HOW DO I GET _____ APPROVED ON MY AIRPLANE, Pt 2.

Okay now for some specific help, lets talk about the nuts and bolts of getting it done.

IF YOU HAVE FAA APPROVED DATA for the change you are making, then the change is simple. Work with your A&P/IA to do the modification or repair and make sure it follows the approved data. When finished, the A&P/IA should make the logbook entry, reference the "approved data" in block 8 of the FAA form 337, and sign block 7 of the FAA form 337 indicating the aircraft is approved for Return to Service.

• Now, here's what's important... PAY ATTENTION.
• THE A&P/IA DOES NOT NEED TO CONTACT THE LOCAL FAA-FSDO INSPECTOR
• The 337 is simply mailed in to the FAA Aircraft Records division in Oklahoma City

YOUR GOAL SHOULD BE TO SECURE FAA APPROVED DATA

Having FAA approved data to cover your entire change is the easiest way to get _____ approved on your airplane. DER Approved Data can support 337 Return to Service without contacting the local FAA-FSDO Inspector

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IF YOU NEED FAA APPROVED DATA for the change you are making, then your A&P/IA must secure "approved data" from one of the following FAA accepted sources (a through s):

Note, we have highlighted in RED the types of "approved data" that CAP can most readily assist you to secure.

a) Type Certificate Data Sheets (TCDS).

b) Supplemental Type Certificate (STC) data, provided it specifically applies to the item being repaired/altered. Such data may be used in whole or part as included within the design data associated with the STC.

c) Appliance manufacturer’s manuals or instructions, unless specifically not approved by the Administrator, are approved for major repairs.

d) Airworthiness Directives (AD).

e) FAA Form 337, which has been used to approve multiple identical aircraft (only by the original modifier).

NOTE: Aviation safety inspectors (ASI) no longer approve data for use on multiple aircraft.

f) U.S. Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) Form 337, dated before October 1, 1955.

g) FAA-approved portions of Structural Repair Manuals (SRMs).

h) Designated Engineering Representative (DER)-approved data, only when approval is authorized under his/her specific delegation.

- CONTACT CAP FOR DIRECT DER ASSISTANCE -
254-715-4773

i) Organization Designation Authorization (ODA)-approved data, when the major alteration is performed specific to the authorization granted.

j) Data in the form of an Appliance Type Approval issued by the Minister of Transport Canada for those parts or appliances for which there is no current Technical Standard Order (TSO) available. The installation manual provided with the appliance includes the Transport Canada certificate as well as the date of issuance and an environmental qualification statement.

k) Foreign bulletins, for use on U.S.-certificated foreign aircraft, when approved by the foreign authority.

l) Data describing an article or appliance used in an alteration which is FAA-approved under a TSO. As such, the conditions and tests required for TSO approval of an article are minimum performance standards. The article may be installed only if further evaluation by the operator (applicant) documents an acceptable installation which may be approved by the Administrator.

m) Data describing a part or appliance used in an alteration which is FAA-approved under a Parts Manufacturer Approval (PMA). An STC may be required to obtain a PMA as a means of assessing Airworthiness and/or performance of the part.

NOTE: Installation eligibility for subsequent installation or reinstallation of such part or appliance in a type certificated (TC) aircraft, other than the aircraft for which Airworthiness was originally demonstrated, is acceptable, provided the part or appliance meets its performance requirements and is environmentally and operationally compatible for installation. The operator/applicant must provide evidence of previously approved installation by TC, STC, or field approval on FAA Form 337 that will serve as a basis for follow-on field approval.

n) Any FAA-approved Service Bulletins (SB) and letters or similar documents, including DER approvals.

o) Foreign bulletins as applied to use on a U.S.-certificated product made by a foreign manufacturer located within a country with whom a Bilateral Agreement (BA) is in place and by letter of specific authorization issued by the foreign civil air authority. The Bilateral Web site is located at: http://www.faa.gov/aircraft/air_cert/international/bilateral_agreements/baa_basa_listing.

p) Other data approved by the Administrator.

q) AC 43.13-1, current edition, for FAA-approved major repairs on non-pressurized areas of aircraft only when the user determines that it is:

· Appropriate to the product being repaired;

· Directly applicable to the repair being made; and

· Not contrary to the airframe, engine, propeller, product, or appliance manufacturer’s data.

r) AC 43.13-2, current edition, for FAA-approved major alterations on non-pressurized areas of aircraft 12,500 lbs gross weight or less only when the user determines that it is:

· Appropriate to the product being repaired;

· Directly applicable to the alteration being made; and

· Not contrary to the airframe, engine, propeller, product, or appliance manufacturer’s data.

s) Service and repair data provided by small airplane manufacturers, although, in most cases, not specifically approved, has provided for continued Airworthiness of their product. Service experience in using this data when performing major repairs to non-pressurized airplanes that are 12,500 pounds or less maximum certificated takeoff weight, and were originally TC’d before January 1, 1980, has proven to be very reliable if followed and not deviated from. Follow-on TC’d of the same model airplane, or a derivative thereof (may be assigned a later TC date), is considered to meet this criteria. When the data is used in this manner, the manufacturer’s data (with page, paragraph, etc.) must be referred to in block 8 of FAA Form 337.

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IF YOU CANNOT FIND FAA APPROVED DATA for the change you are making, it starts getting more complicated. There are a few ways to secure it. The FAA always says... before you make any change to an airplane contact your FAA Principal Maintenance Inspector at the local Flight Standards District Office (FSDO-PMI). If you don't know who yours is, that's because they are usually assigned to work with individual A&P/IA's or Maintenance Shops. So check with your A&P/IA. Here's what's so special about the FSDO PMI.

• These guys have the authority to approve certain types of design changes. When this is done, it is called a "FIELD APPROVAL". This is not always an option.
  
• These guys (the PMI's) are trained and required to follow the"Flight Standards Information Management System (FSIMS)" FAA Order 8100-9 when deciding how to handle certification projects. If you go there, you will eventually come across a large table that is intended to sort out how the FAA will handle specific types of design changes for aircraft. The Table is called the "Field Approval Job Aid". It provides a cook-book approach for the FSDO inspector to make a determination that the design change is one of the following types - "STC", "EVL", or "DER".
• Items with the letters STC require approval via Supplemental Type Certificate (STC).
• Items with the letters EVL may be eligible for approval by means other than an STC, depending on the scope and complexity of the alteration. These items will not automatically qualify for a field approval; they require evaluation and review of guidance to determine if the field approval process may be used.
• Items with the letters ENG may be eligible for approval by means other than an STC, but require either DER or ODA approved engineering data or concurrence from the ACO for field approval.