EAA, GA Groups Push FAA for Part 23 Completion in 2016

May 5, 2016 - This week, EAA joined eight other general aviation groups in a letter to FAA praising the agency for its work on the Part 23 rulemaking and strongly encouraging a completion of that work by the end of 2016. The GA groups maintain that the Part 23 change will improve safety and make it easier to bring new products to the aviation marketplace. The letter came just before a May 3 public hearing on the Part 23 rulemaking held in College Park, Georgia.

This builds on FAA’s Notice of Proposed Rulemaking issued in March, which removes overly prescriptive design requirements and replaces them with performance-based airworthiness standards. It accounts the needs of the entire GA community and assures safety improvements can keep pace with technological changes. For EAA members there are many benefits, including in the vintage aircraft community where numerous types no longer have factory support.

EAA CEO Jack Pelton served on the Part 23 Advisory and Rulemaking Committee (ARC) steering group, while Sean Elliott was part of the ARC team that made recommendations for the eventual NPRM that emerged.

The thinking that is the genesis of the Part 23 NPRM parallels that which led to the widely popular Supplemental Type Certificate (STC) that the FAA issued during Sun ’n Fun for the joint EAA/Dynon Avionics process for installation of the Dynon EFIS-D10A as a replacement for the airplane’s primary attitude indicator. It also shows how the GA community can use new technology to lower barriers and enhance safety in aviation.