FAR 21.83 — Class II Provisional Type Certificates
FAR 21.83 sets the requirements for issue and amendment of Class II provisional type certificates for transport-category aircraft. Key rules explained.
In Plain English
FAR 21.83 lays out what a manufacturer must do to receive — or amend — a Class II provisional type certificate, which applies to transport-category aircraft still going through full type certification. It's a temporary approval that lets the airplane be flown under the limits in §§ 91.317 and 121.207 while the formal type certificate is being finalized.
To qualify, the applicant must:
- Manufacture the aircraft in the U.S., or in a country with a U.S. import/export agreement.
- Have a pending application for a transport-category type certificate for this aircraft.
- Already hold a U.S. type certificate for at least one other transport-category aircraft.
- Have an active FAA (or foreign authority) flight test program underway.
- Certify the aircraft is designed, built, and flown to substantially meet airworthiness and flight-characteristic requirements, and can be operated safely.
- Submit a flight test report covering all required maneuvers.
- Prepare a provisional aircraft flight manual with weight, speed, maneuver, loading, and control limitations.
- Establish an inspection and maintenance program.
- Show a prototype has flown at least 100 hours (less may be accepted for amendments).
Why it matters: provisional certificates let manufacturers conduct certain operations — like crew training, demos, and market surveys — before full certification, without compromising safety.
Regulation Text
14 CFR § 21.83§ 21.83 Requirements for issue and amendment of Class II provisional type certificates.
(a) An applicant who manufactures aircraft within the United States is entitled to the issue or amendment of a Class II provisional type certificate if he shows compliance with this section and the FAA finds that there is no feature, characteristic, or condition that would make the aircraft unsafe when operated in accordance with the limitations in paragraph (h) of this section, and §§ 91.317 and 121.207 of this chapter.
(b) An applicant who manufactures aircraft in a country with which the United States has an agreement for the acceptance of those aircraft for export and import is entitled to the issue or amendment of a Class II provisional type certificate if the country in which the aircraft was manufactured certifies that the applicant has shown compliance with this section, that the aircraft meets the requirements of paragraph (f) of this section and that there is no feature, characteristic, or condition that would make the aircraft unsafe when operated in accordance with the limitations in paragraph (h) of this section and §§ 91.317 and 121.207 of this chapter.
(c) The applicant must apply for a type certificate, in the transport category, for the aircraft.
(d) The applicant must hold a U.S. type certificate for at least one other aircraft in the same transport category as the subject aircraft.
(e) The FAA's official flight test program or the flight test program conducted by the authorities of the country in which the aircraft was manufactured, with respect to the issue of a type certificate for that aircraft, must be in progress.
(f) The applicant or, in the case of a foreign manufactured aircraft, the country in which the aircraft was manufactured, must certify that—
(1) The aircraft has been designed and constructed in accordance with the airworthiness requirements applicable to the issue of the type certificate applied for;
(2) The aircraft substantially complies with the applicable flight characteristic requirements for the type certificate applied for; and
(3) The aircraft can be operated safely under the appropriate operating limitations in this subchapter.
(g) The applicant must submit a report showing that the aircraft has been flown in all maneuvers necessary to show compliance with the flight requirements for the issue of the type certificate and to establish that the aircraft can be operated safely in accordance with the limitations in this subchapter.
(h) The applicant must prepare a provisional aircraft flight manual containing all limitations required for the issue of the type certificate applied for, including limitations on weights, speeds, flight maneuvers, loading, and operation of controls and equipment unless, for each limitation not so established, appropriate operating restrictions are established for the aircraft.
(i) The applicant must establish an inspection and maintenance program for the continued airworthiness of the aircraft.
(j) The applicant must show that a prototype aircraft has been flown for at least 100 hours. In the case of an amendment to a provisional type certificate, the FAA may reduce the number of required flight hours.
[Amdt. 21-12, 31 FR 13386, Oct. 15, 1966, as amended by Amdt. 21-66, 54 FR 34329, Aug. 18, 1989]
Oral Exam Questions a DPE Might Ask
Q1What is a Class II provisional type certificate, and what category of aircraft does it apply to?
Per FAR 21.83, a Class II provisional type certificate is a temporary approval issued for transport-category aircraft that are still pursuing a full type certificate, allowing limited operations under §§ 91.317 and 121.207.
Q2How many flight hours must a prototype aircraft accumulate before a Class II provisional type certificate can be issued?
FAR 21.83(j) requires the prototype to have flown at least 100 hours, although the FAA may reduce that requirement when amending an existing provisional type certificate.
Q3Before applying for a Class II provisional type certificate, what prior certification experience must the applicant have?
Under FAR 21.83(d), the applicant must already hold a U.S. type certificate for at least one other aircraft in the same transport category as the aircraft being provisionally certificated.
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Related Sections in Part 21