Part 23 Rewrite Approved by Congress, Awaits President's Signature

November 14, 2013 - The Small Airplane Revitalization Act of 2013 cleared the final congressional hurdle today when the House approved Senate changes made to the bill during its passage in the Senate in October. The bill now heads to the president's desk for his signature.

"We're very pleased that Congress passed this bill," said Jack Pelton, chairman of EAA. "EAA has been a strong supporter of the Part 23 reorganization effort, and it is gratifying to see the industry's efforts come to fruition. This new approach to certification will be an enormous benefit to GA."

The new law gives the FAA until December 31, 2015, to adopt the recommendations of the Part 23 Aviation Rulemaking Committee (ARC). The committee's final package of recommendations was designed to double the safety of general aviation while halving the cost of certification.

The bill enjoyed broad, bipartisan support in both chambers of Congress. The House version was introduced by representatives Sam Graves (R-MO), Dan Lipinski (D-IL), Todd Rokita (R-IN), Mike Pompeo (R-KS), and Rick Nolan (D-MN). The companion bill in the Senate was introduced by senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK).

"The less-costly certification was set up to be results-driven, not process-driven, and does not only apply to new airframes," said Sean Elliott, vice president of EAA advocacy and safety and a participant in the Part 23 ARC. "This will allow updated, modern avionics and safety components like airbags and shoulder restraints to be installed on older aircraft for a fraction of the current cost. We believe, as the changes are adopted over the next several years, that this will be an incredible opportunity for the GA community to increase safety with new, affordable technology."