Certified into Homebuilt?

On Tue, 02 Nov 2004 23:19:41 -0500, Bryan Martin
wrote:
in article , Brad Mallard at
wrote on 11/2/04 5:27 PM:

What I think I need from this group is maybe some restriction definitions
for the following: Certified, homebuilt, amatuer built, experimental,
restricted, and ultralight... or any other comments

Get a copy of the November 2004 issue of KitPlanes magazine, it has an
article that does a good job of explaining these terms. It's primarily an
article on the new light sport aircraft rule but it diagrams who can work on
and inspect the various classifications of aircraft.

Actually, the article itself is online:

http://www.kitplanes.com/features/co...Revolution.pdf

Figure Two does illustrate the various certification categories. Basically, you
have "Normal" and "Special". Aircraft with "Special" airworthiness certificates
include those in the Restricted, Limited, Primary, Experimental and Light Sport
categories.

You can obtain an Experimental certificate in six sub-categories. As far as I
know, only two of the sub-categories have specific FAA guidance for the issuance
of operating limitations: Amateur-Built and Experimental Light Sport. For the
rest, the operating limitations are completely at the whim of the local Flight
Standards District Office (FSDO).

What it sounds like you want to do is convert a Cessna from the Normal category
to the Experimental/Amateur-Built one (note that there *is* no "homebuilt"
category). The only way the FAA will permit this is if you convince them that
the aircraft complies with the 51% rule...in other words, that "...the major
portion of which has been fabricated and assembled by persons who undertook the
construction project solely for their own education or recreation." (14CFR
21.191)

As has been discussed here in the past, gaining a Experimental/Amateur-Built
certificate for something that started as a production aircraft is not
impossible, but is very, very rare. You have to find an FAA inspector who is
willing to sign off on it.

Best bet is to contact your local FSDO and get an inspector to establish what he
or she will require to be done to allow the recertification. In one local case,
the FSDO told the interested party that he would be required to scratch-build a
new fuselage.

Ron Wanttaja