AeroEBT for Aircraft Maintenance Training Organisations
The world's first EBT and CBTA platform for Aircraft Maintenance Training Organisations.
Unmatched in quality and usability: the methodology and the tools for maintenance engineering training, in one smooth workflow.
SkyDynamics brings the evidence-based, competency-based method airlines run for pilots into the hangar, together with the software that runs it from the bench to the aircraft. Each role, from assistant mechanic to licensed engineer, is trained and assessed against its own adapted competency model (ACM). Part-147 basic and type training, Part-66 licence pathways and Part-145 continuation training are assessed against observable competence rather than attendance, every assessment lands in the engineer's digital logbook, and the practical assessment record is one an auditor can follow.
A justified EBT and CBTA methodology for maintenance training, made simple for instructors.
We bring the justified EBT and CBTA training methodology into maintenance training through our advanced software tools, with great simplicity for the instructors, in cooperation with a reputable European maintenance training organisation, and with practical examples and data for assistant mechanic roles.
A justified methodology
Every competence, task and grade traces back to why it is trained and assessed, so the programme can be explained to students, assessors and your authority.
Simple for the instructor
Advanced software underneath, a short and familiar workflow on top: observe the task, record it on the tablet, assess against the standard, debrief.
Built with a European MTO
Developed in cooperation with a reputable European maintenance training organisation, with practical examples and data for assistant mechanic roles taken from real training.
A note on terminology, because it matters here
When we say EBT and CBTA for maintenance, we mean the method: competency-based assessment with recorded evidence, applied to Part-147, Part-66 and Part-145 training. Evidence-Based Training as defined in ORO.FC.231 remains a flight crew requirement. We will not tell you that EBT is a maintenance obligation, because it is not.
Adapted competency model
One framework. A competency model adapted to every maintenance role.
An adapted competency model (ACM) is the set of competencies, observable behaviours and performance levels an organisation selects for one role. It is the term ICAO uses for competency-based training and assessment (CBTA), and its manual for aircraft maintenance personnel, Doc 10098, assesses trainees against it. An assistant mechanic is not observed on the same behaviours, or held to the same level, as a B1 engineer. AeroEBT keeps one model per role, and every task, assessment and logbook entry for that role follows it.
The competency framework
The framework has 11 competency areas, each described by observable behaviours. Every role draws on the same list.
- ProceduresFocus
- Work managementIn the model
- Situational awarenessFocus
- Technical expertiseNot in this model
- System thinkingNot in this model
- Coordination and handoverIn the model
- Risk managementNot in this model
- TeamworkIn the model
- Problem solving and decision makingNot in this model
- Self-managementIn the model
- CommunicationIn the model
Assistant mechanic
An entry role, working under supervision. Often filled by people who bring a technical background from another industry.
- Competency areas in the model
- 7 of 11
- Carry the most weight
- Procedures · Situational awareness
- Target levels
- Level 3 as the base, level 4 where a behaviour is safety-critical
- Assessed on
- Frequent base maintenance tasks, carried out on the aircraft
Follows a programme developed with a European maintenance training organisation.
Assistant mechanic: 7 of 11 competency areas in the model, with the most weight on Procedures and Situational awareness.
What the model holds for a role
A selection of competencies
Not every competency or behaviour applies to every role. The model keeps the ones the role is observed on.
Levels written for the role
Each observable behaviour has four performance levels, described in the words of that role, so two assessors read the same standard.
A target for every task
Each task sets the level a behaviour must reach: a base level, raised where the behaviour is safety-critical.
Illustrative. The assistant mechanic model follows a programme developed with a European maintenance training organisation. The Category A and B1 and B2 models are examples of how the same framework is adapted: your organisation defines its own competencies, behaviours and target levels.
Observe, record, classify, assess
Light for the instructor. Precise for the CBTA programme, from the first task to the final assessment.
Every maintenance task carries its own knowledge, skills and attitudes (KSA). Some are mapped to an observable behaviour in the role's competency model, and some stand on their own. During the task the instructor only watches and writes short comments. AeroBrain suggests the observable behaviours each comment evidences, the instructor confirms them, and each behaviour leads to its competency. These are the ORCA steps airlines use for pilot EBT, applied in the hangar, in formative and summative assessments alike.
Task: Wheel and tyre check
Observe
The knowledge, skills and attitudes the task calls for. Each is mapped to an observable behaviour, or not.
