< Back New LAA Inspector - Andrew Williams 31 Mar 2025 We are pleased to welcome Andrew Williams as a new LAA Inspector, having attended an LAA Inspector Assessment Day at Turweston recently. Andrew has been involved with aircraft maintenance for approximately 36 years. Types he has worked on include Rolls-Royce Dart and Pratt & Whitney PT6-powered passenger and freighter aircraft, followed by working on short-to-medium range jet aircraft. For the last 10 years, Andrew has been involved with general aviation single and twin-engined aircraft, carrying out maintenance and certification. He holds a CAA approval to perform Airworthiness Reviews in order to issue Airworthiness Review Certificates. His qualifications include: CAA Part 66 Licence, inc. Full Group 3 and a BCAR Sec L Licence. In the LAA ‘world,’ Andrew has a share in a Jodel 1050. Congratulations Andrew. Welcome to the team! Next Previous

< Back Alert A-07-2025 - Glastar Aileron Servo-Tab Pushrod Cracking 25 Jul 2025 LAA Alert A-07-2025 - Glastar Aileron Servo-Tab Pushrod Cracking A cracked aileron servo-tab pushrod was found on a UK Glastar aircraft. The pushrod consists of a thin-walled aluminium tube with an adjustable clevis at one end, and a fixed clevis at the other. The crack was at the adjustable end of the pushrod, and extended from the end of the aluminium tube to the hole approximately 1 inch from the end. A cracked aileron servo-tab pushrod must be considered unairworthy, and replaced before further flight. A-07-2024 can be found HERE and is also attached. A-07-2025 - Glastar Aileron Servo-Tab Pushrod Cracking .pdf Download PDF • 562KB Next Previous

< Back Engineering updates in April 6 May 2025 The following documents have been issued/updated in the Engineering 'Info Library' during April. Technical leaflets : TL 2.00 - Revalidating your aircraft's Permit to Fly TL 2.33 - Inspector categories for types (new TL) Forms: LAA/AR-REF - Airworthiness review reference guide (crib sheet) (new form) LAA/CFS-1 (fixed wing) - Check flight schedule LAA/PFRC-1 (fixed wing) - Permit flight release certificate Next Previous

< Back LAA members - Make your views known! 25 Jan 2024 Basingstoke & Deane Borough Council's consultation on their draft Local Plan – which includes a proposed new Popham Garden Village on Popham Airfield, has opened. It runs until 4 March 2024. This proposal is not in line with either Government policy or their stated aim to make the UK the best place in the world for General Aviation. The Government's policy can be found in their publication ' Flightpath to the Future " and makes repeated references to the vital importance of airfields, forming a critical part of national infrastructure. You can have your say and tell Basingstoke & Deane Council that their proposal is contrary to Government policy and insist the proposal is removed from the current ‘draft’ strategic plan. Visit the Local Plan Update ' Have Your Say ' section of their webiste. Next Previous

< Back Armstrong / Isaacs Bursary 2025 30 May 2025 More information can be found here . Next Previous

< Back New Alert for LAA Eurostar Aircraft 3 Dec 2024 LAA Engineering have issued Alert A-03-2024 to highlight the recent reported incidents of corrosion of the Bowden cable ‘inner’ on Eurostar elevator trim tab cables. In response to these incidents, Airmasters UK, the UK agent for the Eurostar range, have recently issued Service Bulletin SB/EUR/022, Issue 2 which calls for a special check, before next flight, on the friction of the cable ‘inner’ when slid manually backwards and forwards in the ‘outer’. A-03-2024 Eurostar Trim Cables .pdf Download PDF • 203KB Next Previous

< Back Alert A-12-2025 - Aeroprakt windscreens 14 Oct 2025 LAA Engineering has issued Alert A-12-2025 to highlight the recent issue of a series of Aeroprakt service bulletins that require older style windscreens to be replaced at certain intervals, with the Vne of the aircraft being temporarily reduced in certain circumstances. A-12-2025 - Aeroprakt windscreens issue 1 .pdf Download PDF • 231KB Next Previous

