drotto
Cleared for Takeoff
I realizes that a hugh portion and expense of a new aircraft is tied up in the extensive and costly regulations. It is also a major reason that we see so few new airframes, and the planes being built today (with a few exceptions) are the same basic planes that were being built 30 or more years ago with some refinements to aerodynamics and avionics. I am new to planes, still a student, and still learning, so stick with me.
My question is beyond what I would consider tweeking, but more when a significant change is made, but the basic airframe is retained. The best examples I can think of is when Piper replaced the hershy bars wings with the tapered wing in the 70's, or their brief inclusion of t-tails on the Lances. How much recertification is needed when a more singificant change is made, but it is not technically a new airframe? Does the whole process need to be repeated, or is it somewhat streamlined?
Assuming it is cheaper to alter an airframe rather than create a new one, is this an avenue to making "old" planes more current, without taking a hugh regulatory monetary hit. Can airframe materials be changed, slight changes to wings, minor changes to demensions, etc be made? How far can makers push changes before the FAA says it is a new plane, you need to certify from scratch? Can we build a new Mooney out of crabon fiber making it lighter and in theory more efficient with more useful load? Is this a possible way to modernize the fleet, and using new and hopefully cheaper production methods, new safety features, circumventing some of the high cost of regulations?
My question is beyond what I would consider tweeking, but more when a significant change is made, but the basic airframe is retained. The best examples I can think of is when Piper replaced the hershy bars wings with the tapered wing in the 70's, or their brief inclusion of t-tails on the Lances. How much recertification is needed when a more singificant change is made, but it is not technically a new airframe? Does the whole process need to be repeated, or is it somewhat streamlined?
Assuming it is cheaper to alter an airframe rather than create a new one, is this an avenue to making "old" planes more current, without taking a hugh regulatory monetary hit. Can airframe materials be changed, slight changes to wings, minor changes to demensions, etc be made? How far can makers push changes before the FAA says it is a new plane, you need to certify from scratch? Can we build a new Mooney out of crabon fiber making it lighter and in theory more efficient with more useful load? Is this a possible way to modernize the fleet, and using new and hopefully cheaper production methods, new safety features, circumventing some of the high cost of regulations?
