All airplanes flying in the United States today have and must display an Airworthiness Certificate issued by the FAA. That certificate may be one of several different kinds, depending upon the purpose of the aircraft. There are 3 major types of certificates applicable to our 450 Stearman aircraft: Standard, Restricted, and Experimental. For comments on the Experimental category, I refer you to the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA).

All 450 Stearman were at one time ag-aircraft, placed in the Restricted Airworthiness category. There may be a few exceptions to this, but they would be so few and far between, that they would simply prove the point.

These aircraft were placed in the Restricted category so that they could go to work as dusting, seeding, spraying, and other agricultural application aircraft.

The mating of the 450 hp engine to the standard airframe was a direct consequence of the need for these workhorses to function in a highly specialized field. Once placed in the Restricted category, all sorts of specialized modifications could and were made to support the working utility of these airplanes.

When retired from their working lives, the old Stearman dusters and sprayers that survived remained licensed in the Restricted-for-ag category.

FAA regulations (and common sense safety concerns) prohibit a Restricted category aircraft from being used for anything other than what is indicated on the Airworthiness Certificate. So, even though an airplane might be restored back to a condition no longer related to Restricted agricultural use, it must also be returned to a Standard Airworthiness Certificate in order to be flown for any purpose at all, now that all the spraying equipment is removed.

Regulations further state that if an airplane was previously certificated in the "Standard" category, that it is eligible to be returned to Standard if a few conditions are met. Virtually all Stearman aircraft were certified in the Standard category soon after being surplused from their military roles, to be later sold and re-constructed for agricultural work.

So, most all 450 Stearman represent a case where they were once certified in the Standard Airworthiness category, then moved to the Restricted Category, retired from the Restricted activities, and now seek to be re-certified as a Standard Category aircraft for general sport aviation use.

You will need to show that modifications made over the years while the airplane was in duster configuration have been removed (as with spray booms, hoppers, dusting equipment) or inspected and approved as airworthy (engine swap, brake swap, etc.). Common items on an old ag airplane that will needed to be re-certified and approved are:

* Engine installation. * Cowling and exhaust system.
* Wheels, brakes, and master cylinders. * Changes to the fuselage or wings.
* Oil tank type and location.
* Tailwheel
* Electrical system repairs.

If the FAA Inspector agrees that your data show your 450 Stearman to be in conformance with safe, standard operation, then the new Standard Airworthiness Certificate will be issued, and your airplane and you will be free to ply the skies exercising your freedom and responsibilities as an airman and airplane.

You must determine what items have been installed and approved either by Supplemental Type Certificate (STC) or by field approval (FAA form 337). Your engine and airframe logbooks will be the starting point for this, and should continue on to the archived airworthiness records kept by the FAA for your airplane. These records are available from the FAA on CD for a very small fee, and you must have these.

Once you have gathered all available logs and other data for your particular aircraft, you must then acquire the Type Certificate Data Sheet (TCDS) for the Stearman. One is available here at the 450 Stearman pages.

The TCDS will list all the pertinant data that describes the aircraft and its configuration and equipment as it must exist in the Standard Airworthiness category.

Once you have the TCDS, logbooks, and archived records in hand, you can then determine what changes, additions, and deletions have been made to your airplane that must be rectified. If the modification does not appear on the TCDS, and was not approved by a field approval or STC, that modification must be either removed, or approved as airworthy in the Standard category.

It is at this point that the process of returning to Standard AWC can be totally derailed.

Essentially what needs to occur is for a competent mechanic to correct each deficiency, and have that work inspected and approved for return to service. If the work is major in nature, such as re-configuring the wings or modifying the control surfaces, the level of inspection is greater. If the work is minor, a competent A&P mechanic and an appropriate logbook endorsement certifying the work is all that is required.

For major work, it is usually required that an A&P mechanic with inspection authorization (A&P IA) will have to work with either an FAA Inspector, or a Designated Airworthiness Inspector (DAR) to complete the work.

An experienced DAR and A&P IA working together should be able to complete most all work and subsequent inspections.

The best tip to be offered will be to find an A&P IA with appropriate experience, and go from there. One excellent way to find such a person will be to secure a recommendation from the local FAA Inspector.

If you find an A&P mechanic or inspector who shows fear of paperwork, keep looking.

Contact me if you have any questions or comments via Stearman Email