Originally Posted by
Rigga
So you don't care! - I think you need to buy this wonderful car I've just taped together!
Hey, nice analogy there, bub! I mean...not. Rigga, please!
Look, cars don't have to be assembled with certified parts that either have yellow-tags or 8130's or Component Historical Record cards...you know...what people in the aviation industry call "traceability." And those parts must be installed and signed-off by a federally-certified mechanic. Al maintenance must be documented. And then the whole shebang must be signed-off by a certified mechanic with Inspection Authorization.
There are checks and balances, in other words.
Can stuff be faked? Sure, disreputable people do dishonest things all the time. Bad things happen if an ignorant buyer procures a sketchy part or aircraft from a shady supplier and due-diligence isn't performed.
If the rules are followed (with respect to my first paragraph), then I see nothing wrong with, say, building up a Bell 47 or even a 206 from legitimate parts. It was done routinely in both the fixed- and rotary-wing industries until the FAA changed the game. FAA now clarified their rule and says that you cannot remove a data tag or data plate from one component and put it on another. And Bell changed the game too. If a Bell aircraft is crashed (and that crash is reported), and said aircraft is listed as "destroyed," Bell removes that airframe serial number from its master list, rendering the ship permanently unairworthy.
There is nothing inherently "unsafe" about taking a 206 fuselage shell, sticking a data plate from another hull on it, and then installing a bunch of legitimate, certified components, documenting all of the maintenance performed, and having it signed-off as complying with its Type Certificate by an IA. Just about everything on a 206 has a yellow-tag or a CHR card. All that stuff is usually kept in a big binder along with the aircraft and engine logbooks. It's not rocket science. If that stuff isn't available, a buyer should run, not walk away.
Building up an aircraft from legitimate parts is not the same as "taping together" a car and selling it to an unsuspecting buyer.