composite training program which describes the means to train, qualify, and authorize the organization’s personnel. SAE CACRC has produced several training standard documents, each representing the best-practice, recommended minimum training syllabus for its targeted audience. The purpose of this report is to promote the use of these training standards for developing training programs for employees in airlines and maintenance organizations, and as reference in regulatory guidance material. It provides a quick reference to the SAE CACRC training standard documents (see 2.1.1). Thereby, it allows its users to either develop appropriate in-house trainings or to select external training providers and courses that acceptably conform with the syllabi covered by the SAE CACRC training standard documents. It also supports the organization to recognize existing training records of individuals by comparing their equivalence with these standards. This report does not intend to introduce new training content/syllabus. This report does not intend to establish a licensing standard. With the increased use of composites in the construction of structures in commercial aircraft, there is a growing need to train skills and knowledge in the airline workforce, depending on the individual staff function in the composite maintenance, damage assessment, repair disposition, and inspection. FAA AC 20-107B and EASA AMC 20-29, in addition to other regulatory publications, refer to “technicians, engineers, and inspectors,” as well as “pilots, ramp maintenance, and other operations personnel that service aircraft,” these being the most generic descriptions of functions. Within these functions, personnel roles and tasks may be further subdivided. As an example, “technicians” may be divided into maintenance certifying and supporting staff, composite structure specialists, painters, and others. The desired knowledge and skills regarding composites may differ significantly between these roles. Consequently, the appropriate level and duration of training and qualification may also be fundamentally different. To ensure that only qualified persons design, maintain, and operate aircraft composite structures, an organization should develop a detailed composite training and qualification program as part of its quality management exposition. Each organization should evaluate the specific types of composite structures that are operated, maintained, repaired, or modified by the organization. The organization’s training program needs to identify the necessary knowledge and skills to ensure that the employees are proficient to perform these activities, meeting the highest reasonably achievable level of safety.