STCs and EASA

[Seed3r]

Hello, 

I hope there are still some old continent souls left on this forum, who could help me in my quest to aeroplane ownership, where a Mooney is a high ranking beast.

As I have never been an owner and most of the talk here happens about Mooneys registered on the other side of the pond, I am curious how Europeans are dealing with modifications, to their Mooneys.

Can we have all the speed mods on older airframes done and approved in EASA Kingdom ? 

Is there a problem to register American Mooney import in EU with mods already done, for which EASA has no approval ?

Cheers

[terbang]

 

Can we have all the speed mods on older airframes done and approved in EASA Kingdom ?

As soon as an STC is required under FAA regulations there will be an STC required under EASA regulations as well. There is an EASA STC for many but by far not for all the modifications where there is an FAA STC.

 

Is there a problem to register American Mooney import in EU with mods already done, for which EASA has no approval ?

There might well be. I would seriously consider to stay on the N-register. Our 252 - based in Germany - is on the N-register, like many other GA aircraft here in Europe.

 

[Awful_Charlie]

Another one who bought an N registered aircraft and left it on there. When I looked into it, the cost alone made it preferable to leave it there, compare:

A. Commercial flight to UK, FAA IFP exam at Farnborough, trip to Adam House for 61.75 issue, CAA verification fee, two days hire car and leave from the job & a BFR
 - vs -
B. Strip and re-spray of upper fuselage to apply new registration

and that is before A&P/LAE time, export CofAs, finding any mods/STCs that EArSA don't like and so on. Until the new 'Part M light' comes in for us, then there is also the CAMO stuff to contend with. I'm sure it will get there in time, but it's not all going to be quick. Even when it is all there, what are you going to do for EASA maintenance if you ever need any outside of EASA land, and are you going to keep the aircraft until the end of its life, or do you want to be able to sell it again?

[podair]

Hi I have an EASA reg Mooney and yes not all mods have been approved. However, if you look around you'd find a lot of the more interesting ones have. Once a mod has been approved in any EASA country, any EASA reg can benefit from it and you do not need to spend $$$ for a modification approval application. So the EASA reg is a bit cumbersome in that respect but with a bit of research you can achieve a lot. By all means do not leave it in the hands of your trusty engineer, most of them are pretty clueless on that front, paperwork is not their forte, so it is best to be immersed in it yourself. 

For instance , if you look at the German LBA (look on their website for Musterzulassung Kleinflugzeuge), they approved most of the LASAR and SWTA mods.

The UK CAA has also approved a few, referenced in their database of AAN (Approved Airworthiness Notices). Fitting an EDM and some of the Lasar mods too were approved on G-regs for example. 

the French CAA also approved a few , however they restricted them to a case by case , registration specific basis. 

As Ben (Awful Charlie) mentioned, it is rumoured that soon the EASA will accept any US STC as the USA is the country of manufacture, and also lighten some of the regulatory load for GA. However the legislative process is long winded so it will take a while. 

In a nutshell, if you find the perfect Mooney EASA reg should not be a deal breaker, but getting an N reg and keeping it on it makes life a bit simpler. Hopefully it will be equally simple on the EASA reg soon but we are nowhere near it yet, so changing it from N reg to EASA reg makes little sense at the moment. 

[Peter De Grove]

 

As a recent owner of a M20K 231, with TIO360-GB engine, I learned that it would be very beneficial to install a Merlyn waste gate. So, this equipment is STC'ed by FAA but the manufacturer never requested for an EASA STC. 

I could, and actually, without difficulties, file for a BASIC EASA STC that has been granted 2 weeks after filing and this STC is granted to my aircraft only. This is possible for all FAA STC's (for private aircraft and only when there is no EASA or former national STC) as long as the modification doesn't impact the noise produced by your aircraft, which is the case for the Merlyn waste gate. Cost of this operation is about 250€ per STC and for this waste gate there exist 2 FAA STC. So, you have to double it.

Anyway, I'm now a happy 231 rider, and confident that this investment will be beneficial to my engine (only 200h since MOH and installation of the Merlyn waste gate) and I think any GB engine owner should consider installing this item together with GAMI injectors.

Thought that this would be interesting to share. 

[tmo]

A TurboPlus Intercooler is a nice addition to a stock K and on my list it is above the Black Magic semi-automatic wastegate.  Not sure if the http://turboplus.com/documents/TAS-SAMPLE-STC-mooney-SA2154NM.pdfFAA STC has an EASA equivalent.

I'm EU based but N-reg, so STC recognition by EASA doesn't matter to me.

[Peter De Grove]

Thanks, well, opinions vary about which equipment would be most adequate. I opted for a "prefit"  compatible for intercooler waste gate. So, would I want to install later on an intercooler, then I don't need to change my waste gate. It was a bit harder to install, but worth while I guess. The best is obviously to install both.

The FAA STC is certainly necessary and you can look-up in the EASA databases (or ask Turboplus) if a EASA STC exist. thanks.

[carusoam]

31 minutes ago, tmo said:

A TurboPlus Intercooler is a nice addition to a stock K and on my list it is above the Black Magic semi-automatic wastegate.  Not sure if the http://turboplus.com/documents/TAS-SAMPLE-STC-mooney-SA2154NM.pdfFAA STC has an EASA equivalent.

I'm EU based but N-reg, so STC recognition by EASA doesn't matter to me.

Let’s ask the @Turboplus guy about their EASA status...

There have been quite a few heat exchangers installed lately around MS.  The turbo plus system seems to be engineered to fit the Mooneys well...

there are pics around here somewhere

-a-

[MarkusM]

In most cases there is no longer any need for a separate EASA STC, you can use the FAA STC under the new EASA regime. Doing the paperworks and dealing with authorities ranges from very easy in some cases to extensively complicated (especially when national AAs become involved), but there are a few very good consultants now in Europe to assist these processes!

[carusoam]

Welcome aboard, Markus.

Best regards,

-a-

[MarkusM]

8 hours ago, carusoam said:

Welcome aboard, Markus.

Best regards,

-a-

Thank you ! And sorry for not introducing myself in this forum. I'll do that when I am finished with my current Mooney purchase :-).

[carusoam]

Good luck with your purchasing process, Markus.

If you have any questions...

Somebody around here probably has the answer...

There are many topics that get covered regarding Mooney buying...

• Pre-purchase inspections
• purchasing agreements
• insurance
• transition training

Don’t be afraid to ask...

Best regards,

-a-