What makes PMAs legal for use?
The regulations as they stand today have never been clearer regarding the use of PMA. The FAA Aviation Safety Repair, Alteration and Fabrication (RAF) Team was chartered in 2007 to assess adequacy of regulations and policy for obtaining non-OEM (TC holder) developed parts. In 2009 the final version of the FAA RAFT report was issued. The RAF team was initially put together in 2007 to address concerns voiced in the industry (mostly from OEMs) either real or perceived that the FAA PMA process was not robust enough and presented a safety concern. The team thoroughly investigated all aspects of the PMA process including an investigation into the current safety record and concluded in the report that there is “No difference” in airworthiness of parts from these sources.
