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?
Ask the DAR
Can a former Part 103 aircraft be registered as an LSA? And how is an appropriate Phase I flight-test area determined?
Ask the DAR
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.
In Case You Missed It
Unairworthy: Isolator Mount Problems
Rubber isolator mounts should not have a gap between them and the engine mount when properly torqued.
Unusual Attitude
Guest columnist Bob Collins takes on those who would rush the airplane building process in the name of getting real about the project. To him, the journey is as important as the destination, and he believes he has his priorities straight when he occasionally puts family and friends ahead of spending an extra hour or two in the garage.
