A couple of COPA members have recently found out about an interesting limitation
in the CARs. If you put a different type of engine in your owner-maintenance or
amateur-built aircraft you have to get a new Special Certificate of
Airworthiness!
The Special CofA in these two classes specifies the engine type on that
document. This means that if you change the engine type or model, the Special
CofA is rendered invalid and you need to apply to Transport Canada for a new
one. This isn’t an oversight; Transport Canada purposely put this in the CARs so
that they could keep track of the engines installed in Canadian aircraft.
The rules are different for certified aircraft and ultralights. In the case of
certified aircraft the engine is not specified on their standard CofA. Transport
Canada gets informed of changes in engine types because those modifications
require a Supplementary Type Certificate (STC) and TC gets a copy of that for
the aircraft file. This is especially important in the case of certified
aircraft, as TC may have to send out Airworthiness Directives and so needs to
know what engine is installed in your aircraft.
Advanced ultralights have no flight authority document, but are limited by
manufacturer’s written approvals. The engine may only be changed for a different
type or model if the manufacturer approves that engine for that aircraft or
doesn’t specify an engine type. If you install an engine that the manufacturer
does not approve of then your aircraft does not qualify to be an advanced
ultralight any more.
Basic ultralights have no flight authority, such as a CofA or other restrictions
and so you can swap engines without any paperwork at all. This category has the
most flexibility in that regard, but it comes at the price of the “no
passengers” restriction. Contact Adam Hunt at COPA.