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In AC 65-23A it states:
a. Complete an application for a repairman certificate (experimental aircraft builder) at the time of original certification of the aircraft along with FAA Form 8130-12 attesting to building more than 50 percent of the aircraft, which must be notarized.
So what exactly does that mean? How do you divide the aircraft up? Does the engine count? Avionics?
I'm at Convention with an old iPad and poor internet so I'm not gonna look it up, but I believe 8130-12 is the form all builders sign (separately from the application for repairman) that just says 51% was done by amateurs. An EAB can be built by several people, none of which has to have done 50%. Only one repairman per aircraft though.
Everything you did counts. It's relatively simple. The DAR isn't typically going to accept an application for the repairman's certificate. However, if you plan to get the repairman certificate, you should be prepared to demonstrate to the DAR that you did the majority of the tasks associated with building the plane. Recently, the only proof they have been asking for is a picture of you with the plane at some point in time while the plane was not completed. He want's to be able to identify you working on the plane. When you apply to the FAA for the Repairman Certificate, the local FSDO will ask the DAR that did the inspection if he thinks you did the work and if you know the aircraft well enough to act as the repairman.
If you are looking for a breakdown of the tasks, Form 8000-38 has a nice list that is used to determine 51% eligibility for purposes of registering an aircraft as E-AB. You can go through the same list and try to determine if you meet 51% of the construction tasks, although the reality is that it will be the DARs judgement. So if he is convinced that you completed the build and know the plane well enough to maintain it, you shouldn't have any problem with getting the repairman certificate.
Since I had an FAA guy do the inspection, I submitted for the repairman's certificate at the same time.
He didn't even crack the builder's log, saying that he can tell in about a second whether or not the guy presenting the plane built it - just by the way he looks at it and talks about it.
Determining the major portion (aka "51%") of the aircraft is pretty straightforward most of the time. The FAA uses the guidance found in FAA Order 8130.2 for certification of amateur-built aircraft. Along with the order, the FAA uses the Amateur-Built Fabrication and Assembly Checklist in order to determine major portion. There are separate lists for airplanes, gyroplanes, helicopters, etc. The FAA has a "job aid" for the checklist at this link:Quote:
Originally Posted by Exocetid
https://www.faa.gov/aircraft/gen_av/...st_Job_Aid.pdf
Now, the repairman certificate is a separate issue. There can be cases where the aircraft itself qualifies for an amateur-built certificate, but the person presenting the aircraft for final inspection may not be the "primary builder" even though their name is listed as the "builder" on the airworthiness paperwork. Cases where the project has changed hands many times and several people were involved may leave the final "builder" with not enough personal involvement to be considered the "primary" builder. This is where the FAA's job gets a little harder, and where the build records/logs may come into play. If the applicant for the repairman certificate shows enough knowledge of the entire aircraft's construction, systems, etc so that the FAA feels confident that that person can properly inspect the aircraft, that person will get the repairman certificate. But if it's obvious that the applicant didn't do a lot of the actual construction, and just finished up what other previous builders had started, then a repairman certificate may not be issued.
At least, that's how it's supposed to work according to the FAA's guidance. What actually happens in the field may or may not closely follow that model. In other words, your mileage may vary! But if the FAA does its job, the inspector will be asking the applicant some questions about the construction of the project and will expect the applicant to have good, solid knowledge, backed up by info in the build records. Be prepared.