ARC, annual, what's the difference?
Posted: Thu Apr 09, 2020 1:07 pm
We sometimes talk about the yearly ARC renewal and the annual inspection as if they are the same thing. They are usually done at the same time but they are separate processes.
The annual inspection is the physical inspection and annual maintenance necessary to keep a glider safe and fit for flight. The instructions applying to each specific glider come from the maintenance manual, airworthiness directives (ADs), service bulletins (SBs), and BGA guidance. When completed, your inspector signs a certificate of release to service (CRS) and the log book.
The airworthiness review certificate (ARC) renewal is a compliance verification and in-depth review of all the documents needed to keep the glider legal. Many of these documents are relevant to the airworthiness of the glider, so it is important they are kept up to date, as well as it being a legal requirement on the owner to do so. An inspector with a Chief Engineer rating can issue an ARC.
A glider must have both a valid - i.e. in date - annual inspection and a current ARC to be flown.
Often the annual inspection and ARC renewal are done at the same time, but they don't need to be. Until recently, each of the annual inspection and the ARC renewal could be anticipated by up to 90 days - like your car MoT can be anticipated by up to one month.
This has now changed. The 90 day anticipation for the ARC renewal remains, but the annual inspection now has NO anticipation. The inspection is valid for just one year from the date it was done, if it is done early then the anticipation time is lost.
This means that your annual inspection and ARC renewal may come to have different expiry dates, so even more so you need to keep an eye on them both.
Barry L
The annual inspection is the physical inspection and annual maintenance necessary to keep a glider safe and fit for flight. The instructions applying to each specific glider come from the maintenance manual, airworthiness directives (ADs), service bulletins (SBs), and BGA guidance. When completed, your inspector signs a certificate of release to service (CRS) and the log book.
The airworthiness review certificate (ARC) renewal is a compliance verification and in-depth review of all the documents needed to keep the glider legal. Many of these documents are relevant to the airworthiness of the glider, so it is important they are kept up to date, as well as it being a legal requirement on the owner to do so. An inspector with a Chief Engineer rating can issue an ARC.
A glider must have both a valid - i.e. in date - annual inspection and a current ARC to be flown.
Often the annual inspection and ARC renewal are done at the same time, but they don't need to be. Until recently, each of the annual inspection and the ARC renewal could be anticipated by up to 90 days - like your car MoT can be anticipated by up to one month.
This has now changed. The 90 day anticipation for the ARC renewal remains, but the annual inspection now has NO anticipation. The inspection is valid for just one year from the date it was done, if it is done early then the anticipation time is lost.
This means that your annual inspection and ARC renewal may come to have different expiry dates, so even more so you need to keep an eye on them both.
Barry L