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Building N530JY
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Date: 8-2-2020
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Number of Hours: 0.00
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Manual Reference:
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Brief Description: Why an RV-10? part 2
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(continued from previous)
into the plane’s electrical system. Anything that modifies the original design of the plane requires FAA approval since the type certificate is only valid for the original design. An owner wanting to make such a modification has three choices, two that are legal and one that isn’t.
The first choice is to find a certified aviation mechanic to install an off-the-shelf device in the airplane. If the device isn’t produced by an FAA-approved manufacturer, the mechanic (or the owner) needs to present data to an FAA design engineer demonstrating that the device won’t have any adverse impact on the plane’s airworthiness. This includes demonstrating that the device doesn’t interfere with other aircraft systems (by producing an unacceptable level of electromagnetic noise, for example). If the FAA engineer approves, then documentation is filed with the FAA (a form 337) that essentially modifies the type certificate for that aircraft.
The second choice an owner has is to procure the part from an FAA-sanctioned manufacturer who has already presented data to the FAA and obtained approval to install the item in a specific type of aircraft. This approval comes in the form of a supplemental type certificate, or STC. If a device is STC’d for a certain model of aircraft, the manufacturer has gone through the process of testing, collecting data, presenting data to the FAA, and obtaining FAA design engineering approval.
The process is lengthy and costly. It means that a USB charger that would likely cost a few dollars to install in a car will cost hundreds of dollars to install in an airplane. And it can’t be installed by just anyone; anything installed under an STC must be signed off by a certified aviation mechanic, and the form 337 documenting the installation must be signed by a mechanic with FAA inspection authorization. In the general aviation world it isn’t uncommon for these mechanics to cost $100 per hour, whether that time is spent turning
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