Definition
An FAA internal directive titled Airworthiness Certification of Aircraft, which establishes the procedures and standards FAA personnel and Designated Airworthiness Representatives use when issuing airworthiness certificates and related approvals for aircraft, engines, propellers, and related products.
Plain English
An official FAA rulebook that tells FAA inspectors and their representatives how to decide whether an aircraft is safe and legal to fly, and how to issue the paperwork that proves it.
Context Anchor
Seen in discussions of aircraft airworthiness, repairs, alterations, inspections, and certification paperwork.
Derivation
FAA Orders are numbered internal directives. The 8000 series covers airworthiness, and 8130.2 is the specific order dealing with airworthiness certification. The number itself is just a filing system, not a meaningful code.
Why Pilots Care
Following this order keeps any repair or modification from grounding the aircraft or creating a safety issue that could lead to an accident.
Intuition Check
Do not read “Order” here as a command given to a pilot. Here, “FAA Order 8130.2” means a specific FAA procedure document used for airworthiness certification work.
Example Sentence 1
The inspector cited FAA Order 8130.2 when explaining the steps required to reissue the airworthiness certificate after the major alteration.
Example Sentence 2
Any major alteration must meet the approval standards described in FAA Order 8130.2.