The mechanics around here are getting raked over the coals for not
obtaining official determination first beforehand on whether a job is
a minor repair/alteration to grant them permission to log it as such.
They're getting micromanaged to death. My own A&P/IA got threatened
with certificate action and had to take some remedial training
recently because of this. Apparently an IA's authority to make
determination if a repair or alteration is major or minor has been
eroded away to nothingness and whatever the regs and advisory
circulars say has now been trumped by local inspectors' own
interpretation instead. I really don't even want to get started into
the "unapproved parts" issue since lately it seems like even obvious
standard parts like mil-spec AN nuts and bolts are suddenly becoming
in danger of being declared unapproved if you can't prove you bought
them them from a Cessna/Beech/whatever parts dealer. But, in the case
of the Flightcom intercom I originally wanted, since it is not PMA'd,
TSO'd or STC'd therefore it is declared to be an "unapproved part" and
hence illegal to install on a certificated airplane as an aftermarket
upgrade. I guess the extra $200 the PSE intercom costs must be worth
it since it should be considered the hassle-avoidance fee.