1.) WHY DO YOU NEED AN APPROVED PRODUCTION ORGANISATION (POA)?

Anyone—whether a legal entity or a natural person—who manufactures products such as aircraft, engines, propellers, or parts and appliances, including ETSO articles, in accordance with approved design data, requires regulatory approval as a Production Organisation (POA – Production Organisation Approval).

Within the scope of its privileges, the POA holder is authorised to perform the following activities:

• Manufacture of aircraft, parts and appliances, and ETSO articles in accordance with the approved scope and Capability List
• Issue certificates of conformity and release certificates within the scope of its privileges for aircraft, parts and appliances, and ETSO articles after completion of production

2.) THE PATH TO THE APPROVED PRODUCTION ORGANISATION (POA)

A key prerequisite for establishing an approved Production Organisation (POA – Production Organisation Approval) is the existence of a DO–PO arrangement (Design Organisation – Production Organisation) in accordance with 21.A.133(c).

In short: The Type Certificate holder—e.g. an approved Design Organisation—must provide all applicable design data to the production organisation and agree on interface procedures that must be followed by both organisations, for example when preparing production documentation or managing production deviations.

The production organisation’s system can be integrated into existing management systems such as DIN EN ISO 9001 or EN 9100.

3.) OBLIGATIONS OF AN APPROVED PRODUCTION ORGANISATION (POA) ACC. PART 21, SUBPART G

Ensuring the conformity of a product or a part and appliance with the applicable design data (as built / as designed) is carried out within the Production Management System (PMS) and includes, among other activities:

• Issuing a Certificate of Conformity (EASA Form 52) for new aircraft for which a Type Certificate exists
• Issuing a Release Certificate (EASA Form 53) for aircraft requiring maintenance prior to delivery
• Approving flight conditions (EASA Form 18b) and issuing a Permit to Fly (EASA Form 20)
• Issuing a certificate of conformity or release certificate (EASA Form 1 “NEW”) for parts and appliances produced in accordance with approved design data
• Issuing a certificate of conformity (EASA Form 1 “PROTOTYPE”) based on non-approved but applicable design data—for example for pre-series products, test articles, or prototypes

4.) WHAT IS REQUIRED TO OBTAIN APPROVAL AS A PRODUCTION ORGANISATION (POA)?

Once the prerequisites for approval—such as a DO–PO arrangement—are in place, the following topics should be considered and implemented:

For new products (e.g. aircraft, helicopters, balloons, engines, propellers):

• Establishment of a Production Management System (PMS) in accordance with 21.A.139, including a Production Organisation Handbook (POH / POE / QMH) and a Flight Test Operations Manual (FTOM) (only for complete aircraft)
• Provision of technical, organisational, and personnel resources in accordance with 21.A.145 to meet the requirements of Part 21, Subpart G (21.A.165 – responsibilities of the holder)
• When implementing the Production Management System (PMS), Safety Management System (SMS)requirements must be considered and implemented as mandatory elements

5.) ACC SERVICES IN THE AREA OF PART 21, SUBPART G (POA)

Our services to support the establishment and approval of production organisations (POA – Production Organisation Approval) include, among others:

• Development of concepts and plans for establishing production organisations while meeting all approval prerequisites in accordance with Part 21, Subpart G
• Determining the level of compliance (gap analysis) between existing procedures (e.g. according to ISO 9001, EN 9100, or other standards) and the requirements of Part 21, Subpart G as well as other relevant subparts
• Support in developing project management plans and work packages based on the gap analysis, taking internal capacity and resources into account
• Provision and customisation of high-quality, generic Production Organisation Handbooks and Quality Management Handbooks (POH / POE / QMH), including related procedures and forms—available in German or English
• Provision and customisation of high-quality Flight Test Operations Manuals (FTOM)
• Provision and creation of Compliance Checklists (CCL) for the entire system
• Conducting internal and external audits
• Interim management in the field of Quality Management (QM)
• Consulting for efficient implementation of Part 21, Subpart G requirements as well as process and procedure optimisation
• Introduction of Safety Management Systems (SMS)
• Development of tailored training concepts aligned with the approval scope (e.g. Human Factors, SMS, Part 21 Subpart G, aviation law)
• Determination of conformity for Certifying Staff, materials management, and supplier management
• Ongoing project coaching for employees and teams (e.g. Quality Managers, Accountable Managers, Certifying Staff, purchasers, work planners, project managers)

For General Aviation organisations (ELA1 and ELA2 aircraft), we of course consider the AMC-ELA when developing concepts, project plans, manuals, and procedures.