Experimental Airworthiness Certificates

FAR 21.193 — Experimental Airworthiness Certificates

FAR 21.193 lists what an applicant must submit to obtain an experimental airworthiness certificate, including purpose, aircraft data, and kit-built LSA requirements.

In Plain English

FAR 21.193 spells out what you must submit to the FAA when applying for an experimental airworthiness certificate. This matters because experimental aircraft (homebuilts, R&D testbeds, kit-built LSAs, etc.) don't go through full type certification, so the FAA needs specific information up front to evaluate the aircraft and protect the public.

Every applicant must provide:

A statement describing the purpose the aircraft will be used for, in the form the FAA prescribes.
Enough data (such as photographs) to identify the aircraft.
Any additional information the FAA finds necessary after inspecting the aircraft to safeguard the public.

If the aircraft will be used for experimental purposes, you must also submit the purpose of the experiment, the estimated time or number of flights needed, the areas where it will be flown, and three-view drawings or dimensioned photos (unless it's a converted type-certificated aircraft with no appreciable external change).

For a light-sport aircraft assembled from a kit under § 21.191(k), additional items are required: proof the manufacturer built and certificated the same make/model, operating instructions, maintenance and inspection procedures, the manufacturer's statement of compliance, a flight training supplement, and—if the kit was made abroad—evidence the country has a Bilateral Airworthiness Agreement with the U.S.

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Regulation Text

14 CFR § 21.193

§ 21.193 Application for special airworthiness certificates issued for experimental purposes. An applicant for an experimental airworthiness certificate must submit the following information in a form and manner prescribed by the FAA: (a) The experimental purpose for which the aircraft is to be used. (b) Enough information to describe the operation, equipment, or test as applicable. (c) The estimated time or number of flights required for the operation, for an applicant seeking issuance of an experimental airworthiness certificate for those experimental purposes specified in § 21.191(a) through (f). (d) The areas over which flights will be conducted. (e) Enough data to identify the aircraft. (f) Except for a previously type certificated aircraft without an appreciable change in its external configuration, three-view drawings or three-view dimensional photographs of the aircraft. (g) Upon inspection of the aircraft, any pertinent information found necessary by the FAA to safeguard the general public. (h) In the case of a light-sport category aircraft assembled from a kit to be certificated in accordance with § 21.191(k), an applicant must provide the following: (1) Evidence that an aircraft of the same make and model was manufactured and assembled by the aircraft kit manufacturer and issued a special airworthiness certificate in the light-sport category under § 21.190. (2) The pilot's operating handbook that includes a flight training supplement. (3) The aircraft's maintenance and inspection procedures. (4) The manufacturer's statement of compliance for the aircraft kit used in the aircraft assembly that meets the applicable requirements of § 21.190 in effect at the time the aircraft kit was manufactured, except the statement need not indicate compliance with § 22.195 of this chapter. The statement must identify assembly instructions for the aircraft that meet an applicable consensus standard. (5) For an aircraft kit manufactured outside the United States, evidence that the aircraft kit was manufactured in a country with which the United States has a Bilateral Airworthiness Agreement concerning airplanes or a Bilateral Aviation Safety Agreement with associated Implementation Procedures for Airworthiness concerning airplanes, or an equivalent airworthiness agreement. [Amdt. No. 21-109, 90 FR 35207, July 24, 2025]

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Oral Exam Questions a DPE Might Ask

Q1What information must an applicant submit to obtain an experimental airworthiness certificate?

Per FAR 21.193, the applicant must submit a statement of the intended purpose, enough data (such as photographs) to identify the aircraft, and any additional information the FAA finds necessary upon inspection to safeguard the public.

Q2If the aircraft will be used for experimental purposes, what extra details are required?

FAR 21.193(d) requires the purpose of the experiment, the estimated time or number of flights, the areas where it will be conducted, and three-view drawings or dimensioned photographs—unless the aircraft was converted from a previously certificated type without appreciable external change.

Q3What additional documentation is needed for a light-sport aircraft assembled from a kit?

Under FAR 21.193(e), you must provide evidence that the manufacturer built and certificated the same make/model, the aircraft's operating instructions, maintenance and inspection procedures, the manufacturer's statement of compliance, a flight training supplement, and—if the kit was made abroad—evidence of an applicable bilateral airworthiness agreement.

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§21.15 Type Certificate Application

FAA application form, aircraft drawings, and engine data

§21.17 Certification Basis

Applicable airworthiness, noise, and emission rules

§21.20 Compliance Showing

How applicants show compliance to the FAA

§21.31 Type Design

Drawings, specifications, dimensions, and limitations

§21.41 Type Certificate