GAMA Calls Report "An Important First Step"

The FAA this week released a report to Congress from the Aviation Rulemaking Committee on the aircraft certification process. The ARC found that while the number of applications for product certifications and approvals predicted in the 1-year, 5-year, and 10-year periods following 2012 do not specifically reflect a significant increase, the actual AIR workload for the FAA is expected to continue increasing. The FAA has limited capacity and must handle competing priorities because it supports the entire product life cycle including COS, rulemaking, and certification, and must address new certification of new technologies such as UAS.

According to the ARC, the greatest increase in efficiency can be achieved with procedures that require a systems approach to certification, such as CDO (approved design organizations) and FAA risk-based oversight. Recommended actions taken will achieve not only improvements and efficiencies in the current state of type certification but align the process with the future state of CDO and FAA risk-based oversight. The best opportunities for efficiency gains in the current certification process are (1) developing comprehensive improvement implementation plans and a tracking and monitoring process to ensure effectiveness, and (2) maximizing delegation in delegation systems to the greatest extent possible, preparing for the future of a systems approach to certification and safety oversight such as CDO.

In a prepared statement released to the media Thursday, GAMA President and CEO, Pete Bunce (pictured), said "This report is an important first step in improving the efficiency and effectiveness of the FAA certification process which is necessary to support growing industry activity in the development of new aircraft and safety enhancing technologies.

"The FAA leadership has made a public commitment to dramatic process improvement and has worked diligently with industry to establish recommendations and metrics that will be used to evaluate progress. However, much work remains and we plan to stay laser focused on this initiative. We look forward to working with the FAA, Congress, and other aviation stakeholders to ensure that certification process improvements are implemented that will contribute to the safety and economic vitality of our industry."

Congress requested the FAA's review of the certification process through the FAA Modernization and Reform Act of 2012 (P.L. 112.95, Sec. 312).  The FAA developed the report in cooperation with industry through the Aircraft Certification Process Review and Reform Aviation Rulemaking Committee (ARC). GAMA's Vice President of Engineering and Maintenance, Mr. Walter Desrosier, was a member of the rulemaking committee.

FMI: Read the Report