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Frequently Asked Questions
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Supplemental Type Certificate (STC)
Supplemental Type Certificates (STC) are FAA approvals for type design change to an aircraft. Essentially, STCs modify the aircraft Type Certificate (TC) to certify a modification to the aircraft in the aftermarket.
There are two primary paths to achieve certification via FAA STC: work directly with the FAA and your local Aircraft Certification Office (ACO); or, work with an ODA holding STC approval authorization.
Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Organization Designation Authorization (ODA) – FAA ODAs hold the authority to act on behalf of the FAA in some regards.
Yes – there are many ODA types, of those, the two primary ODAs are those that hold Type Certificate (TC) approval authority, and those, like Delta, that hold Supplemental Type Certificate (STC) approval authority, among other attributes.
Delta is an FAA ODA offering STC, PC, PMA, Minor Change and deviation support.
ODAs offer in-house capabilities which can significantly enhance project effeciency and reduce timeline and costs in the long run.
An ODA utilizes individuals that support conformity and compliance called Unit Members (UM), these UMs are similar to FAA DER/DARs.
Delta, as an FAA ODA, has been granted No Project Notification Letter (No-PNL) approval authority due to the trust placed in us by the FAA. This means that Delta can complete specific project types with no FAA involvement.
Due to the trust the FAA has placed in us, when we complete No-PNL projects without FAA involvement, a record of the project must be kept. The FAA completes routine supervision audits to ensure correct function by our organization.
Once the project installation, conformities, testing and compliance findings are complete, we budget 48 hours to complete the FAA STC.
Project schedules are highly driven by aviation engineering, manufacturing, installation and aircraft availability. Contact us to determine if we can meet your anticipated timeline.
Typically, the project starts with aviation design including installation and part drawings, and then aviation engineering to substantiate installation and find compliance with FAA regulations. Finally, installation, testing and conformities are completed at aircraft before STC is issued.
Delta has custom-developed in-house tools to support our customer’s certification projects based on their needs.
Yes – Delta can be considered a one-stop-shop, offering full package solutions from aviation design, engineering and certification to manufacturing and prepositioning.
The installation kit must be approved prior to installation, this may be achieved by Production Certificate (PC) or Parts Manufacturing Approval (PMA).
A Production Certificate (PC) granted to a manufacturing organization by the FAA allows the organization to produce parts or installation kits tied to an STC.
A Parts Manufacturing Approval (PMA) granted to a manufacturing organization by the FAA allows the organization to produce modification or replacement parts or installation kits per approved drawings.
A PMA part is a production part that is manufactured to a specific drawing and revision, whereas a Production Certificate (PC) allows the manufacturer to produce the part to the drawing and revision per the FAA STC associated with the part.
To install a new article in an aircraft, it must be approved, for example via an STC, it must have the proper qualification (i.e. DO-160, TSO, etc) and it must be manufactured via an approved methodology (i.e. PC, PMA).
Delta will typically place an inspection Unit Member (UM) at the aircraft, and handle article and installation conformities at the hangar.
Qualification is the substantiation that new aircraft equipment will not fail in a manner which may cause adverse effects to the aircraft or aircraft systems. Qualification can be completed via analysis, comparison or testing such as DO-160.
As an ODA, if we hold an STC that you own, we can update it with amendments, minor changes, deviations and foreign CAA validations.
You, as the STC owner, have the right to license use of the STC to others, often for a fee. This license is aptly nicknamed a Right-to-use license or RTU for short.
Foreign Civil Aviation Authorities (CAAs) typically organize agreements with the FAA called bi-lateral agreements, depending on the terms of these agreements, FAA STCs can be validated for CAAs around the world after completion.
We have validated FAA STCs in just about every country, for nearly all types of projects.
Yes, we have a range of FAA STCs that we own or hold for which can provide RTU and/or installation kits. See our Finished Products page for more information.
Our ODA can complete FAA STCs for nearly all Boeing, Airbus, Embraer, ATR, Bombardier, Gulfstream and McDonnell Douglass models, as well as some Hawker, Learjet, Piper, Cessna & Dassault aircraft. Please contact us if you model is not here to determine how we can still help.
Delta will work with the FAA early in the project to handle anything requiring AMOC, Special Conditions or G issue papers.