President Obama has signed into law the Small Airplane Revitalization Act, a measure that is designed to streamline certification of new aircraft and simplify the modification of existing aircraft. The new law directs the FAA to change Part 23 by the end of 2015 to create “twice the safety at half the cost” in terms of certifying new aircraft and, just as important, adding modern avionics and other equipment to the current fleet. Reforming the way FAA certifies aircraft can help more pilots fly more safely while lowering their costs-and thats exactly the kind of support general aviation needs to thrive,” said AOPA President Mark Baker.
Reworking the rules is still in process and there’s work to do but the law to impose the deadline is a milestone. “The cost of certifying new safety equipment and new airframes has prevented many owners from upgrading their existing aircraft or from being able to even consider the purchase of a new aircraft, said Rob Hackman, AOPA vice president of regulatory affairs. The changes wont happen right away, but this law emphasizes how important it is to keep reforms moving forward. Well keep working with Congress, theFAA, and the GA industry to make sure general aviation sees the benefits of reform.
