FAA leads general aviation safety movement

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is leading a global movement to create a performance-based approach for new airworthiness standards for Part 23 general aviation (GA) airplanes.

Rewriting Part 23 will improve the overall system by increasing safety, organizing the certification process, encouraging innovation, and decreasing costs through international consensus standards for applying the new regulations. The FAA has partnered with its own industry authorities and other civil aviation officials to accomplish this worldwide effort, and has made this project its major priority. Its work will be used for similar standard movements taking place in Europe.

The FAA already took the first step in modifying the standards. In August 2011, the FAA founded its Aviation Rulemaking Committee (ARC) to modify general aviation safety around the world. The GA category of planes includes small, piston-powered airplanes up to complex, high-performance executive jets. ARC members include leaders of the aviation industry as well as government authorities and observers from the FAA’s fellow international flight authorities.

“The FAA and our global aviation partners are committed to streamlining the certification process for general aviation airplanes while enhancing safety throughout the world,” FAA Administrator Michael Huerta said. “The FAA is working on completing our proposal as quickly as possible.”




Top