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66.A.30 defines the minimum practical maintenance experience that applicants must accumulate before being eligible for each licence category, specifying both the duration and the type of experience required.
What it means in practice
Practical experience is a core pillar of Part 66 licensing. The regulation requires different durations of hands-on maintenance experience depending on whether the applicant has completed approved training or is applying through the experience-only route. For Category A and B1 with approved Part 147 training, the minimum is typically three years of practical experience. Without approved training, the requirement increases to five years.
The experience must be representative of the licence category being sought. For a Category B1.1 licence, the experience must include work on large turbine-powered aeroplanes. For a Category C licence obtained via the academic route, a minimum of three years of experience in a civil aircraft maintenance environment is required, including six months observing base maintenance tasks.
Key requirements
The experience must be recent and relevant. At least one year of the required experience must have been gained in the 12 months immediately preceding the licence application. This ensures that applicants have current, hands-on knowledge of aircraft maintenance practices at the time they apply.
Experience gained on military aircraft may be accepted if the competent authority is satisfied that it is equivalent to civil aircraft maintenance experience. Similarly, experience gained outside of an approved maintenance organisation may be considered, but the burden of proof is higher, and the competent authority may require additional evidence or a longer experience period. All experience must be documented and verifiable.
Common compliance gaps
The most significant compliance gap involves inadequate documentation of experience. Many applicants maintain only basic employment records rather than detailed logbooks describing the specific maintenance tasks performed. Competent authorities need to see that the experience covers a representative cross-section of maintenance activities relevant to the licence category. Generic job descriptions or employer confirmation letters without task-level detail are commonly rejected, delaying licence applications.
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