Today's Message Index:
----------------------
1. 12:06 AM - FAA Builder Assist Crackdown? AC20-27G, Order8130-2F,Chg4 (DragginWetTail)
Message 1
INDEX | Back to Main INDEX |
NEXT | Skip to NEXT Message |
LIST | Reply to LIST Regarding this Message |
SENDER | Reply to SENDER Regarding this Message |
|
Subject: | FAA Builder Assist Crackdown? AC20-27G, Order8130-2F,Chg4 |
Sounds like the outspoken but informative guy pequeajim and other thin skins dumped
on as a "troll" was right and must have been living under an OK City bridge
part of the time this summer.
I just got an EAA e-Bulletin that tried to put a happy spin on kitbuilding surviving
this and last month's new rules, but my first look at this AC and policy
says it was a narrow escape and FAA clearly WAS fed up with builder assist excess.
My first impression is no employee of a builder assist center can touch any actual
part of the airplane being assembled, just demo how to assemble it. Like
the "troll" said, $3,500 a week sounds a little steep for part-time ground school.
On the new 2009 version of Form 8130-12, right after the big open space where
FAA wants any commercial assistance confessed, they place a bold print warning
from USC 18-1001 threatening 5 years bunking with Bernie Madoff for anyone who
falsifies, conceals or covers up by any trick, scheme, device, or false entry
details of using commercial assistance. 8 years if terrorism is involved so
what IS the wing station max bomb load of the Lightning?
Less dramatic but also alarming for those who did not heed the troll's warning,
a flow chart in the new AC says that if a nonapproved kit (means not on the existing
51% list which I guess Lightning was not) was purchased prior to October
1, 2009, it is grandfathered and can be completed under the "easier" old regs
UNLESS commercial assistance was used, in which case the new regs and penalties
will apply.
Nostradamus Troll was wrong about one thing he or she objected to (still 99% right
though). Apparently paint, upholstery, and avionics can still be provided/installed
by a manufacturer without risking revocation of the aircraft's amateur
experimental certificate and thus grounding it forever (sure ain't eligible
under traditional Part 23 manufactured aircraft regs). .
I have never built a kit (after owning hulled and float amphibs, looking for a
nice LSA taildragger now and loved the lines of Lightning which may grow a little
wheel back there someday or perhaps I could modify) and most you guys know
way more about this experimental and amateur stuff than I do. But the language
in these sections of this policy sounds a lot like the kind of stuff I have
read being added over the past thirty years clearly written to establish a violation
of federal law if you screw with it.
Were these requirements already in the regs to this degree?
Section 9 -
147
b. Statement of Eligibility.
The applicant must submit a NOTARIZED Form 8130-12, Eligibility
Statement, Amateur-Built Aircraft (refer to figure 4-14), certifying the major
portion was fabricated and
assembled for educational or recreational purposes.
(1) The form specifies that an amateur builder identify if commercial assistance
was used in the
construction of the aircraft and identify the source of the assistance.
(2) Evidence and records must be available to support these statements and provided
to the FAA upon request.
(3) Records that are typically requested are listed in paragraph 151e.
c. Additional Information and Demonstrating Level of Knowledge.
To determine level of
knowledge, the FAA may ask the applicant to provide information during the airworthiness
inspection.
For example, the FAA could ask the applicant to describe a particular construction
task or technique
used to fabricate the aircraft or provide information as to the type of materials.
These discussions enable
the FAA to evaluate the involvement of the applicant in the construction of the
aircraft.
148
b. Providing Commercial and/or Educational Assistance. Amateur builders may contract
for
commercial assistance, but should notify the FAA if they intend to use commercial
assistance.
Amateur builders may also receive commercial educational assistance in the fabrication
or assembly of
specific parts, and the completion of tasks or processes involved in the construction
of an aircraft. In
some cases, this commercial assistance may be provided by kit manufacturers. The
FAA may credit
commercial assistance provided for educational purposes toward the major portion
determination.
However, this educational assistance cannot exceed a demonstration on how to perform
the task.
(1) -
(2) -
(3) The FAA may request to observe fabrication and assembly activities at any
commercial
assistance facility to determine whether the project can meet the major portion
requirement of
21.191(g).
--------------------
This last part sounds a lot like unannounced and perhaps even incognito inspections
are coming.
Well, anyway, at least Arion has new guidance to professionally (unlike me) evaluate
now and either get cracking on the checklists and certs for that long-awaited
Lightning 51% kit approval or just focus on your S/ELSA which I will likely
buy into sometime in 2011.
Keep up the good work... but watch your P's and Q's.
--------
Flight IS Freedom
Read this topic online here:
http://forums.matronics.com/viewtopic.php?p=267189#267189
Other Matronics Email List Services
These Email List Services are sponsored solely by Matronics and through the generous Contributions of its members.
-- Please support this service by making your Contribution today! --
|