FAA Order 8130.2: Airworthiness Certificates, Inspections, and Permits

FAA Order 8130.2 is the Federal Aviation Administration’s step-by-step procedures manual for issuing, amending, and replacing airworthiness certificates on civil aircraft in the United States. The current revision, 8130.2L, took effect January 30, 2026, and replaced 8130.2K.¹ The order tells FAA Aviation Safety Inspectors and delegated designees exactly how to certify a factory-new airplane, a used aircraft changing hands, an imported aircraft, a modified aircraft, or a homebuilt.² For an owner or builder, it’s the reason a specific set of forms, records, and inspections stand between you and a legal certificate in the cabin.

Every certification under the order comes down to two findings: the aircraft conforms to its FAA-approved design, and it is in a condition for safe operation.³ Everything else is procedure built around proving those two things.

Which Certificate Your Aircraft Qualifies For

The FAA issues two broad classes: Standard and Special. Which one you get depends on the aircraft’s design category and how you plan to use it.

A Standard Airworthiness Certificate is issued on FAA Form 8100-2 for aircraft type-certificated in the Normal, Utility, Acrobatic, Commuter, Transport, Manned Free Balloon, or Special Classes categories.⁴ This is what most pilots ever see. It has no expiration date and stays effective as long as the aircraft remains on the U.S. registry and maintenance is kept up under 14 CFR Parts 43 and 91.⁵

A Special Airworthiness Certificate is issued on FAA Form 8130-7 for aircraft that don’t fit those categories. The types are Experimental, Restricted, Limited, Provisional, Primary, Light-Sport, and Multiple Categories, and each carries operating limitations tailored to the design and purpose.⁶ Restricted-category aircraft can only be flown for the special purposes in their type design (agricultural spraying, aerial surveying, and the like). Limited-category aircraft cannot carry people or property for hire. Primary-category aircraft may be available for rental and flight instruction under certain conditions, but commercial passenger operations are not permitted.

Experimental Certificates

Experimental certificates are worth calling out separately because they cover such a wide range of aircraft and uses: research and development, showing compliance with the regulations, crew training, exhibition, air racing, market surveys, and operating amateur-built or kit-built aircraft.⁷

Duration depends on purpose. Certificates for research and development, showing compliance, crew training, or market surveys are good for one year unless the FAA sets a shorter period; certificates for exhibition, air racing, and amateur-built or kit-built operation have no set expiration, though the FAA can impose a time limit for cause.⁵ Operating limits are strict. You can’t fly an experimental aircraft in commercial air carrier operations. Absent specific authorization, you can’t fly over densely populated areas or through congested airways. Every person on board must be told the aircraft is experimental, and operation is generally limited to daytime VFR unless the FAA authorizes otherwise.⁸

Documentation the Inspector Will Want

Most certification efforts stall on paperwork, not on the aircraft itself. Get this in order before you request the inspection.

FAA Form 8130-6, Application for U.S. Airworthiness Certificate. This is the formal request that starts the process.⁹
Registration. Proof the aircraft is on the U.S. registry. If the permanent Certificate of Aircraft Registration hasn’t arrived yet, the second copy of the Aircraft Registration Application (AC Form 8050-1) can serve as temporary evidence.¹⁰
Complete airframe, engine, and propeller logbooks, showing full maintenance history, compliance with all applicable Airworthiness Directives, the status of any life-limited parts, and time since last overhaul.²
The Type Certificate Data Sheet, which describes the approved design, limitations, and specifications for the model.
A current weight and balance report reflecting the aircraft’s actual configuration, including any modifications.
Records for any Supplemental Type Certificates or FAA field approvals that changed the aircraft from its original type design.

When Logbooks Are Missing

Lost or destroyed records are common with older aircraft that have changed hands many times, and the FAA does allow reconstruction. You’ll need to establish total time in service from whatever evidence exists: records from repair facilities that previously worked on the aircraft, entries from individual mechanics, and any other documentation showing flight time.¹¹ Where gaps remain, a notarized statement describing what was lost and estimating time in service from available evidence can fill in.

