In a move that could result in lower costs for entry-level certified GA aircraft, the US FAA has formed a committee to modernise the Part 23 design and manufacturing rules.
The Federal Aviation Administration has tasked its newly formed Part 23 Reorganisation Aviation Rulemaking Committee with modernising the design and manufacturing rules for entry-level, certified aircraft. It is expected that this could eventually lead to reduced certification costs and open up new growth opportunities for existing Special Light Sport Aircraft (S-LSA) manufacturers, while also increasing safety for all GA aircraft.
The General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA) says that as the FAA has worked to address aircraft with increased complexity and performance, the certification process for light aircraft has become over-burdensome.
“General Aviation activity on the light end has been in a steady decline for decades,” GAMA President and CEO Pete Bunce said. “The number of new airplanes being sold today is but a tiny fraction of decades past. While there are a number of factors contributing to this decline, one very prevalent issue is the increasing cost of certification and manufacturing oversight, which has led to a lack of cost-effective, entry-level products which attract new pilots.
“GAMA believes the FAA’s vision for the new Part 23 rules will enhance the vitality of GA for future generations of pilots and aircraft owners.”
GAMA says the rewrite of the Part 23 certification rules will align the requirements to address simple products with equivalent rules while eliminating the need for special conditions on high-performance and complex aircraft such as light jets. This will make certification and manufacturing for a particular product more efficient, thereby decreasing the costs involved and acting as a catalyst for the resurgence of the light end of the market.
GAMA adds that the strict safety standards inherent in the Part 23 certification rules will become even more effective as the rules become increasingly tailored to the products and technologies undergoing certification. GAMA hopes that authorities from around the world will participate as observers in this process so that these new certification standards for light aircraft will be consistent and accepted around the globe.
“As we look towards the future, the rewrite will also assure that the FAA design regulations are flexible in nature so they properly address airplanes and new technologies built over the next 20 years,” the industry body says. “Flexibility in the requirements is necessary to maintaining the level of innovation and safety we have come to expect in General Aviation. The rewrite will also give LSA manufacturers a more direct way to expand into the Part 23 certified market with future products.
“The new S-LSA airplanes will certainly continue to attract new interest in aviation, but without cost-effective, entry-level certified aircraft, many of these new pilots will not continue the adventure of flying and advanced ratings. We could not be more pleased that the FAA has taken on this initiative.”
