Definition
Describes an aircraft, engine, propeller, or aircraft component that has not been issued an FAA type certificate. A type certificate is the FAA's formal approval that a particular design meets airworthiness standards. Non-typecertificated items have not gone through that approval process and therefore are not held to the design, production, and continued airworthiness requirements that apply to certificated products.
Plain English
It means the aircraft or part has never received the FAA's official stamp of approval on its design. The FAA has not reviewed and signed off on it as meeting the standard rules that apply to most factory-built aircraft and parts.
Context Anchor
Seen in maintenance records, aircraft approval discussions, inspection guidance, and operating limitations for aircraft that are not approved under a standard type certificate.
Derivation
Built from three parts: 'non-' (Latin, meaning 'not'), 'type certificate' (the FAA's design-approval document), and '-ated' (turned into an adjective). Put together: 'not given a type certificate.' Knowing this helps because the term is really just a plain label saying the design was never formally approved by the FAA.
Why Pilots Care
These aircraft carry different operating rules and limitations than standard production planes.
Intuition Check
Do not read non-typecertificated as “unsafe” or “illegal.” It means the item does not have one specific kind of FAA design approval: a type certificate.
Example Sentence 1
Because the experimental amateur-built airplane is non-typecertificated, the owner can perform maintenance on it that would require a certificated mechanic on a standard category aircraft.
Example Sentence 2
The pilot flew the non-typecertificated plane only within the restrictions listed in its operating limitations letter.