SofemaOnline has chosen Contabo as our Server Support partner to ensure the delivery of the highest quality of our data delivery to our clients.

Commented Steve Bentley MD of SAS “With the possibility of 3000 users simultaneously accessing SofemaOnline it is essential to have confidence in our Data Management Partner. We looked very carefully at the market before choosing Contabo as our service provider. Contabo started in the spring of 2003, in 2009, a new data center was established with the capacity of 4000 servers in Munich Today, the capacity is approaching the threshold of exceeding 5000 servers. We have full confidence in the capacity of Contabo to support www.sofemaonline.com going forward.”

What does EASA require for your Competence Assessment Process?

The organisation shall establish and control the competence of personnel involved in any maintenance, management and/or quality audits in accordance with a procedure and to a standard agreed by the competent authority.

In addition to the necessary expertise related to the job function, competence must include an understanding of the application of human factors and human performance issues appropriate to that person's function in the organisation.

SofemaOnline has just concluded the purchase of additional licenses for our online training portal www.sofemaonline.com and as a result, we are very pleased to announce we can now support 3000 concurrent users of the software.

Commented Steve Bentley MD of Sofema Aviation Services (SAS): "Our SofemaOnline servers are hosted in Germany and we are very happy with the new capability which permits the simultaneous use of the program by 3000 persons. Our portfolio of available training courses is constantly being expanded and includes all 145 recurrent training courses, ESDS, SMS, Maintenance Planning, and Production Planning. As well as the generic courses which are loaded and available for all users."

Mature Quality Control Processes which are overseen by effective Quality Assurance/Compliance Management audit processes provide a significant benefit to the organisation where the focus moves from simple regulatory compliance to effective development of the organisations systems which provide key benefits in organisational optimization.

It is important to communicate in the most effective way the objectives of any audit and audits which are performed in respect of showing compliance with EASA Regulation EC 965/2012 is no different in this regard.

Audits should focus on all elements which are critical to demonstrating regulatory compliance as well as organisational compliance, in particular, to also pay attention to elements that impact operational safety and security.

As you become familiar with this process you will start to understand that there are two options and a challenge to consider:

Option 1 - To develop an EASA Compliant Auditing Program which ensures compliance with the regulatory objectives.

Option 2 - To develop an Organisation Auditing Program which ensures compliance with the regulatory objectives but goes on to set and meet further organisational objectives which provide a far wider and deeper understanding of the organisational exposures.

Firstly consider exactly what we mean by surveillance audits.

So to perform any audit requires a standard with which to compare or reference, in this regard, surveillance audits are no different from most other types of audit.

What is different is that surveillance audits are essentially audits without portfolios. This means they are “extra” to the audit program and provide the opportunity to provide additional oversight and confidence in the effective delivery of the compliance system.

Firstly to understand that both System and Process audits are in fact compliance audits then to understand that a System typically consists of multiple processes. 

Next consider that when we perform an audit it is in effect performed against a "standard" Such standard could be for example directly taken from the applicable aviation regulations, or it could be an organisational standard that is referenced to the aviation regulations, but enhanced in some way to meet the organisations specific objective.

The best way to deal with such an endeavor is to start by looking at the system in total and comparing it against the regulatory requirements to ensure that there are no "gross" errors.

Compliance audits are designed to give assurance that activities have been performed properly. It should be understood of course that Compliance Audits are of course reactive (which means we have to review evidence that is either post an event or concurrent with an event).

As we know certain areas of our Aviation Business, (and it is fair to say in aviation there are many) can be described as high risk. For these areas, among the many mitigation techniques that are available Quality Audits can play a supporting role, by establishing ongoing conformity with company processes and procedures.

When we consider compliance audits whilst it may be satisfactory the reality is that it is unknown if the compliance will be satisfactory next week or next month. The compliance audit typically requires a lower level of auditor competence and is presented typically as a completed checklist of observed conditions at the time of the audit.

There are many misconceptions and misunderstandings regarding Aviation Safety Management Systems (SMS) and Quality Management Systems (QMS).

The following is intended hopefully to clear up this misunderstanding:

QMS and SMS - Offer many common methods and techniques, but provide different outcomes and objectives:

Sufficient competent resources are critical to the success of both the CM system and the SMS. It is also important to realize that essentially the role of both QMS and SMS is to provide a service to the management team to understand both the non-conformities and risks that they face within the business areas.

The Interview Objective

An important part of the competence development of an auditor is the development of your interviewing skills. You have the opportunity in a gentle and encouraging way to elicit all manner of information from the auditee.

Yes, Interviewing is a skill - You will get better at interviewing the more interviews that you carry out.

The objective of the interview is to obtain as much information as possible from the auditee which can then be used as a check and validate the process and procedure – such verbal information can be very valuable and helps to provide a more holistic understanding.

Management Evaluation is a comprehensive, systematic, documented review by the management of the quality system, operational policies and procedures, and the results of quality inspections, audits, and any other indicators. It measures the overall effectiveness of the management organisation in achieving stated objectives.

