How to study for Module 10 (Aviation Legislation)

Module 10 (Aviation Legislation) is the module candidates most often underestimate. There is no maths and no physics, but the questions turn on exact wording: which document, which organisation, which time limit. It rewards a different kind of study from the technical modules.

The exam

For categories B1, B2, B2L and B3 the exam is 44 multiple-choice questions in 55 minutes; for category A it is 32 questions in 40 minutes. Since 12 June 2024 there is no essay in Module 10 under EASA rules. The pass mark is 75%, with three options per question and no negative marking.

What the syllabus covers

The 2024 syllabus has ten submodules. Two are new compared with older study material: independent certifying staff (10.4) and cybersecurity (10.10). If your notes or a question bank predate 2024, check that they cover both.

• 10.1Regulatory framework

  ICAO, the EU and EASA, the Basic Regulation (EU) 2018/1139 and how implementing rules, AMC and GM fit together.

• 10.2Certifying staff — maintenance

  Part-66 itself: categories, privileges, basic knowledge and experience, type ratings, recency.

• 10.3Approved maintenance organisations

  Part-145: facilities, personnel, certifying staff, maintenance data, the exposition, findings.

• 10.4Independent certifying staff

  Certifying light aircraft outside an approved organisation, mostly under Part-ML.

• 10.5Air operations

  What the air operations rules mean for maintenance: documents on board, the MEL.

• 10.6Certification of aircraft, parts and appliances

  Part 21: type certificates, certificates of airworthiness and noise, permits to fly, changes and repairs.

• 10.7Continuing airworthiness

  Part-M, Part-ML, CAMO and CAO: maintenance programmes, airworthiness directives, airworthiness reviews and ARCs.

• 10.8Oversight principles in continuing airworthiness

  How competent authorities audit organisations and classify findings.

• 10.9Maintenance and certification beyond the current EU rules

  National requirements where EU rules do not (yet) apply.

• 10.10Cybersecurity in aviation maintenance

  Part-IS: managing information security risks that could affect safety.

How to study it

Learn the map before the details

Almost every question becomes easier once you know which document it lives in. Start with the hierarchy: the Basic Regulation sets the essential requirements; implementing rules such as Part-66, Part-145, Part-M and Part-ML set binding requirements; Acceptable Means of Compliance (AMC) and Guidance Material (GM) explain how to meet them. A question that asks what is mandatory is usually testing whether you know that difference.

Keep a list of the numbers

Legislation questions love numbers. Write each one down with the rule it comes from, for example:

• an aircraft maintenance licence becomes invalid 5 years after its last issue or change unless it is submitted to the authority for verification (66.A.40);
• to use your privileges you need 6 months of relevant maintenance experience in the preceding 2 years (66.A.20), and Part-145 organisations apply the same 6 months in any 2-year period to their certifying staff (145.A.35);
• basic knowledge exam passes count for 10 years towards a licence application (66.A.25);
• a failed module can be retaken after 90 days, or 30 days after tailored Part-147 retraining, with at most three attempts in 12 months (Appendix II).

Read the question twice

Many wrong options are true statements about the wrong organisation or the wrong document. Before answering, ask who the question is about: the licence holder, the maintenance organisation, the CAMO, the operator or the competent authority.

Practise in volume

Because the questions are mostly recall, a large bank with instant feedback works better here than for any other module. Aim to see each topic many times rather than reading the regulation cover to cover.