U.S. Export C of A
for Un-Airworthy Aircraft 
I am in the process of exporting 2 helicopters which have not flown for over 2 years and are due for major inspections before being returned to service. …

STC and FAA Form 337 
Does the STC or 337 form have to be carried in the aircraft while flying? ANSWER: An FAA Form 337 is required to be on board the aircraft when it …

FAA Kit Evaluations 
In 1985 the FAA issued an evaluation that the Swick "T" met the major portion criteria of FAR 21.191(g). FAA Order 8130.18 was referenced. Is this evaluation …

Standard C of A For A Kit Plane 
In order for me to be able to get this specific plane I need a Standard C of A not an experimental. The plane is manufactured as a kit in Texas then shipped …

Fast Build Kits- Experimental Aircraft 
I am considering the option of building a Velocity Aircraft. The manufacturers offer fast-build kits. I would like to purchase all of the fast build …

Professionally Assembled Kit Plane 
As a US citizen, I understand that under FAA law, I have to personally assemble 51% of my experimental plane. Can I have a kit plane fully assembled …

Validity of an Export C of A 
How long is an Export C of A valid for? ANSWER: There is no expiration date. The Export C of A becomes part of the aircraft records and indicates …

EASA Modifications 
Does the FAA accept EASA approved modifications on an imported aircraft? ANSWER: The Bilateral Agreement between the United States and the European …

Recertification of an Aircraft 
An aircraft has been parked for a long time (several years) and so the C of A is invalid now. The aircraft is still showing in the FAA register. What …

Experimental Exhibition Operating Limitations 
I purchased an Experimental Exhibition glider with operating limitations listing Texas as the geographic area. I plan on flying in the midwest (primarily). …

Replacement Airworthiness Certificates 
What is the process for replacing an airworthiness certificate? ANSWER: The FAA may issue a replacement airworthiness certificate when a certificate …

Type Certificate File Retention  
How long are the original Approved Type Certificate application documents (drawings, etc) for an aircraft's certification kept by the FAA? ANSWER: …

New Aircraft Definition 
Is there an FAA definition of what the specific criteria are for an aircraft to be considered new? ANSWER: The only place I can find this addressed …

U.S. Aircraft Certified
by the CAAC in China 
What are the procedures for getting a U.S. aircraft previously type certified by FAA certified by CAAC in China? I am aware that a bilateral airworthiness …

Export Certificate of Airworthiness 
How do I obtain an Export Airworthiness Certificate if the aircraft purchased has already left the United States of America? ANSWER: If the aircraft …

Parts Approval  
What is required for parts to be approved for installation on an aircraft? ANSWER: For a new part to be eligible for installation on a U.S. …

Export C of A 
I have a C-172 that has a standard airworthiness certificate. I want to export this aircraft and in preparation for shipping in a container I want to pull …

Transponder and Altimeter TSO Requirements 
Can you tell me where the regulation is that states a transponder must be TSO'd? Also for a Transponder installation with altitude encoding would …

Instrumentation for Light Sport Aircraft 
In reference to electronic devices (multipurpose functional display, electronic flight information system, engine monitering systems, etc.) 1. Do …

Minimum Equipment for an Experimental Airship 
If I were to try and get an experimental type certification for a very large Airship (335 ft), what would the minimum required equipment be? ANSWER: …

New Aircraft Flight Test Programs 
I would like to know how many hours a new aircraft such as Boeing's 787 Dreamliner needs to fly prior to being certify as ready for commercial flight? …

Use of Non-Aeronautical Parts 
Can a part that was used in a non-aeronautical engine be inspected and used in an aeronautical engine? For example, a part for a Pratt & Whitney ST6 and …

Type Certification of Foreign Built Aircraft 
What are the procedures to obtain a type certificate for a foreign built aircraft? ANSWER: FAR 21 is the regulation that governs the application …

Foreign Manufacture of U.S. Aircraft 
Can a foreign corporation purchase the manufacturing rights to a U.S. certified aircraft and then manufacture that aircraft in a foreign country and still …

Types of Airworthiness Certification 
How many types of aircraft certifications are there? ANSWER: There are three main types of aircraft certifications. Standard airworthiness certification, …

Re-certification of Experimental Aircraft 
I'm from Germany and would like to buy an experimental airplane. The airplane is actually on display in a museum. The museum received the plane as a donation …

WACO Type Certificate Data Sheet 
Hi, I have a question regarding the certification of WACO ATO aircraft. I have been looking to purchase a WACO ATO aircraft certified in the Standard …

Certification of Light Sport Aircraft 
What is the procedure for acceptance of light sport aircraft in the USA? ANSWER: FAR 21.190(d) pertains specifically to the issuance of special …

FAA Acceptance of EASA Form 1 
A U.S. company requires aircraft/helicopter component repairs to be certified with a FAA Form 8130-3. Does the FAA accept a repair carried out and certified …

Type Certification for
Micro-light Aircraft 
What are the airworthiness requirements for type certification of a micro-light aircraft? ANSWER: If you wanted to seek type certification for a …

Purchase of an Aircraft Certified under FAR Part 21.195 (a) 
I am purchasing an aircraft that has a manufacturer experimental certificate under Part 21.195(a) that state it will be used for: 1) Market Surveys; 2) …

