NBAA Welcomes Final Rule on Revised Part 23 Certification Standards

The National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) joins other general aviation proponents in welcoming the announcement of a final rule overhauling the Part 23 aircraft certification process, adopting consensus-based, performance-driven standards for light GA aircraft weighing less than 12,500 pounds.

"We applaud these changes to streamline the certification process for GA manufacturers, bolstering industry innovation and adoption of vital new safety technologies and, ultimately, leading to swifter regulatory approval for new aircraft designs and equipment," says NBAA president and CEO, Ed Bolen. “These new standards are particularly beneficial to the vast majority of NBAA’s membership who operate light aircraft to further their businesses."

The final rule is the culmination of a nearly decade-long process to revise Part 23 certification standards, including work by the Part 23 Reorganization Aviation Rulemaking Committee, co-chaired by the General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA).

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) was directed to issue revised standards by the Small Airplane Revitalization Act (SARA), a bipartisan initiative sponsored by U.S. Representative Mike Pompeo (R-4-KS) and U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) that was signed into law on Nov. 27, 2013.

In March 2016, the FAA issued a notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) that largely followed recommendations made by the joint industry/regulatory ARC. At a May hearing on the NPRM, NBAA joined with GAMA and seven other industry advocacy groups to encourage the FAA to move swiftly on adoption of a final rule.

The new Part 23 standards complement global efforts to remove regulatory restrictions and develop common certification standards, including concurrent work by the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) to revise its CS-23 rule for small aircraft. Other worldwide aviation authorities are expected to follow suit.