lml@lancaironline.net Mailing List Archive

Any company who intends to develop an aircraft for the purpose of being a "kit" or homebuilt aircraft with the intent to be certified under the experimental homebuilt category will most likely have to built a proof of concept airplane or "prototype". To certify an aircraft under the experimental homebuilt category it must be built solely for their own education or recreation. Since a company intends to produce this kit aircraft they cannot certify it under the homebuilt category because it is not being built for personal education or recreation. Kit manufacturers may be eligible to receive an experimental certificate (§ 21.191(f)) for the purpose of conducting market surveys, sales demonstrations, and customer crew training as provided. This is what Lancair, Rans, Velocity and all the other kit manufactures' received for their first aircraft or "prototype". If you look at the A/W certificate on N407L, N409L, N199L or N320L, this is exactly how they are certified. There is a lot more to bringing a kit to market though. The hard part is to get the FAA to approve the kit as meeting the "majority" rule. Also known as the 51% rule.

Ron Galbraith

-----Original Message-----
From: marv@lancair.net
To: lml@lancaironline.net
Cc: cskoppe@cfl.rr.com
Sent: Fri, Jan 8, 2010 3:42 pm
Subject: [LML] FAA order 8130.2F

The subject Order deals with airworthiness certification, & starting with Part 146 it's about experimentals.... A friend from Europe is working on (what he hopes will become) a new kit airplane and he's stumbled across Part 147.d that addresses prototypes. Anyone have an idea of what the certification of that airplane would be since 147.d only says what it can't be. Typical governmental legalese... almost seems like you need to simply call it experimental, and keep it divorced from any implication that it's a prototype. Any thoughts out there?

<Marv>