FAR 21.219 — Provisional Certificate Transferability

FAR 21.219 sets the rules for whether a provisional airworthiness certificate can be handed off to another operator. The regulation splits the answer based on the class of certificate:

• Class I provisional airworthiness certificates are not transferable. They stay with the original holder, period.
• Class II provisional airworthiness certificates may be transferred, but only to an air carrier that is itself eligible to apply for a Class II provisional certificate under § 21.213(b).

Why this matters operationally: provisional certificates exist to let manufacturers and air carriers operate aircraft of new or modified type designs before full type certification is complete. Limiting transferability ensures that only properly qualified operators — those who already meet the FAA's eligibility standards — can take over a Class II provisional aircraft. For a student pilot, this is mostly a knowledge item about how the airworthiness system controls who may operate aircraft under provisional approvals.