Who Can Perform a Condition Inspection on an Experimental Airplane?

For an experimental amateur-built (E-AB) aircraft, the condition inspection can be signed by a narrower or a broader set of people than many owners expect. The authority comes from the aircraft's operating limitations and from Part 65. There are three established paths - plus a fourth that the 2025 MOSAIC rule opened for non-builder owners.

1. The repairman certificate (experimental aircraft builder)

Under 14 CFR 65.104, the FAA may issue a repairman certificate (experimental aircraft builder) to the primary builder of an amateur-built aircraft. Its single privilege is to perform the condition inspection on that specific aircraft - the one the holder built. The certificate is tied to that airframe; it does not transfer to a new owner and does not authorize work on any other aircraft.

Eligibility, in brief: you must be the person who built the major portion of the aircraft (be able to show you were the primary builder), be a U.S. citizen or legal resident, and show the FAA you have the requisite knowledge to determine whether the aircraft is in a condition for safe operation. Application is typically made on FAA Form 8610-2 through your local FSDO. If a kit was built by more than one person, only one individual can hold the repairman certificate for that aircraft.

2. An A&P mechanic

Any holder of a mechanic certificate with Airframe and Powerplant (A&P) ratings under 14 CFR 65.81 may perform and sign the condition inspection on an E-AB aircraft. Importantly, an Inspection Authorization (IA) is not requiredfor an experimental condition inspection - the IA is a Part 91.409(a) annual concept, and the condition inspection is not an annual inspection. This is the path for an owner who did not build the aircraft (and so cannot hold the builder's repairman certificate), or who simply prefers a professional to do it.

3. A certificated repair station

An appropriately rated repair station may also perform the condition inspection, though this is the least common route for amateur-built aircraft.

4. MOSAIC: a new path for non-builder owners

This is the biggest change in years, and it directly addresses the gap above. Historically, an owner who boughtan amateur-built aircraft (rather than building it) could not hold the builder's repairman certificate and had to hire an A&P for every condition inspection. The FAA's 2025 MOSAIC final rule (Modernization of Special Airworthiness Certification) opens a new route.

MOSAIC expands the privileges of the light-sport repairman certificate with an inspection rating (LSRI). Under the amended Part 65, Subpart E, the holder of an LSRI may now perform the annual condition inspection on an aircraft that is (1) owned by the holder, (2) holds an experimental airworthiness certificate issued under 14 CFR 21.191(g) (amateur-built), and (3) is in the same category and class for which the holder completed the training course. The significance: the LSRI rating - earned through a short, roughly 16-hour FAA-accepted course - now reaches an experimental amateur-built aircraft you own, even one that is not a light-sport aircraft. For the first time, a non-builder owner has a practical, self-serve path to legally perform their own required condition inspection.

A repairman with the maintenance rating (LSRM), earned through a longer course, goes further still - that person may perform the condition inspection on an amateur-built aircraft of the same category whether or not they own it.

The catch: your operating limitations

There is a critical caveat that is easy to miss. An aircraft's operating limitations have the force of regulation (14 CFR 91.319(i)), and most amateur-built operating limitations issued since the mid-1990s say the condition inspection may be performed only by the holder of a repairman certificate (amateur-built), an FAA-certificated mechanic, or in some cases a repair station. An LSRI or LSRM is none of those. Where that older wording is in force, the new Part 65 privilege does not help until the owner obtains revised operating limitations from the FAA (through the local FSDO/MIDO) that recognize the light-sport repairman categories. Reissuing the operating limitations is optional - it is the step that unlocks the LSRI/LSRM path. Read your own operating limitations first, and confirm the current procedure with the FAA, because this is recent and the details are still settling.

Light-sport aircraft

For experimental light-sport (E-LSA) aircraft, the LSRI path described above has long applied: under 14 CFR 65.107, the owner may earn the inspection rating and perform the annual condition inspection on an E-LSA they own. Special light-sport (S-LSA) condition inspections are handled by a repairman with the maintenance rating or by an A&P. We go deeper in the light-sport article.

Recording the inspection

Whoever performs it, the inspection must be recorded with the prescribed certifying statement, the aircraft total time in service, and the signer's certificate number and kind of certificate. See the FAA requirements article for the wording. This app attributes each sign-off to the credentials of the person who performed it and assembles the matching log entry.