Phil, Lots of folks aren't going to agree with this statement, but you do NOT have to convince the FAA that you built 51% of the plane. The plane has to be 51% amateur built to qualify as an Amateur Built Experimental Aircraft. Doesn't matter whether it was you or someone else that built it as long as it was 51% amateur built.
Quoted directly from the FAA Web site: "You may obtain a repairman certificate for your own amateur-built aircraft if you built the major portion of the aircraft." Note the lack of any specific percentage of construction. Most people tend to interpret the "Major Portion" statement by painting it with the same broad brush as the 51% Amateur Built Airworthiness Rule. They are not the same. Getting the Airworthiness Inspection and getting the Repairman Certificate are two related, but completely separate events, although the FSDO may want a statement or recommendation from the DAR since he is the one that just spent a couple of hours with you and the plane. You have to convince the FAA that you participated in the majority of the tasks of building the plane. So, the question is how do you do that? First off, you need to have some photos of you working on the unfinished plane. Anymore, without photographic evidence of you working on an unfinished aircraft, you are not likely to receive the Repairman Certificate. Additionally, you need to convince the DAR that you were involved in enough of the construction that you know the plane well enough to do the inspections and maintenance on the aircraft. The local FSDO will likely want a letter from the DAR stating that it is his opinion that the your were involved in the majority of the work. Another clear distinction is that the local FSDO, not the DAR, is the agency that will make the recommendation to the FAA in Oklahoma City that they issue you a Repairman Certificate. It's really all about you convincing the DAR and FSDO that you are knowledgeable enough to inspect and maintain the aircraft so it can be operated safely. That's the way the "three weeks to taxi" outfits work. You drill, deburr, and fit a hole on a panel, then a team does the rest of the panel while you move on to the next task. You drive a rivet on that panel, then a team of people drive the rest while you once again move on towards the next task. However, you are involved in the majority of the tasks necessary to build that plane. 3 weeks of 14 hour days later, you have an aircraft that is ready or close to ready for taxi that you can take home and finish. You will also get the Repaiman Certificate since you were involved in the majority of the tasks. Another method that is used when you want an aircraft built for you is a partnership. You form a partnership with a build shop. They build the plane. Anyone in the partnership can be designated as the one to recieve the repairman's certificate. As long as you were involved enough to demonstrate significant knowledge, the FAA will grant you the reapirman's certificate. I personally know where this was done with an acquaintance that had a Lancair IV-P built. However, this is the type of operation that has caused much closer scrutiny of the Amateur Built rules and is causing all of us to show move proof of our work. I have personally bought and finished 3 Amateur Built project planes, the last one being my SuperCub clone completed in June. I was issued the Repairman Certificate for the first two. I could have had the third as well, but since I now have my A&P license, I didn't see the point in jumping through the hoops for the FAA. Having been through this a few times, I can tell you that when you apply for the Repairman Certificate, it is completely up to whoever you get at FSDO as to how it will be handled. The first was a snap. I called the local FSDO and talked to an agent, filled out the papers, mailed it to the agent at FSDO, then the certificate showed up in the mail. The next time, I happened to get one of those bad apples that makes the FAA famous. He was going to make me play his game. I filled out the application exactly the same, which he rejected out of hand. I was forced to provide information completely unrelated to aircraft or aviation to satisfy this charactor before he would forward a recommendation to OK City to issue the Repairman Certificate. So, now we have this nebulous question about "What constitutes the "Majority" of the build tasks?" The FAA has a checklist you can go through to determine whether the plane is 51% amateur built. (It is in AC 20-27G, Appendix 8, form 8000-38.) You could run through this form to see how close you may or may not be. The answer may surprise you. However, the "Majority" of tasks is really a bit more nebulous and FSDO has the latitude to interpret it as they see fit. It really comes down to you convincing the DAR and the FSDO representative you talk to on the phone that you built some of the plane, and that you know it well enough to maintain it properly. Jeff Scott Los Alamos, NM A&P builder of N1213W KR-2S N1317C Avid Flyer N143W Wag Aero SuperCub ----- Original Message ----- From: phill.h...@gmail.com Sent: 02/16/12 10:35 AM To: KRnet Subject: Re: RE: KR> Repairman cert. Yeah, that's the way I read it but I wasn't sure if it was just me or not :) You know what they say, the right way, the wrong way and the FAA way. I was more concerned with buying an unfinished hand built project than one containing a bunch of premade components or prefab parts, since I'm looking for one to take over myself. Just trying to find some answers to some of my questions ahead of time. I gotta wrap my head around the process etc in order to be comfortable with the idea.