Management Evaluation is also an essential element of a fully working EASA Compliance Monitoring system marked with the introduction of the management system concept by Regulation 965/2012. It is related to the importance of ensuring full awareness of any non-conformities together with an effective process for follow-up and closure.

SofemaOnline.com is pleased to announce the introduction of a new corporate discount program. Subscribe for between 25 and 50 courses in a package and you will receive as an additional bonus any 4 SofemaOnline courses Free of Charge! The potential value of the offer is up to 440 USD. This is additional to all existing discounts and may be used at any convenient time following the subscription for either multiple delegates or a single nominated person:

The cost of attending SofemaOnline courses has been set at extremely competitive rates with additional discounts available for companies with multiple attendees.

Below you can find the different plans that we offer and their costs. All prices are in United States Dollars ($ / USD).

MULTIPLE COURSES/USERS DISCOUNTS*

- 2 to 4 courses/delegates - 10%
- 5 to 9 courses/delegates - 15%
- 10 to 24 courses/delegates - 20%
- 25 to 49 courses/delegates - 30%
- 50 courses/delegates - 40%

*Note that discounts are not applied to any type of package training offered on SofemaOnline.com.

Related to Auditor Experience

If you are new to auditing or you have limited experience then the challenge of performing an audit can be quite daunting. It is not at all unusual to feel like a fish out of water (so to speak).
The best way to approach this is to be professional in our approach – to understand the audit subject and to use the knowledge of the auditee to our advantage.

Let’s consider the purpose and role of an EASA-compliant Audit, and at the same time consider how it differs from other types of Audit.

What the Audit is?

The Joint Airworthiness Authority (JAA) implemented and EASA continued the role of Quality Assurance (It should be noted that one of the unique aspects of this role is the need to demonstrate independence from the function or activity).
A Quality Assurance Audit (Now referred to also as a Compliance Audit specifically looks at the organisation's process and procedures with primary objectives).
Firstly to demonstrate compliance with the regulatory requirements and secondly to demonstrate also compliance with the company procedures.

How are EASA-approved components released to service following component maintenance activities?

Components are released by the authorized person who signs Form 1 to release the component as a serviceable component.

Are other checks, tests, or inspections considered as a Certificate of Release to Service (CRS)?

Exactly in the same way that the various elements of a base maintenance check contribute to the overall preparation of the completed work package which enables the base maintenance check to be signed by a C certifier, A Component CRS is certified by a person who has the knowledge background, experience, and competence to validate that all work has been performed to prepare the component for service.

New Training Courses are available with SOL!

We are constantly adding New Training Courses to SofemaOnline – if you would like a specific training to be available online please advise and we will do our best to accommodate you.

www.SofemaOnline.com is pleased to advise the availability of our latest online training EASA Part 21 Overview and Responsibilities for Part M CAMO.

This intensive course considers the roles and responsibilities of the PART M CAMO and the interfaces with PART 21 Subpart G Production Organizations and Part 21 Subpart J Design Organizations.

The following details the Specific role of the Compliance Manager in a combined Quality System (OPS +145)

1) Be responsible for establishing, documenting, developing, and managing the Compliance System and for ensuring that it continues to comply with regulatory requirements and to meet the needs of the business.

2) Ensure that all quality-related policies and procedures detailed in the Operations, Quality, and Company Exposition manuals are adhered to and carry out an ongoing review of the adequacy and effectiveness of Compliance System procedures.

3) Maintain and keep current all Compliance Audit and inspection records for review at any time by the Competent Authority and other external bodies as appropriate.

SofemaOnline - The E-learning Revolution!

SofemaOnline (SOL) is a service provided by Sofema Aviation Services, offering a range of EASA-compliant online video regulatory courses.

SOL is supported by the European Aviation Institute (EAI) an EASA Part 147 approved Maintenance Training Organization (MTO) with Certificate of Approval No RO.147.0003.

An essential role of the Part M CAMO organization is to provide oversight of the 145 process. There are a number of ways to look at this.

SofemaOnline.com is pleased to offer both EASA-compliant Regulatory Training including Part M, Part 145 & Part 21

SofemaOnline.com (SOL) is a service provided by Sofema Aviation Services (SAS) offering online training by qualified technical aviation instructors including UK Nationals as well as Russian-speaking trainers in the field of aviation.

Considering the EASA / FAA Differences

The FAA system is based on Direct Inspection and oversight and in addition, uses the services of Designated Engineering Representatives (DER) and Designated Airworthiness Representatives (DAR).

SofemaOnline.com (SOL) offers EASA-compliant online regulatory training including Part 21 for CAMO

So what are the challenges to delivering an effective Compliance System within our Part M CAMO? Financial/Organizational/Manpower/Commercial/Contracted & Subcontracted Service Providers?

Consider the relationship with Part 21 Subpart G & J organizations - The relationship is fundamentally Contract - which means that in each case the organization is responsible for self-manage. Our role is to ensure oversight and diligent behavior.