Shell Management
Why all this discussion on FAA on a European designed engine fitted to an Australian aircraft anyway?
1. It is believed that the FAA & EASA have similar requirements on aircraft and aircraft engine certifications. Both agencies talk to one another and accept back and forth certifications depending on where the aircraft/engine is being designed and built. In the case of the A-380/Trent 900 series, the ball is in EASA's court. In the case of the A-380/GP7200, EASA certified the aircraft, FAA certified the engine as it was developed by GE/PWA in the US.
2. The aircraft is not "Australian", it is of European origin, an Australian airline bought the package (A-380/Trent 900 series) as did other airlines.
3. The FAA accepted the certification packages, but probably depending totally on the EASA's certifications without much ado. No US airlines have purchased A-380/Trent 900 series aircraft. However, for flights into and out of US airports, a comparable FAA certification must exist or there wouldn't be Sydney to LAX flights.
4. Living in the US, it is easy to obtain FAA certification requirements as presented in previous posts. EASA certification requirements are not so easy per-se, perhaps you might contribute similar EASA documents for comparison.
5. The Trent 972 failure on the Qantas A-380 was not a ho-hum event. Anytime a disc bursts out of the engine, it is life threatening. And so, how did this happen? Was it preventable? Were problems identified, leading to this catastrophic event, not fully addressed? Why is there disassociation between what happened on Qantas verses seemingly prior related problems which were either partially addressed or not addressed at all at the time? What were the roles and responsibilities of the various players involved? How have they met their responsibilities?
6. Isn't this what the Tech Log is all about, exploring the possibilities?
Refer to the Operating Instructions for information on approved oil specifications for the Trent 900 old chap.
So what oils are approved for the Trent 900 series engines? It isn't clear in the Type Certification Document.
Turbine D