FAA Releases New Part 23

The FAA issued its final version of an updated Part 23 that overhauls the airworthiness standards for general aviation airplanes weighing less than 19,000 pounds with 19 or fewer seats.

The agency, as well as the industry, hopes the new rule reduces the time needed to economically move safety-enhancing technologies for small airplanes into the marketplace. Because the new rule is part of a global effort to develop common certification standards, it is expected to remove regulatory barriers and promote the acceptance of airplanes and products worldwide.

The General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA) called the new rule “a true breakthrough for the light end of the general aviation sector. Rather than having to comply with overly prescriptive design requirements, manufacturers will now be able to more nimbly respond in a cost-effective manner through performance-based airworthiness safety rules and consensus standards for compliance.”

GAMA President and CEO Pete Bunce said, “The Part 23 rewrite would not have been possible without the dedication and tireless efforts of many in industry and the FAA, the U.S. Department of Transportation, and the U.S. Office of Management and Budget …”

The agency updated the rule in response to the FAA Modernization and Reform Act of 2012, the Small Airplane Revitalization Act of 2013 and recommendations from the FAA's 2013 Part 23 Reorganization Aviation Rulemaking Committee. The new Part 23 becomes effective eight months from its publication in the Federal Register.