The Terms, Parts Manufacturing Approval, And Supplemental Type Certificate Commonly Get Confused
If you’re a recreational pilot operating a small light airplane, the terms “Parts Manufacturing Approval” (PMA) and Supplemental Type Certificate (STC) are easy to get mixed up. It even gets more confusing when your friends, who fly homebuilt airplanes, never seem to care about this stuff but your mechanic gets all huffy when you ask, “Why can't I be just like those guys?”