Atkins and Gama Aviation to conduct RAF airworthiness reviews
Above:
The RAF's A400M Atlas can carry twice as much as its predecessor the C130 Hercules.
Picture Andrew Linnett / Crown copyright
The contract came about following the Military Aviation Authority’s July 2013 regulation requiring Continuing Airworthiness Maintenance Organisations to conduct a Baseline Airworthiness Review of every aircraft on the Military Register by 1st July 2015, with an annual Airworthiness Review of each aircraft thereafter.
The Airworthiness Review is used to verify the outputs of the continuing airworthiness management processes and substantiates the airworthiness of an aircraft at the time of review. This gives confidence to aviation Duty Holders that the continuing airworthiness management activities for each aircraft have been carried out and documented correctly.
The Baseline Military Airworthiness Review is used to confirm airworthiness by establishing an aircraft’s maintenance history and physical configuration, and the subsequent annual Airworthiness Reviews will focus on any continuing airworthiness management activities conducted on the aircraft since the last review.
Alan Buckland, managing director of Atkins’ defence business said: “We are delighted that the RAF has awarded us this important contract.
“Atkins has extensive experience of providing the MoD with airworthiness expertise over many years and has teamed with Gama Aviation to provide the RAF with an exceptional team of aircraft engineers and airworthiness review staff drawn from defence and civil aviation. Our combined resources provide an unparalleled breadth and depth of aircraft engineering and airworthiness assessment experience which will help to ensure that RAF aircraft are airworthy and fit for deployment whenever they’re needed most.”
The Airworthiness Review contract will last for an initial period of three years with two optional one year extensions. The Atkins and Gama Aviation team have already been mobilised, with delivery of the service now well underway.
