Aviation maintenance and safety path · self-paced
Run an SMS that holds up when the FAA checks. Stop the suspect part before it's installed.Be the one who answers for the SMS. With records that back up every answer.AI can draft a safety policy in a minute. Be the one who can prove the SMS runs.
Learn to run a Part 5 safety management system, from the safety policy and risk acceptance to the records an inspector samples. Then build the receiving checks and suspect-part process that keep counterfeit parts out of stock, with Coach Q on every lesson.
For safety and quality managers at Part 135 operators, repair stations and Part 21 manufacturers.
- 2 live courses, in order
- 5 more on the way
- Step 1: about 9.5 hours
- Coach Q in every course
Sound familiar?
The SMS looks fine on paper. So did the last broker lot.
We'll file the declaration and we're covered.
The declaration is your own statement that the SMS meets Part 5, and the FAA's acknowledgment isn't approval. After you declare, the inspector checks whether it actually runs. FAA Part 5 SMS for Managers teaches you what the records have to prove.
The DOM accepted the risk. He knows the aircraft best.
Maybe, but your SMS names who may accept each level of risk (5.23(b)). An acceptance below that level is a finding against your own system. FAA Part 5 SMS for Managers teaches you to route every risk to the person who can accept it.
We're a repair station. Part 5 doesn't apply to us.
As a repair station, it doesn't. With EASA approval, you still need an SMS that, at a minimum, meets Part 5. FAA Part 5 SMS for Managers teaches the system it has to meet and how to keep it running for surveillance.
It came with a signed C of C. Put it in stock.
A certificate from the source that sold you the parts is that source's paperwork, not proof. Counterfeit Parts Avoidance teaches the checks that compare a part to something independent, and how to hold a suspect lot before anyone starts testing.
What it does for you
Be the one they call when the inspector asks.
Know rule from guidance, and say which
Ask for the citation and you can tell a Part 5 requirement from FAA guidance, your own choice or something made up. Money and hours go where they count, and people start checking with you first.
The one who can say hold it
When a lot looks wrong and production is waiting, someone has to hold it and say why. Knowing the tells, the tests and who has to be told makes you the person that call goes to.
Proof you can put on the table
Each course ends with a final exam and a certificate anyone can verify online. It won't promise a raise or a title. It shows the person deciding your next role what you studied and passed.
No course can promise you a raise or a title. What you'll have is the skill, the work to show for it and a certificate anyone can verify. That's what those conversations run on.
Why it matters
The FAA extended SMS to Part 135 and air tours for a reason.
In NTSB data for 2015 to 2019, the FAA identified 35 Part 135 accidents and four air tour accidents with fatalities and serious injuries that could have been mitigated had those operators implemented an SMS.
Source: FAA, Safety Management Systems final rule, 89 FR 33068, April 26, 2024
Part 5 covers Part 121 and Part 135 certificate holders, 91.147 air tour operators, and Part 21 type and production certificate holders tied to the same product. Part 135 and air tour operators authorized before May 28, 2024 must implement their SMS and declare compliance by May 28, 2027.
Part 5 doesn't cover a Part 145 repair station as a repair station. But under the special condition described in FAA InFO 24007, a US repair station with EASA approval needs an SMS that, at a minimum, meets Part 5. Every shop on this path buys parts. The suspect ones have to stop at receiving.
The full path
From the safety policy to the receiving dock.
Start with the safety management system: it's where hazards get found, assessed and owned. Then build the parts controls that keep a suspect lot out of stock. Each course stands alone, so start with the one you need first.
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Step 1 · Run the SMS Part 5 asks for
FAA Part 5 SMS for Managers
Work Part 5 section by section: who it covers and your dates, the seven safety policy elements in 5.21, the four accountable executive tests in 5.25, risk acceptance, confidential reporting and the records 5.97 says to keep.
You walk out with a safety policy draft, a risk acceptance authority table, a hazard register and the start of a Part 5 gap assessment of your own operation.
- About 9.5 hours
- Final exam
- Certificate anyone can verify
- Lesson 1 free
See what you get →The course page shows everything included, then the price.
