Fuel Valves, Wing Tips, And You

In article ,
RST Engineering wrote:
There has been much discussion about Home Depot fuel valves, homebrew
wingtips, and the like. There has been much discussion about what is and
what is not allowed by the regulations.

Finally, somebody at the highest echelons of the FAA in Washington is trying
to put some sense back in the regulations. Read the Notice Of Proposed
Rulemaking here http://makeashorterlink.com/?S1075282A as to what Mr.
O'Brien is trying to do.

Understand, what he is saying is that he wants to make ACCEPTABLE data
APPROVED data without going through the field approval process. Not
ACCEPTED data, ACCEPTABLE data. What remains to be seen (and I hope that
the installing mechanic may choose what is acceptable) is who defines
acceptable.

If you want to change how the maintenance game is played, now is your
chance. Either comment on this NPRM or forever hold your peace. This is
the most far-reaching maintenance change since 21.303(b)(2) came along as a
modification from the CAR to the FAR.

Jim,

I read the NPRM, and maybe I just can't see the forest for the trees,
but I don't understand what it's saying. Can you give us some
background on what "acceptable" vs. "accepted" data is all about and
why it matters?

I also notice that this only applies to fixed gear under 200 HP. This
seems like an odd distinction.