Warbird Information Exchange

What does PMA Documentation mean?

On your favorite engine overhaul facility they say they purchased the PMA Documentation for over 1200 radial parts.
Is it something they have exclusive rights to or can anyone do the same?

Got another one. What are the names of the remaining "large" radial overhaul shops in the US?
We know the one in everett. And the one you are using for the first engine. The one in Ca ACT. Anderson in Idaho. What are some of the others? What happened to Aerodex? And what happened to Cooper in texas? I have an engine they did.

PMA stands for Parts Manufacturer Approval. It is an FAA approval for a facility to produce parts "approved" by the FAA.

It sounds as though someone bought the data (drawings, reports etc) to produce parts that would be FAA approved.

You can't "buy" an FAA PMA. Although you could "buy" a shop which holds an FAA PMA approval certificate.

PMA is not a facility approval..... it is part number specific. There are two ways of getting a PMA issued for a replacement part. The first is under license from the Type Certificate holder where you use the approved manufacturing data and the TC holder gives you an "assist" letter that you take to the FAA, who then grants you a PMA for that specific part. The second way is through "test and computation", where you prove to the FAA that your part meets the requirements of the original part (tougher to get usually). Either way, the big risk is liability.

We happen to have the largest PMA issued in the Southwest. Remember PMA stands for PartS Manufacturer Approval, not Part Manufacturer Approval.

The shop is approved to be able to produce the parts and have a quality system setup and maintained under FAR Part 21.303(h). There is only one PMA certification number and it applies to the manufacturing facility. Your PMA Supplements are where the individual parts are listed that show you have approval to mark the parts as PMA.

The parts that get FAA-PMA approved are done many ways as you said above.

Okay, so does that mean someone else could manufacture the same parts and not be affiliated with the particular outfit that has a PMA on said parts?
I guess I am asking if they have exclusive rights to make them? Like a patent or something.
How about the second question?

Thanks for replys

If you have design data that is acceptable/approved by the FAA you can build anything that you want.

You cannot have the same part number, but you can use one that is close. Rapco brakes use the same base number as cleveland brakes, they just add RA as a prefix. so a 66-105 cleveland brake linings would be a RA66-105 Rapco.
A PMA part is totally interchangable, and must meet the same specs as with a OEM part for a given application.

Excellent new avatar, Matt!

You have to at least meet the same OEM specs. You can have an "improved" part that still meets the same fit, form and function.

So then when they say that they purchased PMA documentation, that must mean they bought some drawings of the parts, and the processes to make them? So how can you meet OEM specifications with out the information? And if they did purchase drawings and processes, does that mean the manufactures that sold them these will not sell to anyone else?
Is back engineering an approved method of meeting the OEM specs?