Mel Asberry
Mel Asberry is an experienced Designated Airworthiness Representative specializing in Experimental/Amateur-Built aircraft. He and his wife, Ann, have built seven amateur-built airplanes including two ultralight types, a Moni Motorglider, a Dragonfly Mk2, two RV-6s and a Zenair CH 601HDS. They are currently building a scratch-built biplane.
Ask the DAR
How do you know when the sum of purchased parts exceeds the 51% rule? Does the data plate have to match the registration? DAR Mel Asberry answers these questions and more.
Ask the DAR
Does an A&P have to sign off on an ELT inspection? And can a Sport Pilot fly a Cessna 172?
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Can a former Part 103 aircraft be registered as an LSA? And how is an appropriate Phase I flight-test area determined?
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Who can be in the cockpit of a homebuilt aircraft during Phase I flight testing? Mel Asberry answers the question.
Gross Weights and “Destroyed” Airplanes
Where you you find the gross weight of an aircraft? And can you re-register an airplane that the FAA has deemed "destroyed?"
Ask The DAR
DAR Mel Asberry answers a reader’s question regarding the Experimental/Amateur-Built eligibility of an airplane he’s building with parts salvaged from a Cessna 175.
Ask the DAR
Mel Asberry answers readers’ questions on one-off engineering data requirements, how to fill out an AC 20-27G form, and how to test-fly an aircraft in the U.S. Virgin Islands.
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Non-Marring Fluting Pliers
Are your fluting pliers leaving scratches in the aluminum? Here's an easy and quick...