FAR 21.132 — Production Certificate Eligibility
FAR 21.132 sets eligibility for a production certificate: applicants must hold a type certificate, STC, or licensing rights to one. Plain-English guide for pilots.
FAR 21.132 spells out who is allowed to apply to the FAA for a production certificate — the approval that lets a manufacturer mass-produce an aircraft, engine, or propeller against an approved design.
To be eligible, the applicant must hold one of the following for the product they want to produce:
- A current Type Certificate (TC) for the product,
- A Supplemental Type Certificate (STC) covering the product, or
- Rights to the benefits of a TC or STC under a licensing agreement with the certificate holder.
In other words, you can't just decide to start building airplanes — you must either own the approved design data yourself or have a legal license from the company that does. This protects the integrity of the type design and ensures every unit coming off the line conforms to a configuration the FAA has already evaluated and approved.
While pilots don't apply for production certificates, understanding this rule helps explain why airworthiness, conformity, and the chain from design approval → production approval → airworthiness certificate all tie together.