206 jock
Right, got that. This is absolute b*****ks, if you will forgive the language. I can understand the CAA being politically 'diplomatic', but this is nonsense. The orginal reason for no fitment of Agusta parts to Bell machines was a protectionist policy for the domestic market when the aircraft was first certificated by FAA. You and I might not agree with the principle but we could (just) understand the situation. I need to get out some historical docs all archived at present. 2 points that are absolute; Agusta published an Info letter (1980s) which correlated the build of their s/n ships to Bell ones (since at the time the A/B manuals were a photocopy of the Bell manuals including the IPC). This so that the correct dash number components could be checked for compliance with the Type Cert at C of A issue/renewal. Secondly, the containers with Bell pick-ticket parts that were shipped to Agusta are genuine Bell parts, from Bell inventory. I could be wrong but as far as I am aware Agusta don't make any dynamic parts for the 206 any more, and probably the airframe bits would be SOO (special order only). I'll check that when I see the UK dealer in 10 days time and will revert.
It's a contentious issue from which all the emotion needs to be removed, but I would think that CAA (and EASA) are on thin ice if a cogent rationale were to be presented. Possibly the adopted stance comes from an inability to restrain some of the 'wide boys' who in the past have carried out mix-&-match of individual parts in dynamic components within the drive train. That's absolutely against the rules, of course; clearances will be all over the place and airworthiness compromised as a result. But essentially my (personal) argument comes from the baseline that Bell are the DA, and that their parts can & should be fitted to all 206s.
Aviation seems to have lost its way
