Airworthiness

certificate

A Standard Certificate of Airworthiness is

a permit for commercial passenger or
cargo operation, issued for an aircraft by
the national aviation authority in the
state/nation in which the aircraft is
registered. For other aircraft such as
crop-sprayers, a Special Airworthiness
Certificate (not for commercial
passenger or cargo operations) must be
issued.

Legal authority
A Certificate of Airworthiness (CofA), or
an Airworthiness Certificate, is issued for
an aircraft by the national aviation
authority in the state in which the aircraft
is registered. The airworthiness
certificate attests that the aircraft is
airworthy insofar as the aircraft
conforms to its type design. Each
airworthiness certificate is issued in one
of a number of different categories. A
certificate of airworthiness is issued
when the aircraft is registered in the
name of the owner. Thereafter, a yearly
currency fee is payable to renew the
Certificate of Airworthiness. If this fee is
not paid when due, the certificate
expires and the owner must apply again
for this certificate to be issued. The
Certificate of Airworthiness can only be
issued when a certificate of release to
service from the maintenance facility
declares that the maintenance due has
been carried out and the aircraft is then
certified as being airworthy.

In the USA, Australia and some other

countries, each airworthiness certificate
is classified as either a Standard
Airworthiness Certificate or a Special
Airworthiness Certificate.

Standard Airworthiness
Certificate
A standard airworthiness certificate is an
airworthiness certificate issued for an
aircraft by the national aviation authority
in the state in which the aircraft is
registered. A standard airworthiness
certificate is one of the certificates that
are mandatory if an aircraft is to be used
in commercial operations. In the USA,
Australia and some other countries, a
standard airworthiness certificate is
issued in one of the following
categories:[1]

Transport
Commuter
Normal
Utility
Acrobatic
Manned free balloons
Special class of aircraft

The airworthiness certificate must be

carried on board the aircraft and must be
presented to a representative of the
aviation authority upon request.
A standard airworthiness certificate
remains valid as long as the aircraft
meets its approved type design and is in
a condition for safe operation. In the
USA, a standard airworthiness certificate
remains effective providing the
maintenance, preventive maintenance
and alterations are performed in
accordance with relevant requirements
and the aircraft remains registered in the
USA.[2]

A standard airworthiness certificate

ceases to be valid when the aircraft
ceases to be registered. Change of
ownership of an aircraft does not require
re-issue or re-validation of that aircraft's
standard airworthiness certificate.

In contrast to a standard airworthiness

certificate, an aircraft may be issued with
a special airworthiness certificate.
Examples of aircraft which are not
eligible for standard airworthiness
certificates but may be eligible for
special airworthiness certificates include
agricultural aircraft, experimental aircraft,
and some ex-military aircraft.[1]

Special Airworthiness
Certificate
A special airworthiness certificate is an
airworthiness certificate that is not
sufficient to allow an aircraft to be used
in commercial passenger or cargo
operations. In the United States a Special
Airworthiness Certificate is issued in one
or more of the following categories:[3]
 Title 14 CFR
Category Purpose(s)
Section

Primary Aircraft flown for pleasure and personal use 21.24, 21.184

Aircraft with a "restricted" category type certificate, including:

Agricultural

Forest and wildlife conservation

Aerial surveying
21.25,
Restricted
Patrolling (pipelines, power lines) 21.185

Weather control

Aerial advertising

Other operations specified by the Administrator

Multiple Multiple airworthiness certificates 21.187

Limited Aircraft with a "limited" category type certificate 21.189

Operate a light-sport aircraft, other than a gyroplane, kit-built,

Light-Sport 21.190
or transitioning ultralight like vehicle

Experimental Research and development — an aircraft whose purpose is 21.191,

to test new design concepts, equipment, or operating 21.193,
techniques 21.195

Showing compliance with regulations — a prototype aircraft

that is built for the purposes of demonstrating the
airworthiness of a design

Crew training - an aircraft used solely for training that, for

some reason, does not have a standard certificate (e.g. the
NASA Shuttle Training Aircraft)

Exhibition

Air racing

Market surveys — a sales demonstration aircraft

Operating amateur-built aircraft

Operating kit-built aircraft

 Operating light-sport aircraft

Unmanned Aircraft Systems

Special Special-purpose flight of an aircraft that is capable of safe

21.197
Flight Permit flight

Part 21
Subpart C,
Aircraft with a "provisional" category type certificate for special Part 21
Provisional
operations and operating limitations Subpart I,
Section
91.317

See also
Type certificate

Notes

Interior of a Lockheed Super Constellation with a

Special Airworthiness Certificate. The warning
states "This aircraft is not required to comply with
the safety regulations for standard aircraft. You fly
the safety regulations for standard aircraft. You fly
in this aircraft at your own risk."

References
1. 14 CFR, 21.175 , retrieved 2010-06-17
2. 14 CFR, 21.181 , retrieved 2010-06-17
3. Federal Aviation Administration, 14
CFR, 21.175 (b) , retrieved 2010-06-17
The Code of Federal Regulations Title
14, Volume 1, Part 21

External links
UK Civil Aviation Authority
Sri Lanka
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Last edited 4 months ago by Dolp

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