Cat A license

[Pterois Volitans]

Hi,My company has been using Cat A personnel at several bases and line stations around the country over the last few years. I am trying to clarify what there position within the company is. The quality department states they are licensed aircraft engineers with certification on type,CASA also follows this as per the regs. The EBA has no clear definition and the AME union are also unclear. The company line says there are AMEs with certification, but that does not seem correct as they have a purple book issued via CASA and can sign a CRS.
So i am throwing this out to all to see what people think..... please feel free to comment.
PV.

[LAME2]

Understand your confusion. Best you talk to the ALAEA as they, IIRC, had a court case where this was all discussed. The result is as you have found, different things to different people!

[TurboMaggot]

It's the result of CASA adopting the EASA system, to which we now have three tiers/categories of "LAME". Cat A, B and C. This is the only way I could condense the complex web:

Completes apprenticeship, gets a purple book (License) with no type rating.

Completes Cat A type course, gets Cat A type rating. Or, jumps straight to Cat B type course and gets Cat B type rating.

Company inspects shiny new Cat A license and type rating and, depending on experience level and workforce requirement, gives approval to certify as Cat A, Level 1, 2 or 3 - Least to most responsibility, respectively.

Cat A, Level 1, 2 and 3 (Whole new category. Ultimately can't certify for troubleshooting. A few on the line. Lots in the hangar. Cheap)

Either skipped Cat A or completes Cat B type course, gets Cat B type rating.

Company inspects shiny new Cat B license and type rating and, depending on experience level and workforce requirement, gives approval for to certify as Cat B.

Cat B, B1.1 Mech/Minor Elec, B2 Avionics, (Used to be your typical Mechanical and Avionics Lame's. Ultimately can't certify for the completion of a major C/D check. One on the line for troubleshooting. A few in the hangar. More B1.1's than B2's. Expensive)

Cat C, God (It's a paperwork thing. Just need one to certify for completion of major C/D check.)

EASA came up with this as a way to reduce the number of costly Mechanical/Avionics Lame's required by giving less experienced engineers the ability to certify for some of the more menial tasks. In the process they also gave Mechanical Lame's (Cat B1.1's) a whole bunch of electrical privileges so as to negate the need to have both a Mechanical and Avionics engineer on the line.

That's my take. Feel free to correct/amend. Sorry, I probably made it pretty confusing, but it's a complex web anyway.

[Pterois Volitans]

Hi, thanks for the two replies. It certainly is not a clearly definded answer, there is evidence to confirm they are Certifying licensed engineers able to sign a CRS. However why they are not employed as LAME's and therefore unable to be part at there EBA remains unclear. One thing is very clear, any advancement to a fully employed LAME position is not going to happen any time soon.
PV

[TurboMaggot]

You got it mate, in a nutshell. It's a shafting as much as it is a leg up.

They get a license sooner, along with a payrise, but getting to a full Cat B license now has a few more hurdles.

And because the pickings are slim you'll find most of them won't make any noises that may jeopardize the ever diminishing opportunity to be promoted into a Cat B position.

Mind you, when these changes came about I clearly remember a whooooole bunch of Cat B's protesting that they didn't want young Cat A's counted as Lame's because they would be able to influence Cat B conditions come EBA negotiating time.

It's great when the older generation shows some humble leadership. Goes a long way towards setting up the mindset and work ethic of the next generation.