Re: FAA Says Part 23 Delay 2 Years
Posted: Thu Sep 18, 2014 5:13 pm
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Good catch. And perhaps it's worthwhile for SPL as well as PPL pilots to read this small portion of the article CTLSi mentions:
""GAMA is pleased to be hosting this meeting [in Brussels], which marks the beginning of a week-long effort to bring together all segments of our industry as we seek to bring new, life-saving technologies into the cockpit and reduce overly burdensome government regulations," said Brian Davey, Director of European and International Affairs for GAMA. "In the near future, general aviation manufacturers will be able to certify their products more efficiently and effectively, meaning more safety in more airplanes. The CS/Part-23 initiative is a framework for the world's aviation authorities to modernize their own aircraft certification rules. The globally agreed-upon standards will be set within the ASTM Committee, similar to how rules were written for light sport aircraft."
The higher-level dynamic here is worth noting. The FAA has enjoyed sole authority for all USA aviation matters for eons now and, by extension, carried great influence into the international aviation community as a result. But things are now changing, the rate of change must seem to be accelerating to them, and it will be interesting to see whether they continue to oppose and retrench or bend and accommodate. Here's a bit of that dynamic: A new class of a/c, built to ASTM not FAR certification standards, was the first crack in the dyke. Then came the still-unfolding issue of eliminating Class 3 medicals for some Part 91 operations, which the FAA simply ignored for two years until they had their nose rubbed in it by Congress proposing GAPPA with its implicit threat that the FAA's bus would be driven from the back seats. Meanwhile, the FAA completed its ADS-B ground installation system on time & budget, only to watch GA a/c owners stand back and wait for lower-cost WAAS-capable transmitters to enter the marketplace. Somewhat ironically, they have just announced an 'all hands' conference to deal with this lack of early adoption. Which of course brings us to this issue, the simplification of Part 23 rules which would make it easier/quicker/cheaper for new products to be introduced but with the FAA announcing it is unable to comply with the law and help facilitate the intro of these new avionics packages. And so GAMA - and bless them for doing so - decides U.S. leadership remains important, the Europeans are willing to streamline certification processes, and so it takes the game to Europe, knowing that trade agreements will make that work transferable, at least in part, to the U.S.
As we all know, bureaucracies by their nature abhor change and covet control. When I look at the above trend line, it looks to me like the FAA is getting a snoot full of the former and must be feeling the latter slipping more and more from their hands. It's going to be an interesting 2015.