Can anyone of you aviation nerds out there explain what an “STC” is, in a paragraph or so? I know it is a “supplemental type certification”, some kind of permission by the FAA to make certain modifications on your aircraft, right? But I tried to sum it up correctly in a couple of senctences for our un-initiated readers and failed miserably. Usually Mike writes about this kind of technical stuff here, but he’s gone flying somewhere and I chose this strip last minute. So, geeks to the rescue!
FAA regulation in one paragraph ? Chuck is that you ?
Everything on a certificated (non-Experimental/Homebuilt) airplane is FAA Approved for that specific use/aircraft and must be purchased from an FAA Approved vendor. If some bright spark comes up with a better widget, they go through a testing and approval process to acquire an STC which covers the design and instructions for installation and use. You can freely put a non approved part on any plane, but then you have to mark it “experimental”, register it as such with the FAA registry, and can no longer charge for the use of the plane.
First I found about STC on Wiki was – Stability and Traction Control. It suits this strip good too, dont you think?
You summed it up pretty good. It’s approved FAA modifications that has gone through testing and proper channels, if you do an unapproved modification you have to apply for “Experimental” which is a whole different can of worms.
I worked with a guy who, if he has read this strip, will claim he owns a plane with this mod.
He once claimed to own a Stearman with Hawker engines … Back when Discovery had the Wings Channel he saw the airshow Waco with a turbine strapped to the belly.
He only lied when his mouth was open and words were coming out.
People ran off on him like our poor Chuck too.
But what if we took a turboprop from an old MU2 and strapped on the front of a 172 … worlds loudest Cessna! Strap floats on … et viola! instant mini Super Beaver (~_^)
The late Jimmy Franklin and his Jet Powered Waco
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8dO3nbWcERw
Sst wins the comment of the week, methinks!!
An aircraft is made a certan way, and all of them are alike enough that the FAA can say any plane meets the standard of the flight test planes. If you change sometihng (in this case the engine, but it could be winglets, new lights or a permanent iPad mount) you have to prove that the plane still flies safely. the STC is proof of that.
As far as I know, its hard to get an STC as an individual- I think manufactures usually do the testing. Then again, it would give chuck plenty of time to fly it, and he could call himself a test pilot…
From the FAA’s own website. An unusually straight forward paragraph from the FAA.
“A supplemental type certificate (STC) is a type certificate (TC) issued when an applicant has received FAA approval to modify an aircraft from its original design. The STC, which incorporates by reference the related TC, approves not only the modification but also how that modification affects the original design.”
Turbine? No way. Radial engine though…