A new FAA program should reduce the difficulty of finding spare parts needed to keep vintage aircraft flying, according to the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA).
The Vintage Aircraft Replacement and Modification Article, or VARMA program, allows maintenance personnel to validate that “low-risk,” off-the-shelf replacement parts are suitable for use in type-certificated aircraft without requiring a complicated, time-consuming FAA approval process. Previously there was no legal basis for installing the parts even though they were “perfectly safe and functional alternatives,” EAA said.
