Sofema Online (SOL) www.sofemaonline.com considers the key aspects related to FAA Parts Manufacturing Authority and the acceptance within the EASA jurisdiction.

Did you know that FAA-PMA parts are approved by EASA? Under the European system, they are not merely accepted – they are approved under Technical Implementation Procedures Revision 7 - Section 3 – Design Approval Procedures

3.3.4 PMA Parts

EASA shall directly accept all FAA PMA approvals, without further showing, for modification and/ or replacement parts for installation on products certified or validated by EASA in the following cases:

SofemaOnline considers the acceptance of Parts Manufacture Authority (PMA) parts within the European System.

An FAA PMA is the normal approval mechanism for any company that wants to produce and sell aircraft parts, however, is not in possession of a production certificate for a complete aircraft, engine or propeller. In accordance with EASA Decision No. 2007/003/C PMA parts are approved following the issue of the FAA PMA (without the requirement for a separate application).

The European Union (EU) regulations require that EASA issue certificates for the design of parts and of their installation into products subject to those EU regulations. This created a problem because when EASA was formed, several significant EU member states had long-standing agreements to accept FAA-PMA parts from the United States. This made sense for supporting European air carriers who were already using such parts.

Steve Bentley MD of Sofema Aviation Services www.sassofia.com – explains

A type certificate holder (TCH) can produce parts for its airplanes through the process of the manufacturers authorisation FAR Part 21 / EASA Part 21 Subpart G has the authorization to manufacture those parts on the basis of its type certificate, and production certificate.

However organisation who are authorised as PMA-holding manufacturers are permitted to make replacement parts for aircraft, even though they are not the original manufacturer of the aircraft. An applicant for a PMA applies for approval from the FAA.

An STC is a certificate. It 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.

Understanding PMA Parts

For over five decades, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has granted Parts Manufacturer Approval (PMA) to third-party organizations, allowing them to produce replacement parts for aircraft. These parts are usually manufactured without the direct permission of the Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM).