TABLE OF CONTENTS The operational life of an aircraft begins with the issue of a certificate of airworthiness or equivalent document, as has been shown in this chapter.
We have described that such a certificate can be issued either because the aircraft has been found to comply with a type certificate or, having not met (or have not been shown to meet) applicable certification specifications, it has been found to be capable of safe flight under defined conditions.
Because the same aircraft can be used in different kinds of operations, besides the basic certification requirements the aircraft also has to satisfy the requirements issued by the authority for each particular kind of operation.
For example, a single-engine FAR 23 airplane can be operated for personal use or for compensation or hire (aerotaxi, aerial working, etc.), but also according to different flight rules (VFR, IFR, etc.). Depending on the particular type of operation allowed, additional airworthiness requirements, which influence the airplane's configuration, shall be complied with (equipment, instruments, etc.).
To better illustrate the above remarks, Figure 8.1 presents a summary of the certification of an aircraft from design to operation.
Starting from the airworthiness and environmental standards (1), through the type certification process (2), a type certificate is issued (3). In order to obtain a certificate of airworthiness (6), it is necessary to take into consideration the additional requirements for operation (4) and...
