Design & Production
Aviation authorities issue design approvals (type certificates and supplemental type certificates or amended type certificates) and production approvals (production certificates or production under type certificate only) for aircraft, aircraft engines, and propellers; as well as parts manufacturer approvals and technical standard order authorizations for articles. The objective is for the applicant to establish that the design of an aircraft, engine, propeller, appliance, material, process, or part meets the applicable airworthiness standards, and can be consistently produced to an approved design.
Portions of 14 CFR that cover design and production as well as the issuance of certificates of airworthiness, include part 21 (certification procedures), part 23 (normal, utility, acrobatic & commuter airplanes), part 25 (transport airplanes), part 26 (continued airworthiness & safety improvements for transport category airplanes), part 27 (normal rotorcraft), part 29 (transport rotorcraft), part 33 (engines), part 34 (fuel venting & exhaust emissions), part 35 (propellers) and part 36 (noise).
Design approvals for aircraft, aircraft engines and propellers include TC, STC or amended TC; production approvals for aircraft, aircraft engines and propellers include PC and production under type certificate only.
Design and production approvals for parts and articles include PMA for the design, manufacturing and installation of modification and replacement parts (e.g., engine controls, environmental control systems, and parts sold as spares) and TSOA for the design and manufacturing of articles for which the FAA has established a minimum performance standard (e.g., APU’s, wheels, brakes, and avionics).
Other issues frequently addressed by ARSA under the “Design and Production” umbrella include part-marking, design and production approval quality system requirements and individual and organization designations (Designated Engineering Representative (DER), Designated Airworthiness Representative (DAR), Designated Manufacturing Inspection Representative (DMIR) and Organization Designation Authorization (ODA)). Separate issue pages are available for–
- Instructions for Continued Airworthiness (ICA)
- Critical Design Configuration Control Limitations (CDCCL)
The latest ARSA news regarding design & production is below; click here for archived items.
Supply Chain Throttling Aerospace Maintenance Expansion
March 23, 2026 | Categories:
Advocacy, ARSA News & Updates, ARSA Works, Aviation Policy, FAA, Legislative, Press Releases, Regulatory
On March 18, ARSA released its 2026 Global Fleet and MRO Market Report prepared by Oliver Wyman Vector. Presentation of the report’s findings was a key part of the association’s annual…Read More
2026 Annual Conference – Thank you
March 17-20, 2026 2026 Event Information Arlington, Virginia and Washington, D.C. with Livestream Options for Online Participants ARSA is grateful for an incredibly successful 2026 Annual Conference. Where you there? …Read MoreARSA Remembers – Mark Swearingin
Mark Swearingin, long-time industry veteran and friend of the association who participated in and spoke at multiple ARSA events died on Feb. 20. Mark’s wife, Liz, alerted colleagues and friends…Read MorePreventing Baseless Electronic Recordkeeping Requirements
February 26, 2026 | Categories:
ARSA News & Updates, Design & Production, EASA, FAA, Maintenance, Press Releases, Regulatory
On Feb. 26, ARSA and the Aircraft Electronics Association (AEA) jointly commented on the FAA’s Draft Advisory Circular (AC) 120-78B, “Electronic Signatures, Electronic Recordkeeping, and Electronic Manuals.” The associations acknowledged…Read More
