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Did You Remove Your Engine Data Plate?

Noah

Well Known Member
Did you remove your engine data plate from your TC'd Lycoming engine because you installed an LSE ignition in place of one magneto, or installed an aftermarket experimental alternator?

Any mod done to the engine without an STC, PMA'd part, or field approval (like the addition of a standby alternator in place of the vac pump or the addition of a P-Mag), or your working on it without an A&P signing off your work (Repairman's Cert for your RV doesn't cover it BTW) VOIDS THE ENGINE TYPE CERTIFICATE. What I just learned is that you can be subject to enforcement action if you fly with these mods and you have your original data plate on the engine, which in reality no longer applies because you modified something. So, did you remove your data plate? Anybody ever been ramp checked and had a problem?
 
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My Lycoming O-360 was delivered from Aero Sport Power with the plate still attached. Showed it to the FAA on airworthy inspection and he said nothing about removing the data plate. He just gave me a 40 hour phase I instead of 25 since ASP built the engine.
 
The data plate from Aerosport is not a certified type plate (you could not install that engine in a certified acft). I have never heard of a ramp check where you have to pull the engine cowl.
 
I asked the local FISDO about this before they came for the inspection and they said they USED to request the data plate be removed but not any longer. The reason is Lycoming asked them to stay in place so when a HB went down, they could check on the history of the engine.

Thus, the data plate on my O-290-D2 that is installed in my -9 and that I did major work on in my basement w/o and A&P/IA looking over my work is still on the sump.

Leave it on and don't worry about it. If the inspector gives you a hard time, is only takes four small screws to remove it.
 
Many people stamp an "X" at the end of the model number when a modification has been done. i.e. O-320-E3DX
 
Any mod done to the engine without an STC, PMA'd part, or field approval (like the addition of a standby alternator in place of the vac pump or the addition of a P-Mag), or your working on it without an A&P signing off your work (Repairman's Cert for your RV doesn't cover it BTW) VOIDS THE ENGINE TYPE CERTIFICATE. What I just learned is that you can be subject to enforcement action if you fly with these mods and you have your original data plate on the engine, which in reality no longer applies because you modified something. So, did you remove your data plate? Anybody ever been ramp checked and had a problem?


Naaaw... not true. This would be the case if the engine was in a certificated aircraft, but not in an aircraft with an experimental airworthiness certificate.

And we can legally do whatever repair, modification, overhaul, maintainence, cosmetics, whatever, on our engine (Lycoming, Continental, or Briggs and Stratton) we please. The only time an A&P must enter the picture is to sign the log book at condition inspection time if the holder of the repairman's certificate isn't available.
 
And BTW....the data plate on my engine from AeroSportPower is a Lycoming data plate. True, it could not be flown in a certified aircraft the way it is but it is the original Lycoming data plate.
 
Leave it on if you can

Some DAR's make you some don't care. The engine is not certified in a experimental, since the installation is not type certified. This conversation came up in regards to complying with AD's, is it mandatory. Categorically AD's do not apply to experimentals a legal fact. However again the opinion of some DAR's gets to be de facto rules. There is no rhyme or reason to some of the contradictions and hypocrisy when certifying experimental aircraft. As far as data tags leave it on. It only becomes an issue if the engine is returned to a TYPE Certificate installation in a part 23 airframe.
 
My DAR wouldn't sign-off with the dataplate on the engine. I removed it. He approved my aircraft and as he was leaving he said, "You should keep that dataplate in a safe place - like back on the engine."
 
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