amateur rebuild

[Racher]

I have gone the scratch build route so I am short on the rules about rebuilding. I am wanting to know if I could take an old Aeronca that has no logs. Rebuild it myself and get it re-certified as airworthy. I don't have an A&P. Would the FAA make me wish I had just built a plane from the ground up? Or is this something that can be done with out too much stress, money and time.
Thanks!

[martymayes]

I have gone the scratch build route so I am short on the rules about rebuilding. I am wanting to know if I could take an old Aeronca that has no logs. Rebuild it myself and get it re-certified as airworthy. I don't have an A&P. Would the FAA make me wish I had just built a plane from the ground up? Or is this something that can be done with out too much stress, money and time.
Thanks!

Yes, you can restore a plane as long you are supervised by an A&P. If you were in my neighborhood, I'd be glad to be the supervising A&P. Hopefully you can find someone to help you out. Good luck!

[aandpmechanic]

There is no problem rebuilding such an airplane as long as it is done correctly. You need to get an A&P Mechanic, preferrably with an A.I. endorsement, to supervise you - I do this often. Also, buy a copy of A.C.43.13-1B and the maintenance / parts manuals for your model Aeronca and follow them. You didn't say which Aeronce you have, but the old Defender has an Army Structural Repair Manual that can be obtained from one of those businesses that sell out of print technical manuals. Also, a copy of the Type Certificate Data Sheet which you can get on-line at FAA.Org will tell what equipment can be installed on the plane without an STC.

[Ramp Rat]

Do you have the Airworthiness Certificate with a matching data plate for the airframe? Some sort of registration would be nice. The Fed’s have this thing about who the current owner might be. Also, if this aircraft /serial number / N-number was due for the new “re-registration”, which is now required, you could have nothing but a bunch of parts.

If the registration is allowed to expire the airworthiness certificate goes by the way side as well. The N-number is placed in a canceled state and it is not something you can just pay up back taxes on to renew it.

The days of “finding a 60 year old aircraft that has been stored in someone’s barn for 50 years will soon be a thing of the past. Most owners of stored aircraft are not aware of the recent changes.

Aside from all of the above, if you have a current registration and the airworthiness certificate you might be able to pull it off. You will have to prove to the FAA that your airframe is in compliance with original factory specifications. All AD’s have been complied with and it is airworthy. It’s a lot of paperwork but it might be doable.
JMHO, Steve

[Kyle Boatright]

Do you have the Airworthiness Certificate with a matching data plate for the airframe? Some sort of registration would be nice. The Fed’s have this thing about who the current owner might be. Also, if this aircraft /serial number / N-number was due for the new “re-registration”, which is now required, you could have nothing but a bunch of parts.

If the registration is allowed to expire the airworthiness certificate goes by the way side as well. The N-number is placed in a canceled state and it is not something you can just pay up back taxes on to renew it.

The days of “finding a 60 year old aircraft that has been stored in someone’s barn for 50 years will soon be a thing of the past. Most owners of stored aircraft are not aware of the recent changes.

Aside from all of the above, if you have a current registration and the airworthiness certificate you might be able to pull it off. You will have to prove to the FAA that your airframe is in compliance with original factory specifications. All AD’s have been complied with and it is airworthy. It’s a lot of paperwork but it might be doable.
JMHO, Steve


There is an FAA paper on rebuilding aircraft from spares (AC 21-13). My IA and the DAR I've worked with will both tell you that as long as you can confirm that long as the finished aircraft conforms to the type certificate, you can get new registration issued and create a new dataplate. Someone will quickly drop in on this thread and say "you can't do that", but the DAR and IA I use have done it, with full FAA approval.

Here is a link to the AC:

http://rgl.faa.gov/Regulatory_and_Guidance_Library/rgAdvisoryCircular.nsf/0/2af8ad5a27b40642862569c3007469b6/$FILE/AC21-13.pdf