Rotorcraft Directorate

Who We Are

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The title, Rotorcraft Directorate, can be misleading. The Rotorcraft Directorate is responsible for the FAA approval of the design and production of any civil aviation product in the Southwest Region. This includes airplanes, rotorcraft, powered-lift aircraft, engines, balloons, parts, etc.

Additionally, and the reason for the title, we are responsible for writing regulations and policies governing the design of rotorcraft and powered-lift aircraft, the standard application of these regulations and policies within the United States and the validation/FAA approval of foreign rotorcraft and powered-lift aircraft.

To accomplish these tasks we have the following offices. The individual office responsibilities presented are general and there may be some exceptions:

• Airplane Certification Office  approves Type Certificates (TCs), Supplemental Type Certificates (STCs), Technical Standard Order Approvals (TSOAs) and the engineering portion of Parts Manufacturer Approvals (PMAs) for airplanes that are type certificated in the Southwest Region.


• Rotorcraft Certification Office  approves TCs, STCs, TSOAs, and the engineering portion of PMAs for rotorcraft in the Southwest Region.


• Special Certification Office  approves STCs, TSOAs and the engineering portion of PMAs for airplanes not type certificated in the Southwest Region. This office also approves TCs, STCs, and the engineering portion of PMAs for engines in the Southwest Region.


• Manufacturing Inspection Office  consists of 3 Manufacturing Inspection District Offices (MIDOs) that are responsible for production approvals, airworthiness certification, conformity inspections and production oversight of all civil aircraft and facilities in the Southwest Region.


• Rotorcraft Standards Staff  is responsible for writing regulations and policies governing the design of rotorcraft and powered-lift aircraft, ensuring the standard application of these regulations and policies within the United States and the validation/FAA approval of foreign rotorcraft and powered-lift aircraft. Additionally this office processes all domestic rotorcraft airworthiness directives and oversees the rotorcraft Continued Operational Safety program.

One of the resources made available to us to carry out the duties described above are designees and designated facilities that make approvals on our behalf. All of the offices, except the Rotorcraft Standards Staff, are responsible for the oversight and supervision of the designees and designated facilities.

The Rotorcraft Directorate offices, except 2 MIDOs, are located in the FAA Southwest Regional Office in Fort Worth, TX. We have one MIDO located in Oklahoma City, OK and one in San Antonio, TX.

The organization of the Rotorcraft Directorate is depicted in this organizational chart (PDF).