A Supplemental Type Certificate (STC) is an airworthiness certification required to modify an aircraft from its original design and is issued by an aviation regulator. AMA’s AFIRS equipment is an addition to an aircraft and therefore an STC is required prior to installation. AMA has received or applied for AFIRS product approvals from Transport Canada Civil Aviation (TCCA), Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in the United States, European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) in Europe, and General Administration of Civil Aviation of China (CAAC) for various aircraft models depending on customer requirements.
The process to receive an STC takes some time to complete, but in all cases it starts with an application for the STC through any one of TCCA, FAA or EASA. Generally, AMA starts the process with TCCA by opening an application with the regulator and a STC data package is created. This data package consists of the engineering documents that outline how the AFIRS equipment will be installed on the aircraft. This data package is submitted to TCCA for approval and once that stage of approval is received ground and flight testing takes place. To fulfill the flight test requirement, AMA must have access to the appropriate type and model of aircraft. This is done in co-operation with either an existing or potential customer. Once these tests are completed AMA submits an activation data package to TCCA that enables the AFIRS unit to be operational and attached to the aircraft systems. If TCCA approves the submission an STC is issued. To obtain an STC from another regulator AMA prepares an application which is sent through TCCA to the regulator such as FAA or EASA along with the STC package previously approved by TCCA. The regulator reviews the package and issues their STC based on that review and approval.
The time required for the approval process through TCCA will vary depending on the aircraft and workloads but a general rule of thumb is about three months with a further minimum of three months if an STC is required from another regulator such as FAA or EASA.
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TCCA
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FAA
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EASA
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CAAC
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| 220 | 228 | 220 | 228 | 220 | 228 | 220 | 228 | |
| A | I | A | A | A | Airbus A319, A320, A321 | |||
| A | Airbus A330 | |||||||
| U | ATR-42, -72 | |||||||
| A | I | A | A | A | Boeing B737 -200, -300, -400, -500, -600, -700, -800 | |||
| U | Boeing 747-200, -400 | |||||||
| A | A | A | A | Boeing 757-200 | ||||
| A | A | A | A | Boeing 767-200, -300 | ||||
| I | P | I | Boeing B777 | |||||
| A | A | A | P | Bombardier DHC-8-100, -200, -300 | ||||
| A | Bombardier DHC-8-400 | |||||||
| A | A | A | P | Bombardier CRJ 100, 200, 440 | ||||
| U | P | Bombardier CRJ- 700, 900 | ||||||
| Lockeed-Martin C-130 Hercules (military) | ||||||||
| A | A | McDonnell Douglas DC-10 (KC-10 military) | ||||||
| U | McDonnell Douglas – MD-81, -82, -83, -87, -88 | |||||||
| A | Fokker 100 | |||||||
| A | P | A | I | A | P | Hawker Beechcraft-750, 800XP, 850XP, 900XP | ||
| U | Dassault Falcon 2000 | |||||||
| A | Viking Air DHC-7 (LSTC) | |||||||
| I | Embraer Legacy 600 and EMB- 135/145 | |||||||
A = Approved
P = Pending (We have received a Provisions STC and are in the final stages before receiving a full STC)
I = In Progress
U= Upcoming STC applications for the AFIRS 220 or 228 that have been submitted or will be submitted in 2012
~ Part of the STC wall at FLYHT’s office