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Step 2 · Keep suspect parts out of stock
Counterfeit Parts Avoidance
Learn the six types of counterfeit and their tells, the test ladder from microscope to decapsulation, the first 15 minutes with a suspect lot, and which FAA, EASA and UK CAA reports are required, voluntary or only guidance.
You walk out with a counterfeit prevention plan outline, a 15-minute containment checklist, receiving criteria for high-risk parts and a 90-day prevention roadmap for your shop.
- About 10.5 hours
- Final exam
- Certificate anyone can verify
- Lesson 1 free
See what you get →The course page shows everything included, then the price.
On the way in this path
These courses are on the way. Join the waitlist on the ones you want, so we know which to finish first.
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On the way
Maintenance Human Factors
Good mechanics make errors. Good shops catch them.
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On the way
AS9110 Internal Auditor
Audit a maintenance organization to AS9110.
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On the way
Suspected Unapproved Parts
The repair station side of counterfeit parts.
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On the way
SMS Safety Risk Management Workshop
Take one hazard all the way to a risk control.
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On the way
Human Factors and Error-Proofing
Design errors out of manufacturing work.
Not like training used to be
Short, hands-on, built around you. And the coach stays.
Training used to mean days in a classroom or hours of video. Here are real screens from this path: short sessions where you make the call, a plan that fits your week, and an expert in your pocket in every course.
Coach Q · from FAA Part 5 SMS for Managers
Yes, against your own SMS. 5.23(b) asks you to name the levels of management that can accept safety risk, and your table gives high risk to the accountable executive only.
Take the assessment to the accountable executive for acceptance, and record who accepted it, at what level and on what date. Then check the log for any other acceptance that skipped a level.
Want me to prepare an authority check for your risk acceptance log?
Coaching, not decisions. You make the call. Comes with every course, no renewal fee.
Study plan · Your personal trainer
Tell it your goal date. It builds sessions around your week and shows each day whether you're on plan, so the course actually gets finished.
Focus timer · 25 minutes, no tab-hopping
One click starts a focused session, and it follows you from lesson to lesson. Short sessions are how busy people finish.
Apply at work · Proof your boss can see
Log what you tried, what happened and how you know. Record your manager's sign-off with their name and date, and export the log for your performance review.
Built around you
Give the study plan your goal date and it sizes each session to your week. Coach Q works on the facts you bring from your own job, so the examples are yours, not a textbook's.
Hands-on, not hours of video
Lessons are built around calls you make: read the record, sort the evidence, catch the mistake. Checks and labs score you on the spot, and your first win comes in the first few minutes of lesson 1.
Stays with you. Stays current.
Coach Q doesn't leave when you finish. It comes with your course, no subscription and no renewal fee, so it's there for the next inspector visit, and the next suspect lot. When the rules behind this course change, we update the lessons and the coach's setup, and we move the coach to newer AI models as we test them.
What you walk out with
Working documents for your own company, not notes.
In Course Hub you pick a template and give Coach Q your facts. It drafts a first version. You edit it, and it's yours to keep and use.
FAA Part 5 SMS for Managers
- Safety Policy (5.21 and 5.23)Draft with Coach Q
- Risk Acceptance Authority Table (5.23(b))Draft with Coach Q
- Hazard Register (guidance and practice)Draft with Coach Q
- Confidential Safety Report Form (5.71(a)(7))Draft with Coach Q
- Part 5 Gap AssessmentDraft with Coach Q
- Declaration of Compliance Readiness ChecklistDraft with Coach Q
Counterfeit Parts Avoidance
- Receiving Inspection Criteria for High-Risk PartsDraft with Coach Q
- Suspect Counterfeit Part Investigation FormDraft with Coach Q
- Quarantine & Disposition ProcedureDraft with Coach Q
Who built it
Built from the rule text, the audit table and the dock.
Will Trikha
Founder and CEO, QMS Learning · Third-party registrar auditor
Will Trikha is a third-party registrar auditor with more than 20 years in aerospace and quality. He built FAA Part 5 SMS for Managers from 14 CFR Part 5 as amended in 2024 and the FAA's guidance in AC 120-92D and AC 21-58, and teaches it the way an auditor tests a system: pull the record, follow the trail.
