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66.A.50 allows the competent authority to place limitations on a Part 66 licence, restricting the holder's certification privileges when they do not fully meet the standard requirements for a category or type rating.
What it means in practice
In certain circumstances, a licence may be issued or endorsed with limitations rather than full privileges. For example, if a licence holder has completed type training but has not yet accumulated the full practical experience requirement, the competent authority may endorse the type rating with a limitation restricting the holder to certain tasks or requiring supervision until the experience gap is closed.
Limitations can also apply when converting a national licence to a Part 66 licence, where there may be differences in the training or examination standards previously met. The limitation serves as a controlled mechanism to allow the licence holder to work while completing outstanding requirements, rather than being unable to certify any maintenance at all.
Key requirements
Any limitation placed on the licence must be clearly recorded on the licence document itself, using the format specified in Appendix V to Part 66. The licence holder must operate strictly within the scope of the limitation and must not certify maintenance that falls outside the limited privileges.
Limitations are intended to be temporary. The licence holder is expected to take steps to remove the limitation by completing the outstanding requirements, such as gaining additional experience or passing further examinations. The competent authority will remove the limitation once satisfied that the full requirements have been met. Organisations employing staff with limited licences must ensure their authorisation reflects these limitations.
Common compliance gaps
Organisations sometimes fail to properly reflect licence limitations in their internal authorisation system. A licence holder may have a type rating endorsed with a limitation, but the organisation's authorisation document may not mirror this restriction, effectively allowing the engineer to certify work beyond what their limited licence permits. Regular cross-checking between licence endorsements and organisational authorisations is essential to prevent this gap.
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