Perspectives

Do You Know...?

… what your responsibilities are as a supplemental type certificate (STC) holder if you wish to transfer your Canadian STC to a U.S. holder?

When Transport Canada issues an STC to a Canadian holder, it does so as the State of Design. When transferring this Canadian certificate to a foreign holder, it is actually completing two transfers:

1. a transfer of all of the State of Design responsibilities to another Airworthiness Authority; and
2. a transfer of all of the privileges and responsibilities of the STC holder, to a new holder.

This means that as an STC holder you cannot just sign the back of the certificate, and hand it to a new holder! To transfer a certificate, the current holder and the intended holder must both comply with the requirements of section 513.25 of the Canadian Aviation Regulations (CARs) and the Airworthiness Manual (AWM). No transfer is to be initiated without the involvement of Transport Canada and the Foreign Airworthiness Authority that will become State of Design because a significant part of the transfer involves activities that only the Foreign Airworthiness Authority can complete prior to accepting the transfer—if they accept the transfer.

Transport Canada has a Bilateral Aviation Safety Agreement and the corresponding Implementation Procedures Airworthiness with the United States, which must be followed and therefore, the first step should for the Canadian STC holder to contact their nearest Transport Canada office. The office will contact the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and both authorities will follow the procedures set out in this agreement.

For your information visit the web site of the Implementation Procedures Airworthiness and refer to Staff Instruction (SI) 500-018 Certificate Transfers.

The responsibilities for transfer can be found under Section V paragraph 5.4 of the BASA IPA.

While we have discussed transfers in the context of a transfer of an STC from Canada to the United States, the same administrative requirements exist for a transfer of an STC from the United States to Canada.

This article has discussed transfers in the context of our Agreement with the FAA, however the same regulatory provisions must be adhered to for any transfer, refer to FAA Order 8110-4C Type Certification, Chapter 3 and 4.

Remember, it is your responsibility to ensure that Transport Canada is first contacted before any work on the transfer is initiated!

For more information contact Mr. Martin Thieringer.