Purchase and Completion of a Home-built Aircraft 
I am buying a home-built aircraft that is partially completed. Can I complete all of the remainder of the work and then get it certified as experimental …

Transfer of Ownership and its affect on the Airworthiness Certificate 
What is the disposition of an Airworthiness Certificate when an aircraft has been sold or the ownership is otherwise transferred? ANSWER: The following …

Risk in Production Test Flights 
FAR 21.197 allows some relaxation of rules compared to full certification for continuous operation. It also covers aircraft before they are proven in flight, …

TSO Authorization 
With reference to a cockpit display unit ("Product"), will the airworthiness regulatory authorities (FAA and EASA) approve one company ("Seller") applying …

Using FAA Inspectors for Aircraft Certification 
Several years ago I was placed on a waiting list for an FAA inspector in order to make the transfer to Light Sport Aircraft (LSA). It never happened. …

Aircraft Parts Approval 
I have invented a part that will revolutionize the industry. How do I determine if it meets FAA approval or does it need FAA approval? ANSWER: I …

Transferring Ownership of an STC 
I own STC # SA1124EA and would like to transfer the ownership of the STC. What are the proper procedures to do so? I have misplaced the ownership papers …

Importing An Aircraft Without STC's For Additional Equipment 
I will be importing an aircraft from Poland and would like to have the factory install additional equipment such as an autopilot and engine monitor. …

FAA Form 8130-3 for Export 
Can a certified A&P mechanic fill out and sign a 8130-3 form for the purpose of exporting an article? ANSWER: No. The only persons authorized to …

Exemptions Shown on an Airworthiness Certificate 
How do I know what the exemption listed on my Standard Airworthiness Certificate means? ANSWER: Regulatory exemptions are given to a production …

Re-certification of Aircraft Parts 
Can aircraft parts be re-certified if missing the yellow tag? Are there companies that will do this re-certification? ANSWER: All parts must have …

Issuance Of Experimental Airworthiness Certificate  
Before the issuance of an Experimental Airworthiness Certificate, must all maintenance, preventative maintenance and alterations be completed. Or may …

Building an Amateur Built Aircraft in a Foreign Country 
I want to build a Pitts S1S in Italy, I will buy the factory fuselage and the wing kit from Raven Aircraft or Steen Aerolab and I want to register my plane …

Handling of STC's for Small Airplane Power Increase 
AC23-12 provides guidance on structural substantiation of Part 23 airplane modifications involving engine power increases. Is there any corresponding …

Certification of Aircraft Components 
Which FAR governs type certification of aircraft components? ANSWER: FAR Part 21 - Certification Procedures for Products and Parts - is the regulation …

Type Certification of Foreign Manufactured Aircraft 
If a foreign aircraft manufacturer wants to apply for a type certificate from the FAA, will the FAA accept the application if there are currently no buyers …

STC Number Format 
STC’s start with ST, SA etc. and some end with a -D. What does the format of the STC numbering system mean with the different letters/numbers and where …

Purchasing and Certifying an Amateur Built Aircraft Built by Another Person 
How can I get a Challenger II kitplane registered and inspected for airworthiness when it was built by a person who is in imminent danger of passing …

Export of US Type Certificated Aircraft 
If a US Type Certificated Aircraft is exported to Japan but not type certificated in Japan, therefore following section 3.2 of AC 21-2J, does an exception …

Field Approvals (FAA Form 337) on Aircraft Being Exported 
Do field approved (FAA Form 337) installations have to be listed on the Export Certificate of Airworthiness Form 8130-4 when exported to Japan? COMMENTS: …

Display of Airworthiness Certificate 
FAR 91.203(b) states "No person may operate a civil aircraft unless the airworthiness certificate required by paragraph (a) of this section or a special …

Supplemental Type Certificates (STC) 
Are European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) STC's approved by the FAA for airworthiness certification? ANSWER: EASA STC's (if not also an FAA STC) …

Light Sport Aircraft (LSA) Parts 
Jon wrote: I am researching information on necessary equipment/certification of aircraft. I understand that a Type Certificate Data Sheet (TCDS) is …

Re-certification of non-tracked life limited parts 
How do I re-certify non-tracked life limited parts based on FAA procedures? ANSWER: FAR 43.10 addresses the disposition of life limited parts. Some …

Flight Tests for Certification 
What are the flight tests for certification? ANSWER: There are production flight tests for type certificated aircraft, and flight tests for experimental …

ALTIMETER TSO 
DOES AN ALTIMETER HAVE TO BE TSO'D IN ORDER TO FLY IFR? ANSWER: Yes, if your aircraft has a standard airworthiness certificate, you must have an …

Adjustable Gross Weight for LSA 
I have an kit built aircraft that weights 57 lbs above the allowable 1320 lbs for Light Sport when CG is calculated by FAA standards. I can adjust the …

Airbus FAA Type Certification 
1. If an Airbus A320 goes straight into a JAR Type Certification, at that time, is it type certified for FAA before N register or FAA C of A? 2. …

Beech 300 Airworthiness Certificate 
I have a Beech 300 with a standard airworthiness certificate issued when new in 1989. Block 5 of the certificate states, "this airplane at weights in …

FAA approval for an aircraft manufacured in China 
How do I get FAA approval for an aircraft manufactured in China? The aircraft has been designed and built following FAR part 25. ANSWER: This could …