Knows the procedure and the order of its steps
KnowledgeMapped to the behaviour: Correct procedure
Knows how tyre pressure changes with temperature
KnowledgeNot mapped: checked by a question
Reads the pressure table and applies the right limit
SkillMapped to the behaviour: Use of documents
Leaves the wheel bay clear, with every cap refitted
SkillMapped to the behaviour: Work area inspection
Stops and reports when a finding is outside the limits
AttitudeMapped to the behaviour: Reporting deviations
Takes care over the standard of the work
AttitudeNot mapped: discussed in the debrief
Record
Short comments while the trainee works. Nothing is graded yet.
Select a comment to follow it to the behaviours it evidences.
Classify
AeroBrain suggests the behaviours each comment evidences. The instructor confirms or changes them.
Uses the task documents properly
ProceduresConfirmed
Selects the correct procedure for the task
ProceduresConfirmed
Assesses the situation and reports deviations
Situational awarenessConfirmed
Inspects the work area after the task
Work managementConfirmed
Assess
A level against the target for each behaviour, under its competency.
Procedures2 of 2 at target
Correct procedure
Level 3, target 3: At target
Use of documents
Level 4, target 4, safety-critical: At target
Situational awareness1 of 1 at target
Reporting deviations
Level 4, target 4, safety-critical: At target
Work management0 of 1 at target
Work area inspection
Level 2, target 3: Development point
Formative: the same KSAs and behaviours, used for feedback. A behaviour below its target becomes a development point for the next task.
Illustrative task, comments and levels. Suggestions are advisory: the instructor decides every classification and every level before a training record is signed.
After the task, the same cycle carries on
Debrief
The conversation that turns a mistake into learning, recorded rather than remembered.
Report
Student record, course report and authority evidence from the same data.
Calibrate
Assessor consistency measured: two assessors, one task, one standard.
Easy to use
A short comment in front. The whole programme held behind it by the Contextual Composition Protocol.
The instructor's part is kept small on purpose: watch the task and write a short comment. The complex part of a CBTA programme, the competency model of the role, the KSAs and behaviours of the task, the target levels and the scenarios, stays behind the screen and is handled by the app.
What makes that possible is the Contextual Composition Protocol, a technology developed by SkyDynamics. It holds everything relevant to the task in memory, behind the scenes, so the moment the instructor writes a comment the app already knows which trainee, which task and which behaviours it belongs to.
For the instructor
Nothing to look up and nothing to cross-reference at the aircraft.
- The task, its steps and the behaviours to look for are already on screen
- A comment is enough: the behaviours it evidences are suggested, and the instructor confirms them
- The protocol never decides a level or a result: the instructor does
For the programme
The precision comes from the context the app holds, not from extra work on the hangar floor.
- Every comment is tied to the task, the behaviour and the competency it evidences
- Every instructor works from the same context, which is what assessor consistency is built on
- The record that reaches the logbook is complete when the task is finished
Nobody has to learn the protocol, or even see it. The instructor writes what they observed, and the app carries the rest.
Venn assessment
Three tasks, one picture. How many behaviours were shown, and how often.
No single task proves a competency. The assessment sets several tasks side by side, like the circles of a Venn diagram: the observable behaviours every task shares show consistency, and all the behaviours together show breadth.
- At target on every task it applies to
- At target on some tasks
- Not yet at target
- How many
- Breadth: the behaviours shown at their target at least once, out of every behaviour the tasks call for.
- 7 of 8 behaviours
- How often
- Consistency: counted on the behaviours every task shares, the dots in the centre. Each task is one chance to show a behaviour at its target.
- 17 of 21 chances
Safety-critical behaviours
Checked on their own. A strong total never covers one of them.
One scenario per task
A threat and error scenario, rated on the same behaviours and the same four levels.
The result follows the weakest of the four, so one good number cannot hide a weak part.
Illustrative counts. The tasks, the behaviours they share, the targets and the pass rules are set by your organisation.
A worked example: the assistant mechanic programme
Three training events. From the classroom to assessed tasks on the aircraft.
Competence is built in steps, and the adapted competency model decides what is observed at each one. This is how a CBTA programme for assistant mechanics runs in a Part-145 organisation.
Classroom and aircraft visits
Knowledge first: classroom instruction and visits to the aircraft, assessed by written examination. No competency is graded at this stage.
Observed in the workshop
The trainee takes part in practical work while the instructor observes the competencies on a smaller scale. The outcome is formative: strengths and areas to improve, not a pass or a fail.
Assessed on the aircraft
Tasks come from base maintenance work packages, chosen for how often they occur and how much they matter to the operation, not for their complexity. Every behaviour in the model is trained, and procedures and situational awareness carry the most weight.
Task assessment
What stands behind every assessment: levels, scenarios and the logbook
Three parts of the assessment in more detail. The scheme shown is an example: competencies, target levels and pass rules are configured to your organisation.
