Adventures in Airworthiness Certificates

It pays to check the details on your airworthiness certificate!

I bought a newly built RV12-iS in Sept, 2019. Last month I noticed that the model on the A/W cert was incorrect (RV12 vs RV-12IS). The local FSDO found two other issues. The "purpose" was Operating Primary Kit Built Aircraft, not Operating Light-Sport Kit Built. And the ops limits would have required any future phase 1 to be flown in another state, where it was built.

It took 18 calendar days, several phone calls and emails, and a visit from someone from the local FSDO, to get this resolved, but I now have a new a/w cert and ops limits, and a logbook entry from the FSDO re issuance of new cert and ops limits today.

Another footnote...whoever inspected the plane originally never filed the paperwork with the FAA. The file was *empty*. His logbook entry referred to the plane as "operating exp aircraft", which isn't quite accurate.

Moral of the story - 1) look at your paperwork and original logbook entry carefully and 2) if your FAA online record shows unknown or none for the airworthiness section, you might want to dig into why!

Yep. Check that paperwork. I had one gentleman want me to amend his Op Lims to change Phase I test area. The airplane had been flying since 1973. The Airworthiness Certificate had expired in 1974. The aircraft had had a condition inspection signed off every year!

You would not believe some things that I find.

Mel said:

Yep. Check that paperwork. I had one gentleman want me to amend his Op Lims to change Phase I test area. The airplane had been flying since 1973. The Airworthiness Certificate had expired in 1974. The aircraft had had a condition inspection signed off every year!.

Click to expand...

Hi Mel,

Do AW certs expire? The A/C is not flyable without the annual / condition inspection, but the cert doesn't have an expry date. Just like the pilots's cert - doesn't expire, but can't exercise without a in-date BFR.

wjb said:

Hi Mel,
Do AW certs expire? The A/C is not flyable without the annual / condition inspection, but the cert doesn't have an expry date. Just like the pilots's cert - doesn't expire, but can't exercise without a in-date BFR.

Click to expand...

Airworthiness Certificates have an expiration date. Usually "Unlimited" is used here, but not always. Back in the early days Original Airworthiness Certificates were issued for Phase I and usually expired after 1 year. After Phase I testing was completed, another A/W Certificate was issued with an "Unlimited" expiration.

Later the FAA changed its policy to include Unlimited Expiration on the original issuance. Inspectors still have the authority to limit the expiration date, but it is seldom done except in extreme circumstances where the inspector is uncomfortable with something on the aircraft.

An example would be on a pressurized aircraft where the final interior is not installed and the inspector wants to see the aircraft after the interior is installed, pressurization tests have been completed, and the aircraft is painted with new W&B calculations.

Bueno; thanks for the explanation.