{"id":"F2006B06808","name":"AD/SC7/8A - Flap Control Mechanism - Inspection and Lubrication","slug":"ad-sc7-8a-flap-control-mechanism-inspection-and-lubrication","collection":"legislative_instrument","jurisdiction":"commonwealth","status":"in_force","isInForce":true,"actNumber":null,"makingDate":null,"administeringDepartment":null,"currentVersion":{"id":114669,"registerId":"commonwealth-F2006B06808-current","compilationNumber":null,"startDate":"2026-04-03","status":"InForce","reasons":null,"registeredAt":null},"sections":[{"sectionNumber":"1","sectionType":"section","heading":"AD/SC7/8A - Flap Control Mechanism - Inspection and Lubrication","content":"---\nmeta-content-style-type: text/css\nmeta-content-type: application/xhtml+xml; charset=utf-8\nmeta-generator: Aspose.Words for .NET 22.10.0\n---\n\n?xml version=\"1.0\" encoding=\"utf-8\" standalone=\"no\"?>\n\nCOMMONWEALTH OF AUSTRALIA (Civil Aviation Regulations 1998), PART 39 - 105 CIVIL AVIATION SAFETY AUTHORITY\n\nSCHEDULE OF AIRWORTHINESS DIRECTIVES\n\n \n\n![](image.001.png)  Short SC7 (Skyvan) Series Aeroplanes\n\n \n\nAD/SC7/8A Flap Control Mechanism - Inspection and Lubrication 11/72\n\nApplicability: All series 3, 3A and 3M. Document:  Short Alert SB No. 27-56A.\n\nCompliance: Within 25 hours time in service after 24 November 1972, unless already accomplished within the preceding 6 months, and thereafter at intervals not exceeding 600 hours time in service or 6 months whichever occurs first.\n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n","sortOrder":0}],"analysis":{"flash_summary":{"complexity_score":2,"scope_assessment":{"changed":false,"description":"The directive applies specifically to Short SC7 series 3, 3A and 3M aircraft (Applicability). The text does not indicate any amendment or narrowing/widening of that applicability; it prescribes an initial action and recurring intervals without altering the class of affected aircraft or the nature of the required maintenance. Therefore there is no evidence in the provided text that the scope has changed from the instrument’s stated coverage."},"complexity_factors":["Narrow technical scope limited to a single component (flap control mechanism) and specific aircraft series (series 3, 3A, 3M) (Applicability).","Clear, simple timing rules for initial and recurring compliance (Compliance: initial 25 hours/preceding 6 months; recurring 600 hours or 6 months).","Dependence on an external procedural document (Short Alert SB No. 27-56A) for the exact steps, which adds a single point of technical detail external to the directive (Document).","Issued under an established regulatory mechanism (Schedule of Airworthiness Directives), so legal footing and enforcement pathway are standard and not novel (header reference to Part 39).","Historical dating (references to 24 November 1972 and 11/72) — relevant for interpretation of initial compliance but does not add technical complexity."],"plain_english_summary":"What this instrument does (mechanics)\n\n- Requires inspection and lubrication of the flap control mechanism on certain Short SC7 (Skyvan) aeroplanes. The required procedure is the one set out in Short Alert SB No. 27-56A (Document: Short Alert SB No. 27-56A).\n- Sets a mandatory initial compliance window and ongoing recurring intervals: an initial action \"within 25 hours time in service after 24 November 1972, unless already accomplished within the preceding 6 months,\" and thereafter repeating \"at intervals not exceeding 600 hours time in service or 6 months whichever occurs first\" (Compliance: \"Within 25 hours ...\" and recurrence intervals).\n\nWho this affects\n\n- Owners, operators and maintenance organisations responsible for Short SC7 (Skyvan) aeroplanes of series 3, 3A and 3M (Applicability: \"All series 3, 3A and 3M\").\n- The Civil Aviation Safety Authority is the issuing body under the Schedule of Airworthiness Directives in the Commonwealth instrument (header: \"COMMONWEALTH OF AUSTRALIA (Civil Aviation Regulations 1998), PART 39 ... SCHEDULE OF AIRWORTHINESS DIRECTIVES\").\n\nWhy it matters (stated purpose and operational consequences)\n\n- The directive prescribes a recurring maintenance action for a flight-control component. The action named (inspection and lubrication of the flap control mechanism) is presented as the corrective/preventive measure; the text ties operators to a specific alert service bulletin for the procedures (Document: Short Alert SB No. 27-56A).\n- Who pays: Operators/owners and their contracted maintenance providers must carry out and pay for the inspection and lubrication (the directive places the work on those responsible for the listed aeroplanes; see Applicability and Compliance).