Aeronautix Offers Free STC for Seven-Seat Piper Owners Looking to Fly Under BasicMed

A certification engineering firm has devised a solution for seven-place Piper PA-32 and PA-34 owners who are unable to comply with the six-place requirement under BasicMed to take advantage of the medical certification reforms – free of charge.

A full list of Piper aircraft that are covered by Aeronautix's AML-STC is included on the company's website. The STC is now being offered for free, no strings attached, and any operators who had originally purchased Aeronautix's STC will be reimbursed as well. That information is also on the website.

Aeronautix, which specializes in developing Supplemental Type Certificates (STCs) and Parts Manufacturer Approvals (PMAs), said it created the Approved Model List Supplemental Type Certificate (AML-STC) limiting the two aircraft families to six seats and presented the information to AOPA in February hoping to get editorial coverage. Unbeknownst to Aeronautix, AOPA had been creating its own similar STC and began offering it free of charge to members and for $99 to non-members this week. That's when Aeronautix decided to offer its Piper seat-mod STC for free. FAR 61.113 states that pilots flying under BasicMed are not allowed to operate aircraft that can carry more than six people.

BasicMed was passed in July 2016, and eliminates the need for pilots to obtain a third-class medical certificate to fly as long as the aircraft being operated meet the six-place requirement, and have a certified maximum takeoff weight 6,000 pounds or less, plus other considerations.

Company engineer Jonathan Adams described the modification on Aeronautix’s website. “By installing the Aeronautix BasicMed six-Place Occupancy Restriction STC your seven-place aircraft becomes a six-place aircraft and meets the requirements of BasicMed (14 CFR §61.113). Our STC requires any installed seventh seat be removed with no additional modification to any of the applicable aircraft,” he said.