Importing a 1940 Ryan STM to the UK

A good friend of mine Peter Holloway owned and operated a Ryan STA out of Old Warden for about 3 years till 2017 when it was sold to a new owner in Norway.I accompanied the aircraft in my Robin DR400 as as an escort ,baggage ferry and transport home for the pilot on its delivery flight initially to Denmark.It was always on the N register having lived for many years in Germany and was purchased from there after it’s owner died.A fabulous looking aircraft I understand challenging to fly. It was always parked with a champagne bucket as it’s drip tray.I never flew it though I did a lot of time time on Peters PT 22.The STA was maintained at Old Warden by the Shuttleworth collection and the chief engineer John (Jean) Munn would be a very good guy to talk to.John was the pilot for the delivery ferry flight to Denmark…a very talented man.PM me if you need phone numbers for him or PH.
Regards Stampe

Here are all the Ryan Aeronautical type certificate data sheets – I couldn’t post a link that would repeat the search on the FAA website. Given that the plane is visually an STM which seemingly has no civilian TC, when annual inspection time comes along its important to know which standard category TC covers the plane.

Per the FAA Registry Link, the aircraft appears to be a Ryan ST-A, TC 571. Here is the associated TCDS Note that the eligible engine listed is a Menasco Pirate C4, which is a 125 HP non-supercharged engine, which is different than the engine used on the non-certified military STM.

A post above says the plane is an ST-A Special, which is TC 681. This one had the same supercharged C4-S as the STM. Here is the associated TCDS listing the supercharged engine. Other details did vary between ST-A Special and STM, cockpit opening shape etc. Happily none of that stuff is listed on the rudimentary TCDS of the time but a key issue may be what data is listed on the airframe data plate. On antiques these are not standardized which may be useful here, and it may be very useful to ensure the data plate as well as the configuration of the plane does not directly contradict ATC 681 and the associated TCDS. It would also be very useful to get the CD (or whatever electronic form is current) with the FAA aircraft records all the way back to day one.

This stuff could become relevant when you switch to a new A&P IA in a country where there may be fewer IAs to choose from. The problem should not be with importation or operation of a standard category FAA certified aircraft in the UK. However once you’re away from ‘home’ (for the plane) it could possibly be an issue getting an FAA certified antique with no type support organization and a possibly unclear FAA certification basis through Annual Inspection. You will need to find the ‘right A&P IA’

Tread carefully Hope it works out well.

Well that’s excellent news.

anywhere in the world on N-register

Except Norway, Denmark, and most of the 3rd World

The plane is registered as an ST-A, meaning that like most ST-As it is in FAA standard category – ST-As were a certified aircraft sold to the general public.

There is no issue with operating a standard category aircraft anywhere in the world on N-register, and assuming it adequately conforms to TCDS for an ST-A there will be no problem with the Annual Inspection sign-off by a European based FAA A&P IA. Do pay attention to the latter point as European based IAs with no antique aircraft background may not be particularly tolerant of inconsequential but unapproved mods and may be drawn to differences between STM and ST-A configuration. If nothing else, pick your IA carefully.

Contact the LAA first. Then the CAA. The LAA might be able to give you useful contacts if it’s not something they could handle.
They do some warbird trainers
PS It looks like one of the very, very few aircraft suitable for modern flight training, equipped for social distancing of trainee and instructor.

Yes; in the UK you can have an LAA Permit or a CAA Permit.

The Spitfires are on the CAA Permit, for example.

I wonder if @Carbon_copy might know about this one.

Peter wrote:

For a UK based pilot I think you need to put it on the G-reg (via the LAA system) or forget it

I don’t think the LAA is appropriate but there are CAA Permits to Fly for historic aircraft. The Vulcan operated on one, as do many other lesser warbirds

If, as it appears, this plane is not an ICAO certified type, you can import it no problem (that import agent is talking bollox) but there is a 28 day maximum time for being based in the UK (same in France too).

Obviously nobody is going to enforce it if it is just sitting somewhere but it is one of those regulations which is “self enforcing” because (a) pilots tend to follow rules (even ones which don’t exist ) and (b) the insurance is likely to be void if you crashed it. In France one proposed solution is this and anyway I doubt many there are bothered but it means you have to operate “below the radar” which detracts from the utility value considerably.

Then you have this stuff and it is generally tighter for non European reg types.

This may also be of interest.

For a UK based pilot I think you need to put it on the G-reg (via the LAA system) or forget it. Well, you could fly it out of a farm strip, or between farm strips, without a transponder and never land anywhere “bigger”

Whether this type can go on the LAA system I have no idea but others here will know.

For a certified aircraft there is no issue operating in the UK. Brussels has mandated EASA pilot papers, so you need the FAA ones plus the European ones. There are no issues with Part 91 maintenance etc. There are not all that many FAA A&P (most tend to work for companies and are sensitive about freelancing) and there are much fewer A&PIAs, but one can manage. I’ve been N-reg since 2005.