Is a release path determination the same as an airworthiness approval?

No. It is a written commercial assessment of which approval a part can hang on and which release document will travel with it. The airworthiness finding belongs to the authority of the State of Registry and to the design approval holder.

What happens if the answer is no?

You get the reason in writing, and the route that would have to exist before the part could be installed. No quotation follows a negative determination, because there is nothing to quote.

How current is the acceptance position you check against?

It is checked per enquiry, against the position in force at that time. Acceptance arrangements change, so a determination is issued for one part number and one registry, and it is re-checked when the programme moves forward.

Release path determination

Will this part actually be installable on your aircraft?

Four inputs. Three lines back, in writing. It costs nothing, it takes one exchange, and it is the only question worth settling before anyone talks about price.

The determination may be negative. That is the point.

What goes in, what comes out

No forms to fill in twice. The four inputs are the four things that change the answer.

Inputs
Part number	The number you intend to buy or build.
Aircraft type	The type the part will be fitted to, not the fleet’s generic family.
State of Registry	Where the aircraft is registered, which decides which authority’s acceptance counts.
Approval you hold	PMA, POA, TSOA, TC/STC, a national approval, or none yet.

Outputs
Installable	YES NO CONDITIONAL
Approval basis	Whose approval the part hangs on — yours, or a named manufacturing partner’s.
Release document	The tag or certificate that travels with the part, and who signs it.

A conditional answer always states the condition. “Conditional” without a stated condition is the same as no answer, and we do not issue those.

How the answer is reached

Four things decide it, and none of them is the price of the part.

Step	What we check	Why it decides
1	What the part is approved against	A PMA, a POA, a TSOA and a TC/STC are not interchangeable. The basis decides what may be claimed.
2	Which release document that basis can produce	An approval normally maps to one document family: 8130-3, Form 1, an airworthiness approval tag, or a certificate of conformity where the receiving authority allows it.
3	Whether the receiving authority accepts that document	Acceptance is a matter for the importing authority. Bilateral arrangements cover some document pairs and some part categories, not all of them.
4	Whether the installation itself is covered	The part can be airworthy and still not fit the approved design without an STC, a modification approval or the TC holder’s consent.

We re-check the acceptance position at the time of each enquiry. It is not a standing statement and it is not a legal opinion. The finding on the aircraft stays with the authority of the State of Registry and with the design approval holder.

Three determinations, as issued

Details removed, structure kept. The second one is the reason this page exists.

Example 1 — yes

YES

Situation	Part built to the holder’s own FAA PMA; aircraft on the US register
Approval basis	Holder’s PMA
Release document	FAA 8130-3, issued by the holder
Determination	Installable as a direct replacement, subject to the operator’s maintenance programme.

Example 2 — no

Situation	Part to be built under a partner’s CAAC approval; aircraft on an EU member state register
Approval basis	Partner’s CAAC approval, no EASA approval covering the part
Release document	CAAC airworthiness approval tag
Determination	Not installable as a direct replacement on that register. An EASA approval, an STC or an approved modification would have to exist first.

Example 3 — conditional

CONDITIONAL

Situation	Part built under the holder’s EASA POA; operator in a registry that accepts a Form 1 with a POA statement
Approval basis	Holder’s POA
Release document	EASA Form 1 plus the POA holder’s statement
Determination	Installable if the receiving authority accepts that document set for this part category and the operator’s approved maintenance data covers the fit.

Request a determination

One part number is enough to start. A list is fine too — attach it and we will work through it.

Who you are

Name

Company

What you want determined

Part number(s)

One per line. If the list is long, attach it below instead.

Aircraft type

State of registry

Approval you hold

Quantity per year

Notes

Attachment

Part list or drawing package

CSV, XLSX, PDF or TXT, up to 5 MB. Drawings and specifications are covered by the NDA you sign before transfer — send nothing you are not authorised to share.

We answer in writing within two working days. A determination can come back negative — that is the point of asking.

We are the only partner in this chain who tells you before you order which document your part will carry, and whether your registration will accept it.

Every trader can move a box. The expensive mistakes in this business happen in the two weeks after the box lands, when somebody discovers the tag is the wrong one for that register. One written determination removes that risk from the programme.

Send the four inputs