FAA Accepts Second Set of Part 23 Consensus Standards

Mooneymite · October 5, 2020

From AIN

FAA Accepts Second Set of Part 23 Consensus Standards

The FAA has signed off on a series of Part 23 aircraft standards developed through international government/industry standards body ASTM International, marking another step in the evolution of the light aircraft certification process. In the newly released notice of availability (NOA), the agency outlined 35 new and revised consensus standards that are viewed as acceptable means of compliance. The NOA was the second that the agency has released in support of new performance-based standards for Part 23 aircraft; it released the first in May 2018.

GAMA, which was deeply involved in the rewrite of Part 23 to provide for a consensus-based approach to developing performance-based standards for new aircraft and products, lauded the release of the NOA, saying the accepted consensus standards will encourage safety and innovation.

“We applaud the FAA’s work to accept the latest set of important means of compliance standards,” said GAMA president and CEO Pete Bunce. “Going forward, the FAA needs to continue working to improve and standardize the acceptance process because it will support a regulatory environment that advances innovation and development of safety-enhancing technologies.”

The standards cover a range of areas, including simplified loads criteria, fuel and energy storage and delivery, and safety assessment of systems, as well as methods of addressing high-intensity radiated fields (HIRF) and indirect effects of lightning, GAMA said.