FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS Europe European Technical Standard Order The following information is found on the European Aviation Safety Agency’s general aviation frequently asked questions website. QUESTION: How do I know whether an ETSO approval has been grandfathered? ANSWER: Any part approved or validated by any member state before the establishment of EASA is deemed to be ‘grandfathered’ under Commission Regulation (EU) No. 748/2012 Article 6. The EASA published a list of JAA-approved equipment on the EASA website under ETSO authorizations. AEA comment: However, the list may not contain all national JTSO certified equipment. Additional review on national aviation authority websites may be necessary. Unfortunately, there are tens of thousands of these approvals, and it has not been possible to put together a database. The EASA normally recommends an inquirer to contact the approval holder and check with them directly whether they have any European Union customers. The approval holder should know who his customers have been, because he has obligations to maintain continued airworthiness for his modifications. Another option would be to check with the NAA that issued the approval. In general, the following applies for grandfathering: Approvals issued during one of the red marked time periods are not grandfathered and need validation by EASA. EASA approvals and grandfathered approvals are valid in all EU member states as well as Norway, Iceland, Switzerland and Liechtenstein. AEA Note: The “10 new EU member states” are the ones that became EU members in May 2004. q avionics news • august 2013 19