New legislation passed through the House last week calling for a restructuring of the FAA's Part 23 certification requirements for the purpose of expediting approvals for safety improvements. The Small Airplane Revitalization Act aims to remove bureaucratic barriers to evolutionary progress within the industry (for the introduction of new designs and the addition of improvements to old ones); to cut certification costs for manufacturers; and to give manufacturers more responsibility in the certification process.
Industry trade groups spanning from GAMA to NBAA, EAA, AOPA and NATA have all expressed a range of support for the legislation, which now heads to the Senate. If it's approved there, new certification standards could go into effect within the next two years.
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