He's COO of PTX Defense, an AS9100D-certified aerospace manufacturer, so he lives with parts requirements from the supplier side: the clauses a customer flows down, the suppliers that get approved and the lots that cross the dock. He founded QMS Leader, a consulting firm that implements quality management systems for manufacturers.
Check us before you pay
- Take lesson 1 free. The real first lesson of any course on the path, with Coach Q. No card.
- Look Will up. His LinkedIn profile lists the work behind the courses.
- Check a certificate. Every certificate can be confirmed at academy.qmslearning.com/verify.
- Keep your exit. 3 days after you buy a course to ask for a refund.
Try before you buy
Try it before you pay. Change your mind after.
Before you pay
Lesson 1 is free.
Every live course on the path has a free first lesson, with the exercises and Coach Q. Start with step 1 and judge it yourself.
Try lesson 1 free ↑After you buy
3 days to change your mind.
Email will@qmslearning.com within 3 days of buying a course for a refund. A refund ends access to that course. Refund policy
Company pays
Send it to your manager.
We wrote the email for you, with each course on the path and a link to what it includes. Need a quote or a PO? Email will@qmslearning.com.
Send this to my manager →Questions
Straight answers.
Do I have to take them all?
No. Each course stands on its own, with its own certificate, and lesson 1 is free on each. The path is the order we'd take them in.
Does Part 5 apply to my company?
Part 5 covers Part 121 and Part 135 certificate holders, 91.147 Letter of Authorization holders, applicants for any of those, and Part 21 type and production certificate holders tied to the same product (5.1). A company with only an STC, PMA, TSOA or a repair station certificate isn't in 5.1. With EASA approval, though, a US repair station needs an SMS that, at a minimum, meets Part 5. Lesson 1 of the Part 5 course is free and sorts this out for your company.
When is our Part 5 deadline?
A Part 135 operator or 91.147 LOA holder authorized before May 28, 2024 must implement its SMS and submit a declaration of compliance by May 28, 2027 (5.9). Applicants since then build it during certification and don't declare. Part 21 companies don't declare either: they work to an FAA-approved implementation plan and implement by May 28, 2027, or within 36 months of the plan, depending on when they came under Part 5.
Is this an FAA certification?
No. Each course ends with a final exam and a QMS Learning certificate anyone can verify at academy.qmslearning.com/verify. It isn't an FAA certificate, rating or qualification, it isn't an accredited certification, and it doesn't mean the FAA has approved or accepted your SMS.
Does the counterfeit course cover aviation?
Yes, next to the DFARS and SAE side. You learn that filing FAA Form 8120-11 on a suspected unapproved part is voluntary under AC 21-29D, that a repair station's 96-hour report under 145.221 covers serious failures, malfunctions and defects, and where EASA and the UK CAA fit. Suspected Unapproved Parts, the repair station side, is on the way.
Training a team?
Open any course on the path and pick how many people before you check out. Five or more people get 10% off every seat, applied at checkout. Each person gets their own login, private coach, study plan and certificate. More than 50 people, or need an invoice instead? Email will@qmslearning.com for a quote.
How long do I keep access?
The lessons are yours for life, and Coach Q comes with your course and stays with you after you finish. There's no subscription or renewal fee.
Does the course keep up when the rules change?
Yes, for the edition it teaches. When the rules or guidance behind this course change, we update the lessons and the coach's setup, and you get the update at no extra charge. When a new edition replaces the standard, we point you to the transition training. Your conversations with Coach Q aren't used to train AI models.
The Aviation Maintenance and Safety path
Lesson 1 is free. Find out where Part 5 puts your company.
- Step 1: FAA Part 5 SMS for ManagersAbout 9.5 hours
- Step 2: Counterfeit Parts AvoidanceAbout 10.5 hours
Lessons for life. Coach Q comes with every course, no renewal fee.
Ready to buy? Pick a course from the path. Each course page shows everything included, then the price.