SECTION 1.       Introduction. - Section 32 of Republic Act No. 776 empowers the Assistant Secretary of the Air Transportation Office to issue type certificates for aircraft, aircraft engines, and propellers.  Moreover, ICAO Annex 8 - Airworthiness of Aircraft, and paragraph (c), Section 2.1.3 of ICAO Doc. 9760 - Airworthiness Manual, Vol. I states that: "The airworthiness regulations developed/adopted by the states should include provisions for the issuance or validation of type certificate of aircraft intended to be entered on the state's register for the first time."  In compliance thereto, the Air Transportation Office has established a Type Certificate Validation Program through Memorandum Circular No. 09-95, dated August 10, 1995, which contains the standard procedural requirements in accepting foreign designed and manufactured class I aeronautical products.  This means that a first of a kind aircraft, aircraft engine, and propeller of foreign design and manufacture should undergo the type certificate validation process in order to become eligible for import and obtain Philippine airworthiness and registration certificates.

Effective immediately, in the interest of aviation safety, an aircraft, aircraft engine and/or propeller are eligible for import to the Republic of the Philippines if the type certificate has been validated by this Office.

SECTION 2.       Objectives. - Type validation is a direct type approval process based on the design standards stated in Section 3 of this circular.  It is necessary in instituting regulatory control once the aeronautical product is accepted and allowed to operate in the Philippines.  The process is accomplished through a comprehensive technical inspection at the manufacturing facilities which consists of the following:

1.         Evaluate the certification program, manufacturing standards and certification basis;

2.         Review and familiarize the basic engineering design concept including embodied engineering approvals and/or modifications to the design;

3.         Evaluate and approve the instructions for continued airworthiness, maintainability, repetition of manufacturing, inspection and maintenance training programs, and materials review board (MRB) reports;

4.         Familiarize with the performance and operational characteristics of the product;

5.         Evaluate the company quality assurance/control system and after sales product support;

6.         Learn about aircraft trend and on-condition monitoring techniques;

7.         Keep abreast of new developments in the design, construction and maintenance of aircraft and equipment; and

8.         Establish liaison with the manufacturers and foreign exporting authorities.

SECTION 3.       Design Standards. - The following US Federal Aviation Regulations, including its latest amendments, are adopted:

1)      US FAR Part 23 - Airworthiness Standards: Normal, Utility, Acrobatic, and Commuter Category Airplanes

2)      US FAR Part 25 - Airworthiness Standards: Transport Category Airplanes

3)      US FAR Part 27 - Airworthiness Standards: Normal Category Rotorcraft

4)      US FAR Part 29 - Airworthiness Standards: Transport Category Rotorcraft

5)      US FAR Part 31 - Airworthiness Standards: Manned Free Balloons

6)      US FAR Part 33 - Airworthiness Standards: Aircraft Engines

7)      US FAR Part 34 - Fuel Venting and Exhaust Emission Requirements for Turbine Engine Powered Airplanes

8)      US FAR Part 35 - Airworthiness Standards: Propellers

9)      US FAR Part 36 - Noise Standards: Aircraft Type and Airworthiness Certification

Where the aeronautical products are non-US type certified or render the above standards inadequate, the Assistant Secretary of the Air Transportation Office shall impose special conditions and/or requirements that are necessary to provide a level of safety equivalent to the above regulations.

SECTION 4.       Competent Authority - In accordance with Presidential Decree (PD) No. 1570 and ICAO Doc. No. 9760, the aeronautical engineers of Aircraft Engineering Section, Aviation Safety Division are responsible for administering the type certificate validation process.

SECTION 5.       Application - The applicant for the type validation of an aircraft, aircraft engine and/or propeller shall be the manufacturer or, where applicable, the holder of the type certificate.

The application shall be made on a form and in a manner prescribed by the Assistant Secretary and is submitted to Aircraft Engineering Section.  The application must be accompanied by: (1) A general description of the product,  including a three-view drawing of the aircraft or a cross-section drawing of the engines and/or propellers; 2) Type Certificate and Type Certificate Data Sheets; 3) Production Certificate and Production Limitation Records; 4) Available information on Philippine market potential and customers; and 5) a description of any unusual design features known to the applicant which might necessitate a special review of acceptable means of compliance.  The applicant must also submit a tentative schedule for the type validation.

SECTION 6.       Project Management - A team of aeronautical engineers from Aircraft Engineering Section, depending on the complexity of the validation activities, will be assigned to undertake the validation process.  The team leader will coordinate with the program manager of the applicant/manufacturer to discuss the procedure and requirements of the validation.  This includes facilitation for the schedule of the technical visit, meetings with company officials and foreign exporting authorities, as well as the finalization of the agenda, activities and documentation.

Travel arrangements and all expenses involved in the validation process shall be at cost to the applicant.

SECTION 7.       Required Documents. - The following documents should be available for evaluation during the on-site visit:

A)      Aircraft:

1.         Statement of applicable design certification standards;

2.         General interior and exterior arrangements and configuration drawings;

3.         Master drawing list;

4.         Weight and balance report;

5.         Structural repair manual;

6.         Master minimum equipment list;

7.         Instruction for continuing airworthiness;

8.         Certification compliance checklist/program; and

9.         Listing of service life for critical parts.

B.      Engine:

1.         Authenticated copy of engine TC and type certificate data sheets;

2.         Production certificate and production limitation records;

3.         Cross-section arrangement drawing;

4.         Master drawing list;

5.         Instruction for continuing airworthiness;

6.         Certification compliance checklist/program;

7.         Installation manual; and

8.         Listing of service life for critical parts.

C.      Propeller:

1.         Authenticated copy of propeller TC and type certificate data sheets;

2.         Production certificate and production limitation records;

3.         General arrangement drawing;

4.         Master drawing list;

5.         Instruction for continuing airworthiness;

6.         Certification compliance checklist/program;

7.         Installation manual; and

8.         Listing of service life for critical parts.

D.      Others (Additional documents, as required)

1.         Pertinent manuals/documents;

2.         Compliance with noise requirements;

3.         Compliance with fuel venting and exhaust emission requirements for turbine engine, as applicable; and

4.         Statement of conformity.

SECTION 8.       Issuance of Certificate. - The validated type certificate will be issued only upon satisfactory compliance with the requirements of this circular.

SECTION 9.       Duration of Certificate. - A validated type certificate shall remain effective until surrendered, suspended or revoked for cause(s) by the Assistant Secretary of the Air Transportation Office.

SECTION 10.    Repealing Provisions. - Memorandum Circular 09-95 and other previous circulars, which are inconsistent herewith, are hereby repealed, amended, and/or modified accordingly.

For guidance and strict compliance of all concerned.

Adopted: 7 October 2002

(SGD.) M/GEN. ADELBERTO F. YAP (ret.)
Assistant Secretary