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The Part 23 Rewrite: A Disaster in the Making?

Gemini Sparkle

Key Takeaways:

  • The "Part 23 rewrite" is a significant international effort to simplify light aircraft certification by adopting ASTM standards, aiming to reduce development costs, accelerate technological advances, and lower consumer prices.
  • Despite its potential benefits, the author expresses strong reservations, warning that the shift could compromise product quality and safety, citing past inconsistencies in the Light Sport Aircraft (LSA) market as a cautionary tale.
  • Specific concerns include how manufacturers will maintain robust designs under liberalized standards and the potential for less reliable avionics from smaller suppliers, ultimately burdening consumers with evaluating product quality and safety.
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Suddenly, the so-called “Part 23 rewrite” has grown from a simple tweaking of aircraft and equipment certification standards to a full-on international effort to harmonize regulations around the world. Changing the rules of the game for how manufacturers approve new technology for light airplanes by shifting from the federal aviation regulations (or their international equivalent) to ASTM standards is a watershed event in the history of aviation. It will reduce the time and cost to bring new products to market, allowing GA to keep up with rapid advances in technology while, hopefully, bringing prices for the consumer way down.

This is a big deal — so we’d better not screw it up.

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