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RECIP TECHNOLOGY The GA Shop AMT vi in Rural Europe and notes similarities and differences S By Ronald Donner tar Airservice is located on Teuge Airport, a small general aviation (GA) airport in a rural part of the Netherlands, approxi- mately 100 kilometers east of Amsterdam. It holds a European Aviation Safety Authority (EASA) 145 authorization as a GA maintenance organization provid- ing maintenance services for most single- and multi-engine general aviation (GA) aircraft, Robinson helicopters, and provides parts and equipment distribution represent- ing several GA-related OEMs. Partners Marc Westenberg and Erik Moen are the two principles of Star Airservice. I first met Westenberg in February while attending The reason for my visit was simple: to learn more about GA maintenance in Europe. It didn't take long after arriving before we became immersed in conversation about simi- larities and differences between GA mainte- nance in Europe and the USA. "Even though most of the work we accomplish is under the authority of EASA we still have to consider requirements from other National Aviation Authorities and the FAA." — Marc Westenberg The day of my visit I found techni- cians busy with two Cessna 172 inspec- tions and a Cessna 404 near the end of a lengthy Supplemental Structural Inspection Document (SSID) inspection program. Other aircraft filled the hangar and at first glance all appeared similar to any GA shop in the States. Then I noticed the first difference; most of the aircraft had registration numbers from a vari- ety of different countries. The aviation micro-community Westenberg explains, "Aviation in Europe Theo Hendricks inspecting a Cessna 172 at Star Airservice. the Inspection Authorization (IA) renewal seminar at the FAA International Field Office (IFO) in Frankfurt, Germany. Along with his EASA Part 66 certificate as a ground engi- neer, he also holds an FAA Airframe and Powerplant Certificate with an Inspection Authorization. 14 September 2011 is kind of a micro-community. Currently we have aircraft in the shop with Dutch, Belgian, Austrian, and U.S. registration. Our EASA 145 certificate authorizes us to maintain aircraft registered by an EASA member state." He went on to talk about the challenges some- times encountered when working on aircraft from multiple countries, "Even though most of the work we accomplish is under the author- ity of EASA we still have to consider require- Aircraft Maintenance Technology • www.AMTonline.com • www.AMTSociety.org sits Star Airservice in the Netherlands