LOTAMS Design and Construction Department has been certified by EASA as the Part 21J Approved Design Organisation.
There are already seven design organisations approved by EASA in Poland, but the scope of approvals of these companies is limited to works related to small planes, helicopters, gliders and engines.
Currently, the LOTAMS Design and Construction Department is the only Part 21J Organization in Poland whose EASA certificate enables the design and certification of modifications and repairs of all types and models of aircraft with a maximum take-off mass over 5700 kg in terms of graphic design and interior furnishings for passenger cabins.
The certification process was difficult and demanding due to the high requirements imposed on EASA by organisations such as LOTAMS. Procedures and related forms have gone through over 10 turns of changes and corrections.
Appropriate staff training was also required. The personnel training process included several months of internships in various areas of the company, including participation in base maintenance work and workshops as well as in line maintenance.
Krzysztof Buczko, manager of the Design Organization Part 21J at LOTAMS, said: “In addition, employees of the Design and Construction Department have received theoretical training in the field of knowledge of regulations and certification requirements and have performed over a dozen practical exercises aimed at testing knowledge of internal procedures, but above all testing their knowledge of certification requirements and technical matters (materials, technologies, use of technical documentation.”
For design and construction works company purchased one of the best computer support design programs available on the market with appropriate IT equipment.
The degree of mastery of this software by LOTAMS designers has even surprised the consultants of the company that sold the software. Due to the implementation of this system, LOTAMS is able to prepare detailed technical drawings of any type of aircraft, which are about 5 times more accurate than those of competing companies.
Visualisations that can be made using the system used by LOTAMS allow a better presentation of the expected painting effects to the client and the implementation of precise execution templates to speed up the painting process.
Obtaining EASA approval for certifying staff was the biggest challenge in certification. From the very beginning of the project, the company planned to use its own staff, which is the only solution enabling full control of the quality, timeliness and costs of projects prepared by the Part 21J Organisation.
The implementation of this goal meant the necessity to demonstrate theoretical and practical knowledge in the field of certification of interior furnishings during practical exercises and the exam carried out by an external expert for several hours.
