Definition
An FAA approval that authorizes a manufacturer to produce and sell replacement or modification parts for installation on type-certificated aircraft, engines, or propellers. The approval certifies that the part meets airworthiness requirements and is eligible to be installed on the specific aircraft models listed in the approval.
Plain English
Official FAA permission for a company to make and sell aircraft parts that aren't built by the original aircraft manufacturer. The part has been tested and approved as safe to install on certain aircraft.
Context Anchor
Seen during aircraft maintenance, parts ordering, repair records, and checks of whether a replacement part is approved for installation.
Derivation
“Manufacturer” comes from older words meaning “to make by hand,” and “approval” means official acceptance. Together, the phrase points to an official FAA acceptance of both the part and the company making it.
Why Pilots Care
Allows lower-cost, airworthy alternatives to original equipment manufacturer parts while maintaining regulatory compliance and aircraft safety.
Intuition Check
Do not read “approval” as a general recommendation or a seller’s claim. In this term, it means a specific FAA permission tied to a specific part and its approved use.
Example Sentence 1
The shop installed a Parts Manufacturer Approval brake disc instead of the original equipment part, and logged the PMA number in the aircraft maintenance records.
Example Sentence 2
Before installation, the logbook entry noted that the part was produced under a valid Parts Manufacturer Approval.