Implementation of the Changed Product Rule will amend the procedural regulations for determining the certification basis for an amended Type Certificate, Supplemental Type Certificate (STC) or Limited STC (LSTC). The starting point will be the regulations in effect on the date of application for the change, rather than those regulations incorporated by reference in the type certificate. The rule provides exceptions to permit the applicant, under certain conditions, to comply with previous amendments to those regulations.

TCCA, the FAA, and the JAA are working to incorporate the Changed Product Rule into their respective regulations so that there will be the same effective date with each authority for the new regulations.

Historical Background

In addition to safety considerations there has been a growing international concern that some changed products are given an unfair competitive advantage over those that are of new design and must comply with later standards. To address the concerns an ad hoc committee sponsored by the Aerospace Industries Association of America, known as the International Certification Procedures Task Force (ICPTF), was formed in 1989. 

The following three documents should be read to obtain the historical background on what led to the forming of the ICPTF and subsequent committees, and the materials developed as part of these changed product rule activities:

• Canada Gazette Part I, Regulatory Impact Analysis Statement, published January 31, 2003.
• FAA Notice of Proposed Rulemaking No. 97-7 - Type Certification Procedures for Changed Products.
• FAA Final Rule, Amendment No. 21-77 - Type Certification Procedures for Changed Products.