NBAA Welcomes Senate Legislation To Simplify Certification For General Aviation Aircraft

The bill is similar to the Small Airplane Revitalization Act of 2013, which was introduced earlier this month in the U.S. House of Representatives by Rep. Mike Pompeo (R-4-KS) and co-sponsored by Reps. Sam Graves (R-6-MO), Dan Lipinski (D-3-IL), Rick Nolan (D-8-MN) and Todd Rokita (R-4-IN).

Both bills would set a date for implementation of the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) Part 23 Reorganization Aviation Rulemaking Committee (ARC) recommendations to adopt consensus-based, design-specific performance requirements to achieve FAA certification. The Part 23 revisions would help achieve goals set forth by FAA Administrator Michael Huerta to double aircraft safety, while cutting in half the cost necessary to achieve FAA certification.

“We welcome the introduction of this Part 23 legislation in the Senate and are encouraged by the widespread bipartisan support the effort is receiving in both houses of Congress,” said Ed Bolen, NBAA president and CEO. “The Part 23 certification process as it exists today is cumbersome, time-consuming, costly and quite simply out-of-date. Revisions are necessary to adapt to the new level of technology commonly found today in general aviation aircraft. These bills will establish a standardized, deliberative method to ensure that the latest operational and safety advances are available as quickly as possible to the companies relying on business aviation.”

Part 23 contains the FAA certification standards for most light civil aircraft weighing less than 12,500 lbs. The ARC recommendations, which came following an 18-month review of the Part 23 certification process by 150 international regulatory and aviation industry representatives on the ARC, would make certification easier by simplifying the incorporation of new technologies in certified aircraft. The recommendations also call for establishment of a system of consensus-based compliance standards.