The harder problem is re-establishing AD compliance, which may require a detailed physical inspection by a mechanic to confirm each applicable directive has been addressed. Life-limited parts, overhaul status, and major-alteration history all present the same challenge: once the paper trail is gone, someone has to verify the work was actually done.

The Inspection

The inspection has two phases. First, a records review: the inspector or designee walks through your documentation to confirm eligibility for the certificate type you requested, verify maintenance and alteration entries are complete, and check that AD compliance is current. If records don’t line up, the process stops until you resolve the discrepancies.

Then the physical examination. The inspector looks at the actual aircraft to confirm it matches the approved type design or other approved data. That means correct installation of equipment, proper placarding, and general condition. The inspector is looking for anything that would prevent a finding that the aircraft is in a condition for safe operation.²

Either an FAA Aviation Safety Inspector or a Designated Airworthiness Representative can do the work. DARs come in two flavors: manufacturing (DAR-F), who handle inspections related to new production and conformity under type certificates, and maintenance (DAR-T), who typically handle certification inspections for used aircraft, homebuilts, and similar situations.¹² FAA inspectors don’t charge, but scheduling one depends on the Flight Standards District Office’s workload. DARs charge for their time and can usually be scheduled faster. You can find one by name or location through the FAA’s Designee Management System.

How Long the Certificate Lasts

A Standard Airworthiness Certificate has no expiration date. It stays effective as long as the aircraft remains on the U.S. registry and maintenance is performed in accordance with Parts 43 and 91. The same indefinite duration applies to Special certificates in the primary, restricted, and limited categories.⁵

Light-sport certificates carry extra conditions. Beyond the maintenance requirement, the aircraft must continue to meet the definition of a light-sport aircraft, conform to its original configuration (except for alterations performed under an applicable consensus standard and authorized by the manufacturer), and have no unsafe condition that is likely to develop.

The FAA can suspend or revoke any airworthiness certificate for any reason that would have justified denying it in the first place. A suspended or revoked certificate must be returned to the FAA.

Keeping the Certificate Valid

Getting the certificate is only the beginning. The annual inspection requirement is what actually grounds most aircraft. Under 14 CFR 91.409, you cannot operate most aircraft unless it has received an annual inspection within the preceding 12 calendar months and been approved for return to service by someone authorized under Part 43. If you carry passengers for hire or give flight instruction for hire in your own aircraft, you also need a 100-hour inspection on top of the annual. The 100-hour interval can be exceeded by up to 10 hours to reach a place where the inspection can be done, but that extra time counts against the next interval.¹³

Aircraft with experimental certificates, light-sport certificates, special flight permits, and provisional certificates are exempt from the standard annual requirement, though they usually have their own condition-inspection rules in their operating limitations.

Who Can Do the Work

Maintenance and alterations must be performed by the holder of a mechanic certificate, a repairman certificate, or an FAA-certified repair station. Someone working under the direct supervision of a certificated mechanic can do the work, but the mechanic must personally observe it and be readily available.¹⁴

Pilots have narrow authority. If you hold a pilot certificate (other than a sport pilot certificate), you can perform preventive maintenance on an aircraft you own or operate, provided it’s not used in Part 121, 129, or 135 operations. Preventive maintenance covers simple tasks like oil changes, tire replacement, and servicing landing gear struts. It does not include annual inspections or return-to-service after major repair or alteration.

Selling the Aircraft

The airworthiness certificate transfers automatically with the aircraft. You do not apply for a new one just because the airplane was sold.¹⁵ It stays valid as long as maintenance and registration are kept current.

Registration is a different story. When an aircraft is sold, the old owner must notify the FAA Aircraft Registry and return the Certificate of Aircraft Registration (or submit a written explanation if the certificate isn’t available) within 21 days of the transfer.¹⁰ The new owner then submits a new Aircraft Registration Application (AC Form 8050-1) with evidence of ownership, such as a Bill of Sale. If six months pass after the FAA receives notice of the sale with no application on file, the registration number is canceled. Because the airworthiness certificate is only effective while the aircraft is registered in the U.S., letting registration lapse grounds the airplane.

