The Part 23 rulemaking committee included 55
representatives from the FAA, the European Aviation
Safety Agency (EASA), Brazil’s Agência Nacional de
Aviação Civil (ANAC), the Civil Aviation Administration
of China (CAAC), Transport Canada Civil Aviation (TCCA),
New Zealand’s Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), as well as
airplane manufacturers from around the world.
Among the ARC’s recommendations was the suggestion that
compliance with Part 23 requirements be
performance-based, focusing on the complexity and
performance of an aircraft instead of the current
regulations based on weight and type of propulsion.
Under many of the existing Part 23 requirements, small,
relatively simple airplanes have to meet the same
regulatory requirements as more complex aircraft.
The committee proposed using industry consensus
standards to define a compliance framework that can be
more easily amended to keep up with evolving technology.
This step would encourage innovation while ensuring that
the FAA retains safety oversight. The FAA will review
the ARC recommendations as it decides how to proceed on
improving general aviation safety.
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