Hi, I was talking with a long time aviator here in Canada and he told
me all certified aircraft engine parts used for amateur built
aircraft have to have all original tracking number obliterated before
install . WOW !

Steve Carlisle


Steve I'm not sure your getting good info? I'd have to double check
w/ the local inspector but I've not heard of having to do this (in
Canada), we certainly haven't on the a/c we're building.

Fwiw Jarrett Johnson (Also Canadian)

I fly a couple of certified experimental's with numbers. It could be
some people don't want anything traceable back to them and remove
all their numbers.

John Gibbons (opposite end of Steve's rock)

John, okay, so a certified aircraft engine, all numbers intact, could
be removed from a certified aircraft, the engine placed into a
amateur built aircraft, and run and maintained under those rules, and
then one day be installed back into a certified, with no record of
it's alternative life. Just trying to understand how the DOT can
track that use, or not !

Steve Carlisle (at the better end of the ROCK !)

No. An experimental with no numbers could never go into a certified
aircraft. If I were to put my C140 into the Owner Maintenance
category, in all practicality I could never put it back into
certified service. Apparently you can do it but from what I
understand and AME would have to sign off on each component part of
the aircraft which could prove impossible and would prove
impratical. If any trace numbers were missing, that part would need
replacing. I am about to start test flying a newly built Glastar. It
has a brand new certified Lycoming in it which once the paper work is
finalised and shows that it is installed in the experimental it can
not go into a certified aircraft. IIRC the Lycoming data plate is
removed to prevent it being used as certified but the indivdual part
numbers will stay intact. That is probably what was meant by the guy
you talked to.

John (at the warm,sunny, dry end of the ROCK )



Thanks John, that seems to make more sense, but if that engine was
dis-assembled, the parts could end up back into certifies aircraft,
right?

Steve, and yes, you do have better weather, good for old folks !


Well I guess anything is possible, you see reports of bogus parts
getting into reputable airline fleets. Parts have to be tagged when
removed and those get signed by AME's (I'm not one) so I guess the
system is as honest as the signature. When I buy parts off of a local
shop the stores person prints up a label that is attached to the bag
the parts go in and the invoice has a "certification" disclaimer and
both are signed by an AME on staff. This is done even if it is a
couple of rivets for an experimental a/c.

John (old ? OK I'll give you that one)


Someone with the map idea sure has a sense humor ! Likely an old,y
but a goody !

Steve Carlisle


In theory, you could take a pair of Cessna 150 wings, strap them to a
home made fuse, add your own tail feathers and engine and register
the plane that it was built from "parts or plans". If it has a
certified engine/prop combo you can fly it for 25 hours and then you
will have a standard EAB A/W cert. Later, you could take the wings
off and sell them as from and they can be put back onto a Cessna 150
certified plane. Even if you modified them, as long as the A&P can
return them to meet the TCDS and is willing to sign the log book,
it's legal.

Lost of responsibility with that number and the signature when we put
it in the log book :). Kind of like painting a target on our backs.

Kevin Alderman


Great idea. Put composite wings from a home built on a Bellanca
Cruisair with rotted out wood wings. Something like a Lancair ES.

Paul Lamar

Funny you mention that Paul, I have a Bellanca Viking with a blown
300 hp Continental that will be over 50K to replace. The FAA said I
could only use a certified engine in the certified plane, and that it
would have to be substantially modified to comply with the 51% rule
for amateur built. And, I have my Wheelers, with composite wings very
similar to the Lancair. I have been contemplating making a copy of
the wings on Wheeler 2 and using these on the Viking fuse with a 3
rotor in the nose.

Making a mold of my existing wings is not all that difficult- :)

Kevin Alderman

"In theory" doesn't work very well when you are dealing with the FAA.
You might call it "proof by assertion." There is a page of info on this
at
https://www.faa.gov/aircraft/gen_av/ultralights/amateur_built/amateur_regs/

Kevin is right, it's up to the mechanic installing the parts in a
certificated airplane to assert that the parts and certification comply
with that airplane's TC. Just like you don't know whether the wings on
your 150 were bent into a pretzel and then hammered back into shape again.

A similar risky signature is needed when you want to register an
experimental amateur-built airplane. Someone at the FSDO has to agree
that you've met the 51% rule. There's a lot of sucker holes you can fly
through in AC 20-27G. Look really carefully at the definitions on pages
11 and 12, and the amateur-built checklist which is appendix 8. You want
to get credit for "fabricating" everything you possibly can. It just
depends on what you can get the FSDO to agree to.

David Josephson


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