\n- Who decides and enforces: The directive is issued under the Civil Aviation Safety Authority's airworthiness directive schedule, so compliance is required under that regulatory framework (header reference to Part 39 schedule).\n\nPractical implementation points, trade-offs and risks (mechanisms, not judgments)\n\n- Compliance mechanics: Operators must either have completed the inspection/lubrication within the six months prior to 24 November 1972, or else do it within 25 hours TIS after that date; after the initial action, they must repeat the task at intervals no greater than 600 hours TIS or every 6 months, whichever comes first (Compliance: full text quoted above).\n- The directive references an external procedural document (Short Alert SB No. 27-56A). That document determines the specific steps and may therefore affect labour time, parts and tooling needed (Document: Short Alert SB No. 27-56A).\n- Direct, recurring costs: scheduled maintenance labour, consumables (lubricant), possible parts replacement if faults are found, and aircraft downtime while maintenance is performed.\n- Incentives and behavioural effects: Operators are incentivised to integrate this task into planned maintenance cycles to minimise downtime; failure to perform the work within the prescribed intervals would leave the operator non-compliant with the airworthiness directive (see Compliance and Applicability).\n- Implementation risk and discretion: The directive’s text delegates the exact procedural detail to the referenced service bulletin. That concentrates technical discretion in whoever prepares/applies the SB procedures and in the maintenance organisations that interpret them (Document: Short Alert SB No. 27-56A). If the SB lacks clarity or is unavailable, maintenance personnel face discretion in how to meet the directive’s requirement.\n\nConcise summary\n\n- Mandatory, recurring inspection and lubrication of the flap control mechanism for Short SC7 series 3/3A/3M aircraft, performed according to Short Alert SB No. 27-56A, with the first action required within the narrow window stated after 24 November 1972 and ongoing repeats every 600 hours TIS or 6 months, whichever is sooner (Applicability; Document; Compliance)."},"kimi_summary":{"content_quality":"ok","complexity_score":2,"scope_assessment":{"changed":false,"description":"This is a discrete, targeted airworthiness directive addressing a specific mechanical issue on a specific aircraft type. It has not expanded beyond its original safety purpose."},"complexity_factors":["Single, specific maintenance task (inspection and lubrication)","Clear applicability limited to three specific aircraft series (3, 3A, 3M)","Simple compliance timeline with only two conditions (initial and recurring)","No defined terms section or complex cross-referencing","Single source document referenced (Short Alert SB No. 27-56A)","Straightforward conditional logic ('whichever occurs first' is the only operator)"],"plain_english_summary":"This is an **Airworthiness Directive** — a mandatory safety order issued by Australia's Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) for specific aircraft.\n\n**What it does:**\n- Requires owners and operators of **Short SC7 Skyvan aeroplanes** (specifically Series 3, 3A and 3M models) to inspect and lubricate the **flap control mechanism** — the system that controls the flaps (movable surfaces on the wings that help with takeoff and landing).\n\n**Who must comply:**\n- Anyone operating these specific Short SC7 aircraft in Australia.\n\n**What must be done:**\n- **First inspection:** Within 25 hours of flying time after 24 November 1972, unless it was already done in the previous 6 months.\n- **Ongoing maintenance:** Repeat the inspection and lubrication every **600 flight hours** or **6 months**, whichever comes first.\n\n**Why it matters:**\n- Flap control mechanisms are critical for safe takeoffs and landings. This directive addresses a specific safety concern identified by the manufacturer (Short Brothers) in their Service Bulletin No. 27-56A. Failure to comply could lead to mechanical failure and potentially catastrophic accidents.\n\n**Key point:** This is not optional — it's legally enforceable. Non-compliance can ground an aircraft or result in penalties."}},"importantCases":[],"_links":{"self":"/api/acts/ad-sc7-8a-flap-control-mechanism-inspection-and-lubrication","history":"/api/acts/ad-sc7-8a-flap-control-mechanism-inspection-and-lubrication/history","analysis":"/api/acts/ad-sc7-8a-flap-control-mechanism-inspection-and-lubrication/analysis","conflicts":"/api/acts/ad-sc7-8a-flap-control-mechanism-inspection-and-lubrication/conflicts","importantCases":"/api/acts/ad-sc7-8a-flap-control-mechanism-inspection-and-lubrication/important-cases","documents":"/api/acts/ad-sc7-8a-flap-control-mechanism-inspection-and-lubrication/documents"}}