Originally Posted by
Cyclic Hotline
Apologies for the long post here, but this details why you're surmising that swapping a data plate isn't wrong, bad or has any significant impact.
Using the airframe from an aircraft and rebuilding it has never been a problem if you follow the correct processes and is something I am intimately familiar with. The process is straightforward, entirely legal and has always been a part of aviation. There are even processes to build up former military aircraft from parts and issue them serial numbers, likewise for returning aircraft to service if their records are lost and destroyed.
What isn't legal is to remove the data plate from one aircraft and put it on another airframe with no approval or record of the change. It never has been - thank you Wrench 1 for your CAR reference. This has been going on illegally for years, and the more of these guys get caught and thrown in jail, the better. The reason it is so prevalent in the helicopter business is the rewards are huge, and in many cases cheap and easily procured military models provide very similar (or even identical) airframes to use as donors. I know who many of these people are, would never touch anything associated with them, but they are good at covering their tracks. I have discovered some of their actions, and have been involved with FAA and FBI investigations of their activities when they are detected, including bogus (timed out, and otherwise modified) blades and components. They remain a major risk to the unwary who may be paying top dollars for a low dollar imitation, that also may have it's C of A revoked if detected.
So, let's take a quick review of the regulatory process in the US, so we can all understand clearly why this is entirely in conflict with the entire FAA Federal Aviation Regulations (FARs). We'll go from beginning to end, as some of it will come back to bite you in multiple ways.
We are assuming the initial Aircraft has been appropriately designed, certified and manufactured in accordance with the FARs;
I'll let you reach your own conclusions.
And potential customers wondered why after over 35 years I and numerous others stopped carrying out pre purchase or engineering surveys.............................the older (45 years plus) the ships got the harder it was to verify the identity of parts and components after having been on numerous foreign registers and had numerous owners. For example, what Rolls Royce (Allison) did by identifying high value engine modules with simple screw on identification plates is beyond me, I lost count of the amount of wrong ident plates on engine modules I found on surveys.
Even found the completely wrong engine fitted on a twin in the UK that was for sale, it would have been sold with the correct engine data plate (somebody changed it...), but not the correct engine or any engine documentation, the original engine was hidden in the back of the hangar with metal generation, it should be unbelievable but I had taken another Licensed Engineer with me to help inspect the records and he witnessed it for himself. Potential customers want surveys carried out while they are looking at the machine, on a high, having a coffee, thinks the inspection takes a couple of hours, only want to pay for a days work. But they will not hesitate to take you to court 6 months later after they buy the ship and find something wrong during heavy maintenance that they think you should have found wrong...........been there, an expensive experience.