Replacement parts/PMA
If "spares manufacturing" is part of a conversation people directly focus on "PMA". Not knowing there is an alternative possible, providing higher quality, made us think to provide some background information.
Regulations for replacement/modification parts in the FAA area (PMA) differ from the European EASA (EPA) regulation. InteriorsDIRECT acts according to the EPA process and provides a spares/customization solution with an assured design and production standard compared to PMA parts:
| European Parts Approval (EPA) | Parts Manufacturer Approval (PMA) | |||
| Authority/Regulation | EASA Part 21 | FAA FAR 21 | ||
| Context | EPA = approval for part by 21J/21G organization | PMA = approval for manufacturer (organization) by FAA | ||
| Design approval | 21J (Design Organization Approval, DOA) needed for changes and "approved data" | no design approval needed, only acceptance by "identically" or "test and computation" | ||
| Production approval | 21G (Production Organization Approval, POA) needed to release EASA Form 1 | "fabrication inspection system" needed, equals EASA Part 21F "production without POA" or quality system without quality assurance/quality management | ||
| Parts marking | EPA marking | PMA marking | ||
| Market response | not penetrated to the overall market, no clear and common knowledge how to use and apply | scepticism towards PMA parts due to design and production requirements and experience | ||
| Conclusion |
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- improvements in parts design possible
- high mandatory and certified quality standards in design and production
- fully legal process for modification parts with EASA Form 1 |
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- improvements in parts design not by PMA approval
- design and production organization not mandatory to be certified
- "design approval method does not sufficiently assure that products with PMA parts installed fully comply with airworthiness requirements"
- practical for mass reproduction and "copy" parts approach |
Source: European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) documentation