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Type certificate
A Type Certificate, is awarded by aviation regulating bodies
to aerospace manufacturers after it has been established that the particular design of a civil aircraft, engine, or propeller
has fulfilled the regulating bodies' current prevailing airworthiness requirements for the safe conduct of flights under all
normally conceivable conditions (military types are usually exempted). Aircraft produced under a type certified design are
issued a Standard Airworthiness Certificate.
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A Type Certificate (TC) is a design approval issued by the Civil
Aviation Authority (CAA) of a given country (such as the US FAA and EU EASA) when the applicant demonstrates that a product
complies with the applicable regulations. The TC normally includes the type design, the operating limitations, the Type Certificate
Data Sheet (TCDS), the applicable regulations, and other conditions or limitations prescribed by the CAA. The TC is the foundation
for other approvals, including production and airworthiness approvals. TC’s are normally issued for airframes, engines
and propellers.
Supplemental Type Certificate
A Supplemental Type Certificate (STC) is issued by the aviation
Authority approving a product (aircraft, engine, or propeller) modification. The STC defines the product design change, states
how the modification affects the existing type design, and lists serial number effectivity. It also identifies the certification
basis listing specific regulatory compliance for the design change. Information contained in the certification basis is helpful
for those applicants proposing subsequent product modifications and evaluating certification basis compatibility with other
STC modifications.
Prototype
Initially, the applicant
firm submits documents to their local aviation regulating body, detailing how the proposed design would fulfill the airworthiness
requirements. After investigations by the regulator, the final approval of such documents (after the required comments and
amendments in order to fulfill the laws), becomes the basis of the certification. The firm follows it and draws a proposed
timetable of actions required for certification tests. With the application, the regulations to be applied will usually be
frozen for this application for a given amount of time in order to avoid a situation where the applicant would have to change
the design as a result of changed regulation.
An initial design sample known as a prototype is built.
This refers to either the aircraft, the engines or the propeller, depending on the basis of the certification. For the purpose
of illustration, the discussion shall be limited to the aircraft. Normally a few prototypes are built, each subject to different
tests. The prototypes are first used for ground and system tests. One of the prototypes (known as the "static airframe") is
subject to destructive testing, i.e., the prototype is subject to stress beyond normal and abnormal operations until destruction.
The test-results are compared with initial submitted calculations to establish the ultimate structural strength.
Other prototypes will undergo other systems tests until the satisfaction
of the regulators. With all ground tests completed, prototypes are made ready for flight tests. The flight tests are flown
by specially approved flight test pilots who will fly the prototypes to establish the ultimate flight limits which should
be within the airworthiness rules. If a long range airliner is tested, the flight tests may cover the whole world.
In parallel with aircraft testing, the applicant firm also draws
up maintenance program to support continuous airworthiness after approval of the design. The program is drawn with inputs
from tests results and also from initial customers' engineering departments. The proposed maintenance program is submitted
to the regulators for comment and approval.
After successful completion of ground and flight tests, along with
an approved maintenance program, the prototype is approved,and the firm is granted the type certificate for the prototype
(as understood that it should include all furnished equipment for its intended role). The legal term for the firm is now the
"type certificate holder". Subsequently the prototype now serves as a template for aircraft production. Hence the aircraft
rolling out of the factory should be identical to the prototype, and each given a serial number (a "series aircraft").
Continuing airworthiness
As the aircraft enters into service, it
is subject to operational wear and tear which may cause performance degradations. The approved maintenance program serves
to maintain the aircraft airworthiness. Users have to comply in order to maintain their aircraft's airworthiness certificate.
The maintenance may be light or heavy (such as overhauls) as dictated by the schedules and tasks in the aircraft's maintenance
program.
Airworthiness
directives (ADs)
Sometimes during service the aircraft may encounter problems that
may compromise the aircraft's safety, which are not anticipated or detected in prototype testing stages. The aircraft design
is thus compromised. The regulators will now issue an airworthiness directive to the type certificate holder and to all owners
globally. The directives normally consists of additional maintenance or design actions that are necessary to restore the type's
airworthiness. Compliance is mandatory and thus if an operator does not comply with an AD, then the datum aircraft is not
considered airworthy. ADs may also be raised with changes of the local or global aviation rules and requirements, e.g. requirement
to fit armored cockpit doors for all airliners post 9-11.
The certifying authority issues an AD when an unsafe condition
is found to exist in a product (aircraft, aircraft engine, propeller, or appliance) of a particular type design. AD's are
used by the certifying authority to notify aircraft owners and operators of unsafe conditions and to require their correction.
ADs prescribe the conditions and limitations,including inspection, repair, or alteration under which the product may continue
to be operated.
Service bulletins (SBs)
With increasing in-service experience,
the type certificate holder may find ways to improve the original design resulting in either lower maintenance costs or increased
performance. These improvements (normally involving some alterations) are suggested through service bulletins to their customers
as optional (and may be extra cost) items. The customers may exercise their discretion whether or not to incorporate the bulletins.
Sometimes SBs can become mandated by relevant ADs.
Changes
to type certificate
Often the basic design is enhanced further by the type certificate
holder. Major changes beyond the authority of the service bulletins require amendments to the type certificate. For example,
increasing (or decreasing) an aircraft's flight performance, range and load carrying capacity by altering its systems, fuselage,
wings or engines resulting in a new variant may require re-certification. Again the basic process of type certifications is
repeated (including maintenance programs). However, unaltered items from the basic design need not be retested. Normally,
one or two of the original prototype fleet are remanufactured to the new proposed design. As long as the new design does not
deviate too much from the original, static airframes do not need to be built. The resultant new prototypes are again subjected
to flight tests.
Upon successful completion of the certification program, the original
type certificate is amended to include the new variant (normally denoted by a new model number additional to the original
type designation). Typical examples are; the Boeing 737NG (737-600, 737-700, 737-800 and 737-900) which replaced the 737 Classic
family (737-100, 737-200, 737-300, 737-400 and 737-500) and the Airbus A340-500 and the A340-600 which is based on the Airbus
A340-200 and the A340-300.
Supplementary/Supplemental
Type Certificate (STC) in detail
Any additions, omissions or alterations
to the aircraft's certified layout, built-in equipment, airframe and engines, initiated by any party other than the type certificate
holder, need an approved supplementary ("supplemental" in FAA terminology) type certificate, or STC. The scope of an STC can
be extremely narrow or broad. It could include minor modifications to passenger cabin items or installed instruments. More
substantial modifications may involve engine replacement, as in the Blackhawk modifications to Cessna Conquest and Beechcraft
King Air turboprops, or a complete role change for the aircraft, such as converting a B-17 or Stearman into an agricultural
aircraft. STCs are applied due to either the type certificate holder's refusal (frequently due to economics) or its inability
to meet some owners' requirements. STCs are frequently raised for out-of-production aircraft types conversions to fit new
roles. Before STCs are issued, procedures similar to type certificate changes for new variants are followed, likely including
thorough flight tests. STCs belong to the STC holder and are generally more restrictive than type certificate changes.
Validity
of type certificate
The type certificate
holder keeps the type certificate valid by continuously following airworthiness directives, issuing service bulletins and
as well as providing spares and technical support to keep the aircraft current with the prevailing rules, even after the production
of the type has stopped. This is what is meant by supporting the type and in this manner many out-of-production aircraft continue
useful lives. STCs are also bound by the same rules. When the holder decides to stop supporting the aircraft type, the type
certificate is returned to the regulators and the remaining aircraft fleet permanently grounded. In this manner the whole
Concorde fleet was finally grounded when Airbus SAS surrendered its type certificate.
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