President Signs Part 23 Rewrite Bill Into Law

December 2, 2013 - President Obama signed the Small Airplane Revitalization Act of 2013 into law on Friday, enacting the legislation approved by Congress in mid-November.

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 Reps. 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 Sens. 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, EAA vice president of advocacy and safety and a participant in the Part 23 ARC. "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."