Part 145 Repair Stations Explained: Ratings, Limits, and How to Verify One

A Part 145 certificate is issued to an organization, not a person. To hold one, a facility must demonstrate adequate housing and facilities, tooling and equipment, current technical data, trained personnel, and — critically — a quality control system documented in a repair station manual the FAA has accepted.

That quality system is the real value of the certificate to you as a customer. It is what produces traceable parts, documented inspections, controlled technical data revisions, and records that survive scrutiny at resale or during an insurance claim.

Ratings partition the work. A station holds one or more, each further divided into classes, and each potentially narrowed by written limitations.

The common failure mode is assuming a rating is broader than it is. A station with an airframe rating and a strong reputation may still hold a limitation that excludes your specific type — and the answer to "can you do this?" is sometimes "yes, through a subcontractor," which is a different arrangement with different accountability.

Regulatory authority answers whether the work can legally be signed off. It does not answer whether the shop will do it well, on schedule, or at a defensible price. Layer these on top:

• OEM authorization. Factory authorization for your make and model usually means current technical data, factory training, and warranty-eligible workmanship.
• Type experience. Ask how many of your specific model the shop has inducted in the last twelve months. Type-specific repetition is what compresses turn time.
• In-house versus subcontracted. Paint, interior, NDT, and avionics are commonly farmed out. Subcontracting is normal; not disclosing it is not.
• Capacity right now. A capable shop with no open slot is not a capable shop for your event.
• Records practice. Ask what you receive at return to service and in what format. Poor records cost real money at resale.

1. Get the certificate number and opspecs

Request both in writing. A station that hesitates on this is telling you something. Confirm the certificate is current and the station name matches the entity that will invoice you.

2. Match ratings and limitations to your scope

Walk your actual work scope against the ratings. For each line, identify whether it falls inside a held rating, inside a limitation, or outside entirely — and for anything outside, ask who performs it and under whose certificate.

3. Confirm the registry match

FAA Part 145 covers N-registered aircraft. If your aircraft is on another registry, or you plan to change registry, confirm the station holds the corresponding approval — many hold both FAA and EASA under bilateral agreements, but you should verify rather than assume.

4. Ask how discrepancies get authorized

Before induction, agree on the dollar threshold above which discovered work requires your written approval, and who at the shop is authorized to request it. This single agreement prevents most invoice disputes.

5. Confirm insurance and the return-to-service package

Hangar keepers coverage, the certificate of insurance, and a written description of the records you will receive. Get these before the aircraft moves, not after.

MannaCore captures certificate and rating information as part of provider onboarding, so operators see verified capability alongside each proposal rather than taking a claim at face value. Once you have shortlisted qualified shops, our proposal evaluation checklist covers comparing what they send back — and if you are budgeting the event, the per-flight-hour cost breakdown explains where the money actually goes.