The FAA has announced an amendment to Order 8900.1, Vol. 6, Chap. 9, Sec. 27 clarifying procedures for aviation safety inspectors (ASIs) who oversee domestic repair stations holding foreign certificates under bilateral aviation safety agreements (BASAs) between the FAA and the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS), the United Kingdom (UK) CAA, and/or the National Civil Aviation Agency of Brazil (ANAC).

Among other things, the updated Sec. 27:

• Provides background on the purposes of BASAs and related Maintenance Implementation Procedures (MIP) and Maintenance Annex Guidance (MAG).
• Describes the various prerequisites ASIs must meet prior to conducting oversight, including FAA electronic Learning Management System (eLMS) course requirements specific to each of the BASAs.
• Explains the interrelationship between ASIs, the FAA Flight Standards Service (AFS) General Aviation Group (AFS 340), and the partnering civil aviation authority, identifying FAA coordinators as primary points of contact between AFS and the foreign CAA and explaining how policy issues and proposed changes to the MIP and MAG are elevated within AFS.
• Details procedures for auditing a repair station pursuant to a MIP.

The Order directs ASIs to use Sec. 27 in conjunction with the applicable MAG between the United States and foreign country, but reminds them the MAG supersedes the order if the two documents conflict.

Similar guidance related to oversight of U.S. repair stations with European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) approval is found at FAA Order 8100 Vol. 6, Chap. 9, Sec. 24. Transport Canada Civil Aviation (TCCA) guidance is in Sec. 22.

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