When an aircraft is sold, it is logical that the records are transferred with it. They may be either in plain language or coded. The purchaser may elect to permit the seller to retain the actual records; however, if that occurs the purchaser (now the current owner/operator) must still make these records available to either the FAA or the NTSB upon request.

This section presents the term “zero time.” Although not truly given as a definition, the wording of the regulation is very clear that an aircraft engine, when rebuilt by the engine manufacturer or an agency approved by the manufacturer, may be given a new maintenance record showing no previous operating history. This new record must include a signed statement with the date it was rebuilt, any changes incorporated by compliance with AD notes, and compliance with any of the manufacturer’s SB.

Prior to 1926, access to flying was uncontrolled. No licensing or certification was required. By the middle of the 1920s, it became obvious that unregulated private and commercial flying was dangerous. There was a growing awareness and acceptance that regulation could improve safety and encourage growth in aviation. Therefore in 1926, the aviation industry requested Congress to enact federal legislation to regulate civil aviation. Thus, the Air Commerce Act of 1926 provided for the:

The Civil Air Regulations (CARs) were part of the original certification basis for aircraft first certified in the 1940s, 1950s, and 1960s by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA). Therefore, the CARs may still be needed as a reference for these older aircraft or as a standard for minor changes to older aircraft designs. [Figure 2-11]

As the name implies, this specific regulation is the basis for the current 14 CFR part 23 regulation [Figure 2-1]. It has the following subpart categories:

Some examples of CAR 3 aircraft are Piper PA 22, PA 28, PA 32, and Cessna 182, 195, and 310.

This regulation was originated in 1936 and last amended on December 15, 1952. The subparts included in this regulation are:

Initially, this regulation was the basis for establishing the design requirements for virtually all produced aircraft in the 1930s, 1940s, and 1950s. Eventually CAR 3 evolved as the regulatory material specific to small aircraft, and CAR 4a and b focused on regulatory requirements for large aircraft.

It is very important to review the TCDS for each aircraft. For example, The Cessna 140 was certified as a landplane under CAR 3, but under CAR 4a as a ski-plane or seaplane. Another example of a more current and larger aircraft is the Gulfstream 1159 and 1159A. The former is certified under CAR 4b, but the latter is certified to 14 CFR part 25.

There are four types of aircraft parts: