Beginning about the time this magazine lands in your mailbox, the FAA’s long-awaited revision to FAR Part 23—the regulations setting forth small aircraft certification rules—will go into effect. Manufacturers and user groups are enthusiastic about the coming changes, which they say promise to reform and modernize the agency’s approval process for airframes, engines and equipment like avionics. The new rules go into effect August 30, 2017. In preparation, the FAA’s Aircraft Certification Service (ACS) in July began working under a reorganization plan it says will “implement a new, functionally-aligned organizational structure to execute the certification strategy. Realignment is the first visible phase of the transformation process.”
The new Part 23 eliminates airplane certification categories like aerobatic, utility and commuter in favor of four levels of performance and risk, based on the aircraft’s maximum seating capacity. Two performance levels will be designated: low speed (maximum cruise less than or equal to 250 KTAS) or high speed (greater than 250 KTAS). Perhaps more important, especially to manufacturers, applicants for type certificates may use acceptable consensus standards to demonstrate how compliance with certification standards will be achieved.
