History
Under the Civil Air Regulations (CARs), the government had the authority to approve aircraft parts in a predecessor to the PMA rules. This authority was found in each of the sets of airworthiness standards published in the Civil Air Regulations. CAR 3.31, for example, permitted the Administrator to approved aircraft parts as early as 1947.
In 1952, the Civil Aeronautics Board adjusted the location of the parts production authority from the ".31" regulations to the ".18" regulations. For example, the CAR 3 authority for modification and replacement parts could be found in section 3.18 after 1952.
In 1955, the Civil Aeronautics Board separated the parts authority out of the airworthiness standards, and placed it in a more general location so that one standard would apply to replacement and modification parts for all different forms of aircraft.
In 1965 CAR 1.55 became Federal Aviation Regulation section 21.303.
The 1965 regulatory change also imposed specific obligations on the PMA holder related to the Fabrication Inspection System.
Amendment 21-38 of Part 21 was published May 26, 1972. This was the next rule change to affect PMAs. This rule eliminated the incorporation by reference of type certification requirements in favor of PMA-specific data submission requirements. This change established the separate process and separate requirements for data that must be submitted by an applicant for a PMA (prior to this there was no explicit distinction between the application data requirements for type certificated products and the data requirements for PMAed articles).
The aircraft parts aftermarket expanded greatly in the 1980s as airlines sought to reduce the costs of spares by finding alternative sources of parts. During this time period, though, many manufacturers failed to obtain PMA approvals from the FAA.
In the 1990s, the FAA engaged in an "Enhanced Enforcement" program that educated the industry about the importance of approval and as a consequence a huge number of parts were approved through formal FAA mechanisms. Under this program, companies that had previously manufactured aircraft parts without PMAs could apply for PMAs in order to bring their manufacturing operations into full compliance with the regulations. This movement brought an explosion of PMA parts to the marketplace.
Read more about this topic: Parts Manufacturer Approval
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