A target level for every behaviour
Each behaviour is rated on four performance levels: beginning, developing, approaching and proficient. The task sets the target: level 3 as the base, level 4 where the behaviour is safety-critical, such as reading a pressure limit or reporting a defect. A performance level describes one behaviour on one task. It is not a grade.
Step 1 of 3
Threats and errors, as scenarios
Each task carries a pool of threat and error scenarios the instructor can introduce: time pressure before a departure, an interrupted task, an ambiguous reading. The trainee is observed managing the threat before it becomes an error, on the same behaviours and the same four levels.
Step 2 of 3
Feedback the trainee keeps
The tasks performed, the level reached on each behaviour and the assessor's comments are written to the trainee's logbook. Feedback is immediate and structured, and the record of how competence developed stays with the trainee and the organisation.
Step 3 of 3
Use case
Tested on real maintenance tasks. CBTA for assistant mechanics, with Olympic Air MTO.
The method on this page was tested with Olympic Air MTO, a leading aircraft maintenance training organisation, for its assistant mechanic programme: the adapted competency model, the KSAs and observable behaviours of each task, the threat and error scenarios, and the formative and summative assessments.
The programme, its data and its results belong to Olympic Air MTO and are shared on request. To find out more, contact Olympic Air MTO or SkyDynamics.
What we bring
The methodology and the tools, not one without the other
A method without a tool ends up on paper forms. A tool without a method records attendance. Maintenance training needs both, working as one workflow.
The methodology
Competency-based training and assessment adapted to the hangar: what a competent technician is observed to do, not only what they can recall.
- Competence standard written in observable behaviour
- Task lists tied to Part-147 modules, type elements and company requirements
- Assessor briefing and a shared grading scale
The tools
AeroEBT for assessment and records, the engineer logbook for task experience, and exports for your authority.
- Practical assessment on tablet, offline at the aircraft
- Engineer logbook the technician keeps
- Student, course and audit reports from the same data
The workflow
Observe, record, assess, debrief, report, calibrate: the same cycle airlines already run for pilot EBT, applied to engineering tasks.
- One procedure for every assessor, every task
- Evidence captured once, reused in every report
- Assessor consistency measured, not assumed
Worked cases
How the workflow runs on real maintenance tasks
Four typical situations in a maintenance training organisation, worked through the method and the tools. These are worked examples of the workflow, not named customer case studies.
Part-147 basic practical
A Module 7A maintenance-practices task at the bench: safety wiring, torque and documentation. The instructor observes the task, records each step as it happens and assesses against the competence standard. The student sees what met the standard and what needs another attempt, and the record is complete before they leave the workshop.
Step 1 of 4
Type training practical
A main-wheel change during A320 type training. Each task on the practical training list is assessed at the aircraft, offline, with the assessor, date and evidence attached. Progress against the required task list is visible to the student and the training manager, so gaps show up before the course ends rather than at the audit.
Step 2 of 4
Part-145 continuation training
An occurrence report points at a missed torque check. Continuation and human-factors training for the affected task is planned, delivered and assessed against the same competence standard, and the record shows the training responded to the finding, not only that a session took place.
Step 3 of 4
Two assessors, one standard
Two instructors assess the same practical task differently. Their grades are compared with the organisation baseline, the difference is discussed against the standard, and the next round is measured again, so "our assessors agree" becomes a statement with data behind it.
Step 4 of 4
What applies
Where competency-based assessment fits in maintenance training
Part-147 basic training
Module knowledge plus the practical elements, assessed and recorded per student.
Type training
Theoretical and practical type training, with practical assessment recorded against the tasks performed.
Continuation training
Part-145 continuation and human-factors training tracked with the rest of the record, not in a separate file.
Practical assessment
The part that usually lives on paper.
Practical assessment records are where maintenance training audits get uncomfortable: signatures on forms, tasks recorded inconsistently, and evidence spread between the hangar and the training office. Captured in the same system as the theory, the record is complete by the time the task is finished.
- Task-level practical assessment recorded at the aircraft
- Assessor identity, date and evidence attached to each task
- Progress against the required task list, visible to student and instructor
- Offline on the hangar floor, synchronised afterwards
Engineer logbook
Every piece of training lands in the engineer's logbook.
Training and experience belong in the same record. Basic modules, type training tasks, practical assessments and continuation training are written to the engineer's digital logbook as they are completed, next to the task experience and authorisations. The engineer sees their own progress and keeps a copy; the organisation sees who is trained and experienced for what before it grants an authorisation.
- Part-147 basic and type training recorded with its assessment evidence
- Practical assessments written to the logbook at the aircraft, offline
- Task experience and Part-145 continuation training in the same record
- The engineer keeps a copy, like a pilot's logbook
Evidence
What an audit of a training organisation actually looks for
Who assessed, and were they qualified
Assessor qualification recorded alongside the assessment, not looked up afterwards.
What was actually performed
The task list with evidence per task, rather than a signature covering a module.
Consistency between assessors
Measured, so "our assessors agree" is a statement with data behind it.
Traceability to the syllabus
Every assessment tied to the module, type element or company requirement it satisfies.
Records that survive people leaving
The record belongs to the organisation, not to an instructor's filing habits.
Exportable
Your data leaves in a structured form whenever you ask for it.
Your path
How a maintenance training organisation starts
Configure your standard
Your competence standard, task lists and scale: Part-147 basic, type and continuation training.
Assess at the aircraft
Practical assessment captured offline where the task is performed.
Give engineers a logbook
Task experience, training and authorisations in one record the engineer keeps.
Learn moreKeep the audit trail
Assessor, date and evidence on every task; exportable whenever you ask.
Learn more
Questions maintenance training organisations ask
Is EBT required for maintenance training?
No. Evidence-Based Training under ORO.FC.231 is a flight crew requirement. What we offer here is competency-based assessment with recorded evidence, applied to Part-147 and Part-66 training, which is a method rather than an obligation.
What is an adapted competency model (ACM)?
An adapted competency model is the group of competencies, with their observable behaviours and performance criteria, that an organisation adapts from a competency framework for one specific role. The term comes from the ICAO provisions on competency-based training and assessment (PANS-TRG, Doc 9868), and ICAO Doc 10098 applies them to aircraft maintenance personnel. In AeroEBT each role, for example assistant mechanic, Category A mechanic or B1 and B2 engineer, has its own model.
Is it an adapted or an adaptive competency model?
The ICAO term is adapted competency model: a model adapted to a role. It is sometimes written as adaptive competency model. Both refer to the same thing, and ACM is the usual abbreviation.
Can an assistant mechanic without a licence be trained with CBTA?
Yes. Competency-based training and assessment does not depend on the licence category. For an assistant mechanic the model keeps the competencies the role is observed on, describes the performance levels in the words of that role, and raises the target where a behaviour is safety-critical.
Is a performance level the same as a grade?
No. A performance level describes how well one observable behaviour was shown on one task. The grade is the decision for the whole assessment event, taken from how many behaviours reached their target and how consistently they were shown.
What does ORCA mean in maintenance training?
ORCA stands for observe, record, classify, assess. The instructor observes the task, records short comments for each trainee, classifies each comment to the observable behaviours it evidences, and assesses each behaviour against its target level. It is the same process airlines use for pilot EBT, applied to maintenance tasks.
Does every KSA have to be linked to an observable behaviour?
No. Each task lists the knowledge, skills and attitudes (KSA) it calls for. Many are mapped to an observable behaviour and are assessed through it. Others stand on their own, for example a knowledge point checked by a question or an attitude discussed in the debrief.
Does AI grade the trainee?
No. AeroBrain can read the instructor's comments and suggest the observable behaviours they evidence. The suggestions are advisory: the instructor confirms or changes each one and decides every performance level before a training record is signed.
Does this replace our examination system?
No. Examinations remain what your approval requires. This is about the practical assessment and the competence record around them.
Does it work offline in a hangar?
Yes. Assessments are captured offline at the aircraft and synchronise when the device reconnects.
Does training show up in the engineer logbook?
Yes. Basic, type and continuation training and every practical assessment are written to the engineer's digital logbook alongside their task experience and authorisations. The engineer keeps a copy; the organisation keeps its record.
Can we use our own competence standard?
Yes. The framework and scale are configured to your organisation, exactly as for a flight crew programme.
How does it relate to the technical log?
They are separate records. AeroTechLog covers defects and airworthiness; this covers training and competence. Where an organisation runs both, the picture of who is qualified for what is easier to keep straight.
Not your organisation?
The version written for you
Airlines
Recurrent and mixed or full EBT under ORO.FC.231, cadet programmes and type rating.
Learn moreFlight schools & ATOs
Ab initio EBT and CBTA from the first lesson to MCC, with FSMS integrated to run the school, the fleet, maintenance and financials.
Learn moreFSMS
Ab initio EBT and CBTA, with flight school management integrated.
Learn more
Bring the practical record in from the paper.
Thirty minutes on your training organisation: what you record today, what an audit would ask for, and what changes if the practical assessment is captured at the aircraft.
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