OK, that all-seeing know-all Mr Google tells me that either my memory was at fault or the regs have changed. I clsuspect the latter, but as my memory hasn't been subjected to an Ageing Anatomy Audit I must have an open mind toward the former.
BS aside, Mr goole tell me the current regulation is
RA5723 and the initial audit becomes due at
15 years from ISD* rather than five, with repeats at
10 year intervals. This is for aircraft which are new at the time of ISD - for pre-cherished aeroplanes an earlier review date is to be agreed before ISD. Where pre-cherished aeroplanes are already arguably "ageing" there is a mandatory requirement for an AAA prior to main-gate procurement approval (ie as part of the purchase process, before commitment of funding or agreement of price).
You can read the details in the above link, but there are a few higlights:
- A provision for waiver if the requirement for a short-duration fleet where it can be shown that no member of the fleet will achieve more than 50% of a cleared life (of any component) before the planned OSD
- A provision for using data from a comparable airworthiness programme for the type to avoid duplication of effort to meet some of the requirements of the AAA where felt appropriate and agreed (in advance).
- The AAA is comprised of seperate audits of structural, systems and propulsion ageing.
- The actual document does cite JSP886 amongst its references, which as far as I know is now a withdrawn document (but I doubt that affects much)
On my reading it looks like a pretty sensible process - YMMV.
PDR
* or the mid-point between ISD and OSD, whichever is the sooner