< Back LAA Alert for some models of Rotax Engines 1 Mar 2025 LAA Alert A-02-2025 has been published on the LAA website (and is also attached), highlighting a recent service bulletin published by Rotax regarding the inspection and/or replacement of the crankcase and/or gearbox housing on affected engines. Rotax has identified a potential manufacturing issue affecting the hardness values of the crankcase and/or gearbox housing materials in certain engines. These components may not meet the required specifications for material hardness, which could lead to reduced component durability and/or potential oil leakage. Rotax regards this bulletin as mandatory. A-02-2025 - Rotax Crankcase .pdf Download PDF • 220KB Next Previous

< Back Mandatory Technical Directive issued for many Zenair types 14 Jan 2025 MTD-01-2025 - 'Inspection of horizontal stabiliser (tailplane) attachment brackets and associated hardware for cracks, looseness and other forms of distress' is issued for Zenair CH601, CH650, CH701, CH750 and variants of these four models. This MTD can be found HERE and is also available below. A number of cases have been found whereby the structural integrity of the horizontal stabiliser mountings on the Zenair types identified above have been compromised by one or more of the following: cracking of the attachment brackets oversize holes loose rivets distorted and chafed brackets. These problems could occur due to a number of factors including poor build quality, a build-up of tolerances in the positioning or dimensions of the brackets, improper assembly, rough treatment or in-flight vibration. Failure of a tailplane attachment could result in degraded controllability in flight or loss of control. Special inspections of this area have been recommended by Zenair since January 2017, in their document ‘Mandatory Action. Jan. 2017 – Inspection of Horizontal Stabilizer tail attachment brackets’. This Mandatory Technical Directive mandates this safety action for aircraft operating on LAA Permits to Fly. MTD-01-2025 - Zenair Tailplane Brackets .pdf Download PDF • 162KB Next Previous

< Back More new LAA Inspectors - Bryn Holt & Daniel Couzens 16 Jan 2024 It is time to introduce you to two new LAA Inspectors - Bryn Holt and Daniel Couzens, who both attended an LAA Inspector Assessment Day in December, with our Chief Inspector, Lucy. Bryn is the Hangar Supervisor for Shenley Engineering at Headcorn Aerodrome. He has 20 years experience carrying out maintenance on a variety of fixed wing metal, composite and wooden airframes, supporting naturally aspirated and turbocharged Lycoming and Continental Engines, Gipsy Major and Renault 4P03 Engines. Daniel is an Aircraft Engineer based in Lincolnshire, as well as being a qualified CAA welder. The first aircraft he built was an Xair microlight. Congratulations to Bryn and Daniel! 🎊🎉 Next Previous

< Back LAA Alert A-14-2025 - Eurofox Fuel Line Disconnected In-Flight 11 Dec 2025 LAA Alert A-14-2025 - Eurofox Fuel Line Disconnected In-Flight A non-LAA, Factory-Built Eurofox with a Rotax 915, fuel-injected engine experienced an in-flight engine shut down due to the high pressure (4.5 Bar) fuel hose connecting the high-pressure fuel pump unit to the master fuel valve becoming detached from the master fuel valve during flight. This resulted in the engine stopping and a serious fuel leak in the cockpit. It is believed that a combination of the fitting’s shallow barbs, and a small fuel leak of high-pressure fuel through the scratched/cut hose lubricated the fitting’s brass surface and allowed the hose to slide off the fitting. Owners and Inspectors should pay close attention to fuel hose condition and attachment security during inspections. Any signs of movement, wear, or mismatch between hose and fitting must be addressed before the aircraft flies again. Please refer to the attached Alert here for full details and recommended checks. A-14-2025 - Eurofox Fuel Line Disconnected In-Flight .pdf Download PDF • 145KB Next Previous

< Back New LAA Inspector - Keith Troughton 4 Sept 2025 We are pleased to welcome Keith Troughton as a new LAA Inspector, having attended an LAA Inspector Assessment Day at Turweston recently. With an active aviation interest from a very young age, he has been involved in certified, homebuilt, and microlight aircraft for over 40 years. He is currently operating within a C.A.O. General Aviation Facility as a Licensed Aircraft Engineer (L.A.E.). He is a CAA-approved maintenance manager within an approved Aircraft Maintenance Facility, with access to most of the necessary tooling for standard aircraft maintenance support, including facilities to weigh aircraft, if required. Next Previous