FAA’s MOSAIC Comment Window Is Soon Closing

Recreational flying fans: I don’t know about you, but I’m getting pretty tired of studying MOSAIC [FAA’s Modernization of Special Airworthiness Certification proposed regulation]. It’s been on my mind every day since the FAA issued it on July 24 just before EAA AirVenture Oshkosh started.

I’ve studied this pretty closely—thanks so much to Roy Beisswenger, founder and proprietor of Easy Flight, for his effort to make a study guide. This is not an easy read, but it has much we want plus a few things we question or want changed.

If you want some part changed, you have to comment. I can comment and many others have. That’s good, but the FAA needs a loud response. With 39 days left at posting time, 389 pilots have commented. Your comment is still needed.

The FAA’s comment period for the MOSAIC Notice of Proposed Rule Making (NPRM) will close on October  23.

A series of master class videos on MOSAIC may be found here.

To ensure my facts were as accurate as possible, I consulted several other experts, each focused on specific areas of interest.

Linked with my own experience — serving on the ASTM committee for many years, going to visit the FAA in its government offices in Washington, D.C. (several times), and discussions with the Light Aircraft Manufacturers Association (LAMA) board, plus numerous other aviation leaders—the video below provides the best information I can offer at this time. 

Is it a perfect understanding of all things MOSAIC? No, I keep uncovering new tidbits buried in this lengthy document. Others have often pointed out things I missed.

The video below provides as much detail as possible as quickly as possible in a form not too difficult to consume. It also draws attention to areas where people have found problems or have unresolved issues with what is presented. The video tries to illustrate these simply and clearly. I hope you’ll have a look.

If you get through all 45 minutes of the video presentation below, you will discover that the Q&A portion does not appear. This portion of our discussions went on nearly as long as the formal presentation. It simply got too long and took too much editing.

I was fascinated when during Q&A discussions erupted on their own. Being particularly passionate about a part of MOSAIC and our privilege to fly, attendees often spoke to one another without my input. This was invigorating to witness, but it was sometimes challenging to hear what people said, and not in every case could I keep up with the conversations. In short, I think you’d find it less useful than what I will present.

I am going through all of those comments carefully and will summarize them in printed form, which I think will be much easier to consume.

While I work on that, I encourage you to do what the video suggests: Go up to the search bar at the top of this page and type in MOSAIC. That will bring up everything I’ve written about the NPRM in chronological order. A few articles on Mosaic Light Sport Aircraft will be sprinkled among rule-oriented articles, but all have some useful information.

A few of those articles generated lots of comments. In fact, at the time I gave these two talks, this website had generated more total comments than the FAA’s website—a fact I hope will change dramatically in a new direction soon. I know people tend to wait until toward the end to act, but pilots shouldn’t cut the deadline too close.

If the FAA’s new rules are important to you, I urge you to watch this video.