Originally Posted by
mahasamatman
I'm not sure if you're free to say or not, but does each installation have to be individually FAA-inspected, or is UA allowed to self-certify the installations?
The change to the cabin is being performed under a Supplemental Type Certificate (STC). The prototype installation of each new STC requires that each part, each installation, each drawing, each job task card be reviewed and inspected by the MRO site, the STC holder (usually the airline or an engineering company) a specially identified conformity inspector and then the FAA's representative, typically a contracted DER or DAR (designated engineering/airworthiness representative). It is an exhausting process that can slow things down tremendously. The FAA themselves are represented by the third party DER/DAR people who legally perform the function of the FAA but are paid for by the company needing their services.
All of that is part of the reason for the 30 day gap between prototype and the second airplane. All of the revised parts/engineering changes must be production approved and built before the materials are ready for the follow on airplanes. That is not a simple task in the aviation business.