Technical Airworthiness Authority overview
The Technical Airworthiness Authority (TAA) is responsible for the regulation of the technical airworthiness aspects of the design, manufacture, maintenance and materiel support of aeronautical products. The TAA also determines the airworthiness acceptability of those products prior to operational service.
The TAA ensures that the management of the DND/CAF Airworthiness Program (regulated by policy document NDID number A-GA-005-000/AG-001) is adequate, from a technical perspective, to achieve an acceptable level of aviation safety for the Canadian military aviation and for foreign military aircraft operating within the Canadian airspace.
On the direction of the Minister of National Defence, the person holding the position of Director General Aerospace Equipment Program Management (DGAEPM) is designated by the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) as the TAA for the DND and the CAF.
The TAA provides airworthiness-related services to the Canadian military aviation community, such as:
- airworthiness acceptability of organizations supporting CAF-registered aircraft (the list of organizations and senior airworthiness managers can be consulted at Technical Airworthiness Accreditation and Recognition)
- organization and coordination of the Airworthiness Review Board
- technical airworthiness training
The TAA produces the rules, standards and guidance documents required to support DND/CAF organizations that conduct airworthiness-related activities and need to maintain or develop their processes and/or procedures:
Technical Airworthiness Program
The TAA is responsible for the implementation, development and monitoring of the Technical Airworthiness Program. The program is based on the philosophy, principles and concepts used by civilian and military airworthiness authorities worldwide.
To ensure an acceptable level of safety, the Department of National Defence uses a regulatory approach for the Technical Airworthiness Program, based on the fundamental principle that airworthiness-related activities are completed to accepted standards, by authorized individuals, who work in accredited organizations, using approved procedures.
The program relies on rules, standards, directives and advisory material to control activities related to airworthiness. The documents follow a document hierarchy, starting from the Aeronautics Act to regulatory advisory material. Individual organizations required to conduct airworthiness-related activities can then develop customized processes and procedures, which are assessed by the regulator for compliance against the TAA-issued rules and standards.
The TAA formally assigned the day-to-day management of the Technical Airworthiness Program to the Director – Technical Airworthiness and Engineering Support (DTAES). The DTAES further assigns that authority to individuals and organizations directly involved in performing technical airworthiness functions or conducting technical airworthiness management roles. This formal and structured assignment of authority system allows for the efficient management of the program, while providing the necessary degree of regulatory independence.
Contact
For more information about the Technical Airworthiness Program, please contact DTAES 2-2:
- by email, or
- by phone, at: +1-613-808-3408
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