Aviation Groups Post Joint MOSAIC Comments

Four major aviation groups have signed on to comments to the FAA that would tweak the Modernization of Special Airworthiness Certification (MOSAIC) Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) to expand its benefits to recreational aviation. Monday was the comment deadline and EAA submitted the comments that were co-signed by AOPA, NBAA and the National Air Transportation Association (NATA).

The General Aviation Manufacturers Association said it was submitting its own comments, but as of our deadline they hadn't appeared on the comment page of the NPRM. GAMA said earlier it supports the NPRM in general, including the ability of sport pilots to fly four-place aircraft, but some provisions "go beyond what was expected and require additional clarification and justification from the FAA." It was to outline those suggestions in its comments.

As we reported earlier, EAA and its co-signatories are looking for a 3-knot increase in the maximum clean stall speed of MOSAIC aircraft to 57 knots, which would allow some of the most popular existing four-place aircraft to be included and give more flexibility to manufacturers considering new designs under MOSAIC. EAA also suggests that sport pilots be able to carry up to three passengers rather than limiting them to a single passenger while flying a qualifying four-seat aircraft, along with some other tweaks.

“All of EAA’s recommendations consider safety as the priority, while envisioning pathways to take full advantage of opportunities that MOSAIC can provide for increased growth and vitality of recreational aviation," EAA CEO Jack Pelton said. More than 1,200 comments were posted to the NPRM site by late Monday.