Reims-Cessna Certification: A13EU, French Manufacture and Approval Research

Reims-Cessna aircraft have their own certification identities under FAA type certificate A13EU. Their relationship to U.S. Cessna designs does not make a French-built F150 or F152 interchangeable with a U.S. 150 or 152 for approval research. Historical manufacturer, model identity, certificate administration and approval scope are separate pieces of the record.

Reims F150 G-BAXU taxiing at Gloucestershire Airport — Reims F150 G-BAXU at Gloucestershire Airport. This French-built family example illustrates the Reims production branch. Photo: James from Cheltenham, Gloucestershire · Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 2.0. Resized, WebP.

A13EU is an identity reference

The A13EU document guide explains its role in identifying F150, FA150, FRA150, F152 and FA152 models and their configuration relationships. The broad family relationship is useful, but a particular approval still needs the exact model designation and any serial or installation condition.

Identity certification context research records
Reference family	Topic	Authoritative Finding	Reference
Cessna 150	Reims FAA TC A13EU	A13EU covers F150F/G/H/J/K/L/M, FA150K/L/M, FRA150L/M, F152 and FA152.	[1]
Cessna 150	Reims TC transfer	A13EU transferred from Reims Aviation S.A. to Cessna Aircraft Company on 2006-12-11. FAA then accepted State of Design and State of Manufacture status for certification purposes.	[1]
Cessna 150	Current TC holder	A13EU Rev 16 identifies Textron Aviation Inc. as TC holder and records the 2015 transfer from Cessna Aircraft Company.	[1]
Cessna 150	Reims European context	EASA describes Reims-Cessna as a French company manufacturing Cessna aircraft under license and notes that U.S. Cessna approvals cannot automatically be assumed to cover French-built examples.	[2]

Table sources:

The table quotes the retained research findings, including the certificate-transfer history. References to a holder or revision describe the cited record; they are not a fresh verification of present administrative status. See Technical Documents.

A later transfer does not change where an aircraft was built

The retained A13EU context records a transfer from Reims Aviation to Cessna on 11 December 2006 and an accompanying change in FAA certification treatment. It also records the later Cessna-to-Textron transfer in the cited revision. Those are administrative events, not statements that an older French-built airframe was manufactured in the United States.

This distinction is useful when a sale listing names a current corporate brand while historical records name Reims Aviation. The difference may reflect different fields rather than a conflict. Preserve the original manufacturer and the certificate history instead of replacing both with one company name.

Reims Cessna FRA150L Aerobat G-BABD parked on grass — Reims Cessna FRA150L Aerobat G-BABD at Duxford. This view illustrates the FRA branch; it does not expose or identify the installed engine. Photo: Alan Wilson from Peterborough, Cambs, UK · Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 2.0. Resized, WebP.

U.S. approval language needs an exact check

The retained EASA context explicitly warns against assuming U.S. Cessna approvals automatically cover French-built examples. A familiar engine, similar fuselage or shared part number does not by itself answer whether an alteration approval includes the exact Reims model. The Reims modifications guide develops that installation-level question.

Jurisdiction is another separate layer. A document's relevance to type identity does not establish every requirement for an aircraft in a particular registry. This site provides research relationships rather than an approval opinion for an individual aircraft.

Reading unusual Reims designations

FRA150 history is particularly important because the retained authority report describes a Reims-developed higher-power variant with no direct Cessna equivalent. Do not reduce FRA150 to an ordinary U.S. Aerobat name. The FRA150 development guide connects the engine and configuration evidence, while the serial-identification guide preserves the distinct notation and model relationships. Together they provide a more reliable starting point than translating every French prefix into a U.S. model by appearance.

Reims F150 G-BFIY viewed from the front quarter — Reims F150 G-BFIY at Turweston. Use the aircraft records to establish its exact model and current equipment. Photo: James from Cheltenham, Gloucestershire · Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 2.0. Resized, WebP.

What does shared design ancestry establish?

EASA Reims guidance describes the licensed Cessna design relationship and separate French certificates. That relationship helps explain why similar aircraft can still need distinct approval records. It does not authorize copying a U.S. handbook's fuel, weight or performance figures into a Reims comparison.

For an F150 or F152 purchase, separate the identity question from the alteration question. Use the aircraft plate and applicable certificate material for the first, then the approval's stated model scope for the second. If a source describes a broad family, keep its wording at that level rather than treating it as a complete list of numerical specifications for every variant.

Apply the authority history to the product being reviewed

Use the Reims AD research guide to separate the airframe enquiry from the actual engine, propeller and appliances. Registration rules and product authority history belong beside the exact directive, rather than being inferred from French manufacture alone.

The unresolved controlling-certificate discrepancy described here remains unresolved. It should not be repaired by borrowing an identifier from a similar model, nor used as a reason to stop researching independently identified component publications. Record what each source establishes and what controlling evidence is still missing.