DFC, hopefully correcting some inexactitudes, assuming you have an EASA type aircraft:
As Owner you are allowed to manage your own maintenance, if you consider yourself suitably capable of doing so. That is a matter for you, your conscience and the Board of Enquiry in the event. You dont need approval to be responsible for maintenance of your plane - you ARE responsible, regardless of who does what.
You need an awful lot more data than just ADs & SBs to do it though. You cannot manage maintenance if you dont have a current maintenance manual to tell you what & how & when & why to do stuff? What about the IPC, SIDs, SRM?? What about data for the engine & propeller & the equipment fitted & the mods installed? How do you technically asses the data and incorporate it into your maintenance program? A working knowledge of the relevent regulations? In so avoiding the CAMO you are outside the infamous Controlled Environment.
But, by managing yourself, you still cannot avoid using a CAMO, and each year you will need a FULL Airworthiness Review performed byone of them.
(unless you deal directly with the NAA, who have said up front that they will be v. expensive so as to to drive this function to industry)
As an occaisional CAMO user, you will find yourself way down a CAMOs list of priorities. Those with contracts will get prioity, AND will only need their Airworthiness Review once in every 3 years. Either way, the owner will pay more for whats already being done.
You dont need approval to enter into a maintenance contract, you either do - or dont. The choice is yours entirely, but maintenance outside of approved shops again places you outside the controlled environment.
LAMS will not be acceptable for EASA types. You will need LAMP, or your own pre-approved program.
(A & C - Heads-up from the two glass towers - LAMP to be ammended shortly so dont go too mad!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)
Flying Groups used to be limited to 20 people. I must admit I do not know if this is still the case in EASAland .
Public Transport is an ANO definition. It does not have any meaning in EASA terminology, Commercial Air Transport (CAT) is what you meant. However, currently you still abide by ANO Public Transport requiremments if needs be.
MDM 032 update says money changing hands is a commercial activity. How long before paid for Flight training is seen as such and then deemed to be CAT?
So , you could do circuits & local flying non-CAT (Curiously A to A flights are not deemed CAT) but your XC A to B flight will be CAT.
CAT requires Part 145 Maintenance, thus Flying schools will need CAT status and Part 145 maintenance to provide a full learning experience..
Even I would not tell the Authority the teaboy does duplicate inspections. But, an unscruplous company could, potentially, assess a certain Mr T. Boy as
competent to perform the task, and attest to that with a load of old tosh in his authorisation file. Again, a Licence would attest to some knowledge for the file.
The BMAA say Duplicate Inspections should be made on all changes to primary structure or powerplant (including regular maintenance).
If as you suggested earlier you were removing wings surely then this is a change to primary structure?.
If as you are now suggesting the plane is designed to be easily de-rigged & re-rigged then no duplicate would be nesessary, but I would say inadvisable - the RF5 accident at North Weald a very tragic case in point. (Yes i know a RF5 is not a microlight and probably a non EASA type, but the principle is the same)
Best Regards
Malcom