Special Flight Permits for Aircraft That Aren’t Airworthy

Sometimes you need to fly an aircraft that doesn’t currently meet its airworthiness requirements but is still capable of safe flight. A repair can only be done at a shop across the country, or the annual has lapsed and the nearest qualified facility is two states away. This is what special flight permits cover. Permitted purposes include flying to a repair facility or storage location, delivering or exporting the aircraft, production flight testing of new aircraft, evacuating from areas of impending danger, and customer demonstration flights of new production aircraft that have completed production flight testing.

A separate provision allows special flight permits for operating above the aircraft’s maximum certificated takeoff weight, but only for the extra fuel, fuel-carrying equipment, and navigation equipment needed for a long overwater or remote-area flight.¹⁶

You apply on the same FAA Form 8130-6 used for airworthiness certificates. The inspection can be done by an FAA inspector, an FAA designee, a certificated mechanic, or certain certificate holders under Parts 121, 135, and 145. The permit is valid only for the specific period and route the FAA approves.

Replacing a Lost Certificate

If your certificate is lost, stolen, or damaged beyond legibility, you need a replacement before flying again. The FAA has an online process through its Airworthiness Certification (AWC) system: log in, select “Replacement Certificate” under “Create Application,” verify aircraft registration, and submit the request for either a Standard or Special certificate replacement.¹⁷ The application goes through a designee or ODA review before a new certificate is issued.

What Has To Be On Board

Every civil aircraft operating in the United States must carry an appropriate and current airworthiness certificate, and the registration number on the certificate must match the one assigned to the aircraft. The certificate must be displayed at the cabin or cockpit entrance so it’s legible to passengers or crew. The aircraft must also carry an effective registration certificate.¹⁸ Operating without the required certificates aboard violates 91.203, and operating an aircraft that is not in an airworthy condition violates 91.7(a); the FAA treats these as separate violations.

A Note on FAA Form 8130-3

FAA Form 8130-3, the Authorized Release Certificate or “Airworthiness Approval Tag,” is a related form that often gets confused with the airworthiness certificate itself. It applies to individual engines, propellers, and component parts, not to whole aircraft.¹⁹ Aircraft themselves are not released with this form. If you’re buying an engine, propeller, or replacement part and want to know it can legally go on a certificated aircraft, the 8130-3 tag is what documents that. If you’re certifying the aircraft as a whole, you’re working with the 8100-2 or 8130-7 instead.

1
FAA Dynamic Regulatory System. DRS-8130.2L
2
Federal Aviation Administration. FAA Order 8130.2L
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eCFR. 14 CFR Part 21 – Certification Procedures for Products and Articles
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Federal Aviation Administration. Standard Airworthiness Certificates
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eCFR. 14 CFR 21.181 – Duration
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Federal Aviation Administration. Special Airworthiness Certificates
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eCFR. 14 CFR 21.191 – Experimental Airworthiness Certificates
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eCFR. 14 CFR 91.319 – Aircraft Having Experimental Certificates: Operating Limitations
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Federal Aviation Administration. FAA Form 8130-6, Application for U.S. Airworthiness Certificate
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eCFR. 14 CFR Part 47 – Aircraft Registration
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Federal Aviation Administration. Maintenance Records (AC 43-9C CHG 2)
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Federal Aviation Administration. Manufacturing and Airworthiness Designees
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eCFR. 14 CFR 91.409 – Inspections
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eCFR. 14 CFR 43.3 – Persons Authorized to Perform Maintenance
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eCFR. 14 CFR Part 21 Subpart H – Airworthiness Certificates
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eCFR. 14 CFR 21.197 – Special Flight Permits
17
FAA AWC System. Replacement Certificates
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eCFR. 14 CFR 91.203 – Civil Aircraft: Certifications Required
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Federal Aviation Administration. Authorized Release Certificate, FAA Form 8130-3, Airworthiness Approval Tag Frequently Asked Questions