peter-h
Line Up and Wait
I read somewhere, years ago (probably in rec.aviation.owning where most of this crowd used to hang out 
) that any mil-spec item is OK to install in an aircraft, directly.
It was claimed that instruments (e.g. temperature indicators and even altimeters) from a military aircraft have been installed with just a logbook entry.
I doubt this was ever true (I mean legal) but it is a valid question whether a mil approval is good as Approved Data.
Moving further down the significance scale, is a mil-spec Amphenol connector like e.g. these automatically acceptable as a connector for an unpressurised GA installation?
All items used in an aircraft with an ICAO CofA are supposed to come with evidence of traceability (8130-3 is just one of the possibilities but most small parts don't come with an 8130-3) but that leaves the question of suitability for the application. A connector is not going to be a PMA or TSO part... but in terms of e.g. the environmental and electrical performance a milspec connector will be easily good enough.
It is a fact that avionics installers everywhere have a big box of mil-spec circular and other connectors which they use as needed, and any paperwork for those was lost long ago.
It is also a fact that you can buy a $10000 TSOd instrument which uses connectors of way lower quality e.g. el-cheapo DB25 Chinese types with formed (not machined) pins.
What are the exact rules on this?
) that any mil-spec item is OK to install in an aircraft, directly.It was claimed that instruments (e.g. temperature indicators and even altimeters) from a military aircraft have been installed with just a logbook entry.
I doubt this was ever true (I mean legal) but it is a valid question whether a mil approval is good as Approved Data.
Moving further down the significance scale, is a mil-spec Amphenol connector like e.g. these automatically acceptable as a connector for an unpressurised GA installation?
All items used in an aircraft with an ICAO CofA are supposed to come with evidence of traceability (8130-3 is just one of the possibilities but most small parts don't come with an 8130-3) but that leaves the question of suitability for the application. A connector is not going to be a PMA or TSO part... but in terms of e.g. the environmental and electrical performance a milspec connector will be easily good enough.
It is a fact that avionics installers everywhere have a big box of mil-spec circular and other connectors which they use as needed, and any paperwork for those was lost long ago.
It is also a fact that you can buy a $10000 TSOd instrument which uses connectors of way lower quality e.g. el-cheapo DB25 Chinese types with formed (not machined) pins.
What are the exact rules on this?
Last edited: