An Aircraft Can Be FAA Certified But Not FAA Approved; What’s Up With That?

If you’re going to buzz around in the skies of the United States, all aircraft must be FAA certified or certified by a recognized foreign country. The only exception to this rule is found in FAR 103 for ultralights.

The FAA issues two types of airworthiness certificates: a standard certificate and a special certificate. The standard certificate is issued to an aircraft that is built in accordance with FAA regulations. Under today’s regulations, these would be FAR 23 or FAR 25. However, there are other FAA certification standards from days gone-by that are still accepted for the purpose of certification. The standard airworthiness certificate is printed on white paper and is an indication that the aircraft is not only certified, but also complies with FAA design, testing, and manufacturing standards. This could be called an FAA approved aircraft.

A special airworthiness certificate, printed on ‘pinkish paper,’ is issued for aircraft that have not shown compliance with FAA design, testing, and manufacturing standards. An example of these would be an experimental-amateur built airplane and a special-light sport airplane. The fact that these aircraft do not comply with FAA regulatory certification standards does not necessarily mean they are substandard, but they must carry a placard in the aircraft stating they do not meet the rules for a standard airworthiness certificate.

A big difference in certification is the issuance of the operating limitations for the aircraft. An aircraft with a standard airworthiness certificate has operating limitations that are developed by the manufacturer and approved by the FAA. An example of this would be aircraft like Cessna, Piper, and any aircraft holding a standard certificate.

An airplane issued a special airworthiness certificate is also issued operating limitations, but they are issued by the FAA and are considered part of the airworthiness certificate itself. These operating limitations are quite different from an aircraft with a standard airworthiness certificate because they read more like regulations than something that has to do with operating the aircraft. Operating limitations issued with a special airworthiness certificate address the aircraft and the pilot.

An airplane holding a special airworthiness certificate can be the perfect airplane for recreational flying, but before making a purchase decision, it’s very important to understand its certification and to read the operating limitations to see what you’re getting into.

All this regulatory stuff sounds like a real drag but it’s worth looking into before making a purchase decision. An important part of a pre-purchase inspection is verifying the paperwork and understanding what it means to the operation of the aircraft.

FMI: www.faa.gov