DEPARTMENT OF THE AIR FORCE
HEADQUARTERS AIR FORCE LIFE CYCLE MANAGEMENT CENTER
WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE OHIO
BULLETIN
AWB–1009
25MAR2016
Distribution Statement A – Approved for public release; distribution unlimited
USAFCenterofExcellenceforAirworthiness
United States Air Force (USAF) Airworthiness Bulletin (AWB)-1009
Subject: Airworthiness Flight Authorizations – Military Type Certificate (MTC)/Military
Flight Release (MFR)
Attachments: (1) Glossary of References and Supporting Information
(2) Flight Authorization Authority, Reportability, and Issuance Guidelines
1. Purpose: This bulletin provides direction, templates, and instructions for issuance or
rescission of airworthiness flight authorizations. This bulletin supersedes AWB-015A,
Military Type Certificate (MTC) and Supplemental Military Type Certificate (SMTC) and
AWB-006, Military Flight Release (MFR).
2. Office of Primary Responsibility (OPR): The USAF Airworthiness (AW) Office,
AFLCMC/EZSA, is the OPR. Comments, suggestions, or questions on this bulletin should be
emailed to the USAF AW Office Mailbox at USAF.Airworthiness.Office@us.af.mil.
3. General Overview of Flight Authorizations: Department of Defense Directive (DoDD)
5030.61, DoD Airworthiness Policy, directs airworthiness approvals be issued by an
airworthiness authority (or delegated airworthiness authority) and made available prior to flight.
The USAF Technical Airworthiness Authority (TAA) and authorized Delegated Technical
Authority (DTA) issue airworthiness flight authorizations to comply with this requirement.
a. An airworthiness flight authorization is the airworthiness approval defined in DoDD
5030.61, issued by the TAA or authorized DTA, which affirms that the appropriate tenets
of the airworthiness process are met and that the air system was assessed against the
required airworthiness standards and any residual risk to aircrew, ground crew, passengers,
or to third parties has been accepted by the appropriate authority. In this AWB the term
‘flight authorization’ is used to refer to an ‘airworthiness flight authorization.’ Flight
authorizations include documented configuration, restrictions, limitations, approved
operational and maintenance technical orders (TOs), intended usage, and accepted risks.
b. USAF flight authorizations consist of either a Military Type Certificate (MTC) or a
Military Flight Release (MFR). An MFR is issued in lieu of the Military Experimental
Flight Release (MEFR), Military Restricted Flight Release (MRFR), and Special Flight
Release (SFR) addressed in Air Force Instruction (AFI) 62-601, USAF Airworthiness,
paragraphs 1.7.1.1, 1.7.1.4, and 1.7.2, respectively.
c. Flight authorizations are issued, if appropriate, on the basis of design-based or non-design-
based airworthiness assessments.
