I’m a couple of years into ownership and continue to scratch my head on what I am actually meant to do and not do, in particular as it relates to maintenance and legalities, and I find it very difficult to find any information anywhere. The plane is D-reg and it is safe to say that the LBA – for all their qualities – are not big on customer service and advise.
As an example, we sent in the new ARC a while ago and the maintenance organisation is suggesting (without firmly confirming, so I suspect they’re not sure??) that I should get a confirmation number or something back from them. It is highly confusing as I thought that the Maintenance shop would issue the ARC, but it transpired that we needed the form from the LBA for them to fill out.
This is just one example. I eventually found the form and I’m chasing LBA on the confirmation, but it brings up the broader question of where do I find the here-is-how-it-works-and-this-is-what-you-need-to-do list? Another example is the exact role of (and need of) a CAMO.
Should I join AOPA Europe for support? I would have thought that EASA would publish a guide, but I have not been able to find one.
I am not an owner (yet) but I foresee the same issues. So I am definitely for it. I’ve started this web site where I try to gather some information about flying and it already has some topics about ownership: http://pilot.uraster.com/. I will be upgrading the site soon and I will give write access to it to people who are willing to contribute e.g. by filling in such a checklist. I will also include everything I learn on my way to ownership.
That is excellent Vladimir.
Slightly concerning I find that I have to learn about my regulatory requirements from fellow pilots and more or less trustworthy internet forums. The regulators are not terribly helpful in telling me what they expect, which is great as the consequences for a misstep apparently can be dire 
Has anyone come across a helpful guide from EASA or national CAAs? Failing that, anything semi-official from organisations such as IAOPA?
@mmgreve, I can’t advise re. operating aircraft under any EASA registration, but I strongly advise anyone interested in GA to join, make use of and contribute to their local AOPA – in addition to any activity-specific association(s).
AOPA UK is not without its critics, but I’ve found them supportive when needed – for instance in relation to unwelcome planning applications in the vicinity of my airfield. They fought tooth and nail for the IMC/IR(R)… and won. UK AOPA membership is free for student pilots, and worth paying for after that.
@mmgreve normally the CAMO sends a copy of the ARC to the local authority.
The checklist to operate an aircraft under D-Reg depends a bit on the type, but usually it’s just maintain the aircraft in accordance to the maintenance programme and communicate with the CAMO about refreshing the airworthiness certificate, pay the insurance and dial “10” on the fun-o-meter after every flight.
@mh, you make it all sound very easy :-)
And what is the role of a CAMO ?
When I started out, I thought they were the ones doing the annual and that was it. Most cases yes, but it took a while before I realised that maintenance and CAMO doesn’t have to be the same entity….and that CAMO is often not needed.
We got tired of some else managing our check book with all the mark-ups and unneeded work done outside our control, so I have taken over the CAMO.
CAMO is an abbreviation for "Continuing Airworthiness Management Organisation. They have nothing to do with maintenance, except that they check if all ADs and scheduled maintenance has been performed and the one signing for it has the right to do so. Then they issue an ARC. The physical review of the CAMO is purely checking compliance to the paperwork, the CAMO does not perform any technical checks as you would do in performing an annual. For instance if your aircraft’s maintenance manual prescribes a 50h check that can be performed by the pilot-owner of the aircraft, you don’t need any mechanic to perform the 50h check and release the aircraft into service.
There is, however, constant confusion about the role of the CAMO, because many maintenance organisations also perform the role of the CAMO, especially in smaller businesses. But the certifying staff wears a different shirt while maintaining the aircraft than while issuing the Airworthiness Review Certificate. In larger organizations this distinction makes much sense, because the mechanic can perform maintenance and has to to much less paperwork, and the CAMO is a job for a deskjockey with two left hands. However, if the organization is too small, things change, and EASA is on it’s way to change things for small airworthiness and maintenance organisations.
The pilot/owner cannot take over the CAMO, because he cannot issue an Airworthiness Review Certificate. But he can do quite a lot of maintenance himself and he can write the maintenance program to which the CAMO / Maintenance Organisation has to perform maintenance.
See, this is exactly what I’m talking about. Where do you find information about what the CAMO actually does, other than at some random internet forum 
The only thing from what you write that might confuse people is the below:
mh wrote:
The pilot/owner cannot take over the CAMO, because he cannot issue an Airworthiness Review Certificate.
Technically correct, but one should add that the planes must of us fly don’t need to be CAMO’d if it is not used commercially ! You can issue the ARC yourself
mh wrote:
CAMO is an abbreviation for "Continuing Airworthiness Management Organisation. They have nothing to do with maintenance, except that they check if all ADs and scheduled maintenance has been performed and the one signing for it has the right to do so.
The CAMO have a lot to do with maintenance, since they tell the maintenance organisation what maintenance to do, based on the aircraft maintenance programme. E.g. if a component needs regular inspection or overhaul, the CAMO tells the maintenance organisation when the component should be inspected or overhauled.
Very good and important. It is a true hassle to find all rules and other things that you as a pilot or owner should know. And unfortunately the maintenance organisations, or even the CAA, does not know how to interpret them correctly. This has been proven over and over again since they tend to make the worst possible interpretation.
mmgreve wrote:
Technically correct, but one should add that the planes must of us fly don’t need to be CAMO’d if it is not used commercially ! You can issue the ARC yourself
I was not aware of this I must say. Would be interesting to hear more about it.
The ARC is traditionally issued by the CAA upon a recommendation from the CAMO.
When Light Part-M is implemented we will be able to cut some corners on this and it will be a welcome addition to the GA community. The CAMO will only be mandatory for Commercial Air Transport. An independent mechanic can handle everything that has to do with continuing airworthiness(not overhaul of engines, propeller and other components).
I would say that the best way to get knowledge about the rules is to actually learn how to read them. If you learn how to find the rule, the AMC/GM and so on you will have a great advantage as an owner. It is not that hard but it does take a bit of time to learn it, and you have to put up with crossreferencing and a lot of acronyms…
