Owner Preventive Maintenance

[AuntPeggy]

(30) The inspection and maintenance tasks prescribed and specifically identified as preventive maintenance in a primary category aircraft type certificate or supplemental type certificate holder's approved special inspection and preventive maintenance program when accomplished on a primary category aircraft provided:

(i) They are performed by the holder of at least a private pilot certificate issued under part 61 who is the registered owner (including co-owners) of the affected aircraft and who holds a certificate of competency for the affected aircraft (1) issued by a school approved under § 147.21(e) of this chapter; (2) issued by the holder of the production certificate for that primary category aircraft that has a special training program approved under § 21.24 of this subchapter; or (3) issued by another entity that has a course approved by the Administrator; and
(ii) The inspections and maintenance tasks are performed in accordance with instructions contained by the special inspection and preventive maintenance program approved as part of the aircraft's type design or supplemental type design.

14 CFR Part 43 Appendix A - C - 30.

I don't remember ever noticing the requirement for a certificate of competency before. I assume it is relatively new.

How does an owner obtain a certificate of competency for a Cessna 172 c?

 

[SkyDog58]

You have a 172 certified in the primary category?

 

[JScarry]

Two separate issues. You can perform all of the tasks 1-29 and 31 on your aircraft.

§43.3 (g) Except for holders of a sport pilot certificate, the holder of a pilot certificate issued under part 61 may perform preventive maintenance on any aircraft owned or operated by that pilot which is not used under part 121, 129, or 135 of this chapter. The holder of a sport pilot certificate may perform preventive maintenance on an aircraft owned or operated by that pilot and issued a special airworthiness certificate in the light-sport category.

The part you quote only applies to performing work specified in a primary type certificate or STC as preventive maintenance. These tasks are presumably not listed in the preventive maintenance tasks 1-29 and 31 or they require procedures that do not conform to the rules in 1-29 and 31.

 

[AuntPeggy]

What does primary category mean?

You have a 172 certified in the primary category?

 

[Bell206]

What does primary category mean?

Auntie:
Check out Part 21 for Primary Category definition. There are also several ACs on it. It is a Type Certificate category. It was the original "sport aircraft" attempt. If I recall it could only be used for recreational flying and had a max gross weight and other limitations. There was even a method to change a Standard Category aircraft to Primary but that would not be highly recommended.

 

[SkyDog58]

What does primary category mean?

Well, it can get rather complicated, convoluted and confusing and the answer spans several regulations but here is one of them.

§21.24 Issuance of type certificate: primary category aircraft.

(a) The applicant is entitled to a type certificate for an aircraft in the primary category if—

(1) The aircraft—

(i) Is unpowered; is an airplane powered by a single, naturally aspirated engine with a 61-knot or less Vso stall speed as determined under part 23 of this chapter; or is a rotorcraft with a 6-pound per square foot main rotor disc loading limitation, under sea level standard day conditions;

(ii) Weighs not more than 2,700 pounds; or, for seaplanes, not more than 3,375 pounds;

(iii) Has a maximum seating capacity of not more than four persons, including the pilot; and

(iv) Has an unpressurized cabin.

(2) The applicant has submitted—

(i) Except as provided by paragraph (c) of this section, a statement, in a form and manner acceptable to the FAA, certifying that: the applicant has completed the engineering analysis necessary to demonstrate compliance with the applicable airworthiness requirements; the applicant has conducted appropriate flight, structural, propulsion, and systems tests necessary to show that the aircraft, its components, and its equipment are reliable and function properly; the type design complies with the airworthiness standards and noise requirements established for the aircraft under §21.17(f); and no feature or characteristic makes it unsafe for its intended use;

(ii) The flight manual required by §21.5(b), including any information required to be furnished by the applicable airworthiness standards;

(iii) Instructions for continued airworthiness in accordance with §21.50(b); and

(iv) A report that: summarizes how compliance with each provision of the type certification basis was determined; lists the specific documents in which the type certification data information is provided; lists all necessary drawings and documents used to define the type design; and lists all the engineering reports on tests and computations that the applicant must retain and make available under §21.49 to substantiate compliance with the applicable airworthiness standards.

(3) The FAA finds that—

(i) The aircraft complies with those applicable airworthiness requirements approved under §21.17(f) of this part; and

(ii) The aircraft has no feature or characteristic that makes it unsafe for its intended use.

(b) An applicant may include a special inspection and preventive maintenance program as part of the aircraft's type design or supplemental type design.

(c) For aircraft manufactured outside of the United States in a country with which the United States has a bilateral airworthiness agreement for the acceptance of these aircraft, and from which the aircraft is to be imported into the United States—

(1) The statement required by paragraph (a)(2)(i) of this section must be made by the civil airworthiness authority of the exporting country; and

(2) The required manuals, placards, listings, instrument markings, and documents required by paragraphs (a) and (b) of this section must be submitted in English.

FAA Advisory Circular AC 21-37 also covers it pretty well and I know there have been some industry articles by EAA & AOPA that attempt to explain it in more concise verbiage.

 

[AuntPeggy]

OK, my ignorance was showing again. Thanks.