Originally Posted by
Pilot DAR
I'm not sure about the FAA system, but in Canada, "experimental" and "amateur built" are two very different categories for different purposes.
The FAA system starts with 2 classes of airworthiness certificate: Standard and Special. Each class if further broke down into categories. On the Special certificate side there 8 categories: Primary, Restricted, Multiple, Limited, Light Sport, Experimental, Special Flight Permit, and Provisional. Under the Experimental category there are 10 "sub-categories" one of which is: operating amateur-built aircraft. So in the FAA system amateur built aircraft is a subset of the Experimental category but not a standalone special airworthiness certificate category. However, there is the same 51% amateur build rule as the TCCA system with similar limitations and restrictions.