The role of the FAA and a brief introduction to Aircraft, Pilot, and Mechanic certification

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This section will briefly describe the role of the FAA, the regulations they control and how the FAA completes certification of aircraft, pilots, and mechanics under their respective regulations.

The role of the FAA

The mission of the FAA is simple. That mission is to provide the safest, most efficient aerospace system in the world. FAA stands for Federal Aviation Administration. The FAA is probably most known for granting pilot certificates for pilots and airworthiness certificates for new aircraft.

The FAA states several major roles under the broad umbrella of safety and efficiency as:

• Regulating civil aviation to promote safety
• Encouraging and developing civil aeronautics, including new aviation technology
• Developing and operating a system of air traffic control and navigation for both civil and military aircraft
• Researching and developing the National Airspace System and civil aeronautics
• Developing and carrying out programs to control aircraft noise and other environmental effects of civil aviation
• Regulating U.S. commercial space transportation

The history of the FAA is an interesting story, but I am not going to repeat it here. If you would like to read about how the FAA became what it is today, go to: http://www.faa.gov/about/history/brief_history/

Aviation Safety

As you can see from the brief introduction above, aviation safety is one of the FAA’s major roles. They promote aviation safety by developing regulations which help train the best pilots in the world and developing regulations which certify the best aircraft in the world. They also do a lot of work to make the National Airspace System (NAS) as efficient and safe as possible. They also develop regulations to certificate the world’s best aircraft maintenance technicians. Everyone plays a small role in promoting aviation safety; especially pilots, mechanics, engineers, and other airport personnel.

To sum what was described above, the following quote comes directly from the FAA website.

“We issue and enforce regulations and minimum standards covering manufacturing, operating, and maintaining aircraft. We certify airmen and airports that serve air carriers.” http://www.faa.gov/about/safety_efficiency/

Aircraft Certification

This following discussion will not address experimental aircraft, or aircraft other than airplane and rotorcraft. There are four basic sets of regulations the FAA uses to certify aircraft. The regulations are essentially different to set different requirements to enhance safety for larger transport planes. The transport category regulations have more safety features built in. Such features might be about what happens when an engine quits on a multi-engine aircraft. For example, transport category multi-engine aircraft must be able to demonstrate continued take-off and climb ability if an engine quits during certain critical phase of flight. Normal category aircraft that are multi-engine may have very poor climb ability when an engine quits. Transport category aircraft need a certain level of redundancy in the aircraft systems that might not exist in normal category aircraft. The different parts also describe damage tolerances such as flaws built into the raw materials or from general wear which may affect fatigue lives of various parts or other requirements for airframe damage that may be due to bird strike.

They are 14 C.F.R. Part 23, Part 25, Part 27, or Part 29.

• 14 C.F.R Part 23 – Airworthiness Standards: Normal, Utility, Acrobatic, and Commuter Category Airplanes
• 14 C.F.R Part 25 – Airworthiness Standards: Transport Category Airplanes
• 14 C.F.R Part 27 – Airworthiness Standards: Normal Category Rotorcraft
• 14 C.F.R Part 29 – Airworthiness Standards: Transport Category Rotorcraft

Aircraft certified under these parts are put through a very rigorous test flight program which pushes the aircraft to the limit. This includes flying at all approved speeds up to Never Exceed Speed, to minimum and maximum approved load factors, and all regions of the weight and CG envelope. The aircraft also flies a series of maneuvers meant to test various handling characteristics and stability aspects of flight. At the end of this, the structure is well tested and proven to withstand the approved flight loads and results in an aircraft with acceptable handling qualities.

Pilot Certification

Pilot certification is done under 14 C.F.R. Part 61 and Part 141. There is also Part 142, but we will not be covering that section. The main difference between the training Part 61 and part 141 is the way the training is structured and the minimum hours required for a certificate. These parts were briefly covered under the “Introduction” page (http://www.aviation.starryfox.com/privatepilot/introduction.html) in the “The path to getting a pilot certificate” section. Pilots are expected to complete so much solo flight time, a certain amount of flight time with an instructor, and complete written exams, oral exams, and practical exams.

A person who wants to become an airline pilot will most likely get their Private Pilot Certificate, then get their Instrument Rating - Airplane rating, then get a Commercial Pilot Certificate, then get a Multi-Engine Land Rating, then get Certificated Flight Instructor, then get Certificated Flight Instructor – Instrument, then get Multi-Engine Flight Instructor. Having multi-engine cross country time looks very good to an airline. Flight Schools like Airline Training Program (ATP) offer all of those ratings, with 270 hours total time when completed. Most often, a pilot needs to become an instructor, fly skydivers, fly banners, or tow gliders to gain enough flight time to be hired by the airlines. I believe becoming an instructor is the most common route for time building.

There are also many great colleges out there that offer professional pilot degrees. Colleges like University of North Dakota and Embry Riddle University are a couple.

Mechanic Certification

Airplane Mechanics are typically called A&P Mechanics (Airframe and Power Plant). They are also becoming known as an Aviation Maintenance Technician. There are generally two routes people can take to become an A&P Mechanic. There is an on-the-job route, where you are required to gain so much time performing duties of an A&P mechanic, which is covered under 14 C.F.R 65. There is also the formal education route where you go to an FAA approved school, which is covered under 14 C.F.R 147. Mechanics are also required to complete a written exam, oral exam, and practical exam for each rating sought; just like pilots. A mechanic certificate will have a General Rating, and either an Airframe rating or Powerplant rating. A mechanic must have the general rating along with one of the other ratings. A mechanic can have either Airframe or Powerplant ratings, or they may have both which is most often the case.

Mechanics can work as a freelance mechanic, work for an airline or FBO, or work for a Part145 Repair Station. People may work as a mechanic without an A&P Mechanic Certificate at several places as long as the place has a certificate the mechanic can work under. A Part 145 Repair Station is a great example.

Mechanics with an Airframe and Power Plant Mechanic certificate may perform minor and major repairs and alterations on the Airframe or Powerplant, and complete various inspections. One important thing to mention is that, a regular A&P Mechanic can only return to service minor repairs and minor alterations and complete 100 hour inspections. An A&P Mechanic with Inspection Authorization is required to return to service a major repair or major alternation, and to complete annual inspections of aircraft. An A&P Mechanic, however, can only perform minor repairs and minor alterations on a propeller. Any major repairs or major alterations of a propeller must be done by an FAA approved Part 145 propeller shop.

Summary

To summarize all of what was listed above, the FAA promotes safety by regulating all aviation in the USA while also helping to produce the most advanced aircraft and equipment in the world. They certificate pilots, aircraft, mechanics, airports, the works. Thanks to the FAA, the U.S. is one of the safest places in the world to fly.