Airworthiness certificates

This element walks the document at the cabin entrance: what kind of certificate the aircraft carries, how long it stays effective, what invalidates it, and the on-board document set the certificate sits at the front of.

Two kinds of airworthiness certificate

Two classifications, set in §21.175:

Standard — FAA Form 8100-2, white

• Issued under §21.183 for aircraft type-certificated in normal, utility, acrobatic, commuter, or transport category
• Also covers manned free balloons
• Most flight-school airplanes

Special — FAA Form 8130-7, pink

• Covers primary, restricted, limited, light-sport, experimental, provisional, and special flight permits
• Each sub-category has its own purposes and operational limits

Color is a quick visual check: white = standard, pink = special.

Documents on board

The aircraft documents that must be on board are spelled out in §91.203 and §91.9. The classic mnemonic walks the set:

Maintenance logbooks are NOT required to be on board; they must be available for FAA inspection but are kept on the ground.

Duration

A standard certificate is effective indefinitely §21.181 so long as:

• Maintenance, preventive maintenance, and alterations are performed per Parts 43 and 91
• The aircraft is registered in the United States

No expiration date is printed on the certificate. Special flight permits, by contrast, are valid only for the time and purpose stated.

When an aircraft is sold, the airworthiness certificate transfers with the aircraft §21.179 — only the registration changes. The old registration is invalidated by the sale; a temporary "pink slip" registration covers the gap.

What invalidates it

The certificate is necessary but not sufficient. Even with a valid white form on board, airworthiness can be invalidated by:

• A missed annual §91.409
• Lapsed AD compliance §39.7
• Expired registration §91.203
• Maintenance by an unauthorized person or improperly logged (Part 43)
• A major alteration without a Form 337 and IA sign-off §43.7
• Operating outside the category limitations (aerobatics in a normal-category aircraft)

The airworthiness check on a real preflight is the AV1ATE inspection review and the logbook walk, not just spotting the white form at the door.

Special-category aircraft

Light-sport (LSA)

• Issued under §21.190
• Typically two-place, day VFR, with consensus-standard manufacturer compliance
• Operating limits in 91.327

Experimental

• Issued under §21.191 for purposes such as R&D, exhibition, air racing, crew training, market surveys, amateur-built, kit-built, and light-sport
• Operating limits in §91.319: no carrying persons or property for compensation or hire, no operations outside the FAA-assigned area until controllability and safety are demonstrated
• The aircraft must operate within the conditions endorsed on the certificate
• "Experimental" placard must be displayed in the cockpit, visible to all occupants

Restricted

• Type-certificated for a special purpose: agricultural, banner tow, aerial survey, weather modification
• Operating limits in 91.313 — can carry only crew necessary to the special purpose; no passengers

Worked examples:

• Cessna 172N (1976, standard category) — Standard airworthiness certificate (Form 8100-2, white), normal-category type certification. Effective indefinitely §21.181 so long as Parts 43 and 91 maintenance is current and the aircraft stays U.S.-registered. SPARROW set on board; annual current; ADs complied with.
• Van's RV-7 amateur-built — Special airworthiness certificate (Form 8130-7, pink), experimental category under §21.191 (amateur-built). Operating limits per §91.319: no compensation or hire, geographic restrictions per the operating limitations document. The "experimental" placard must be displayed in the cockpit, visible to all occupants.