EAA, AOPA, LAMA Execs Begin Sounding Like a Broken Record

Kicking off the 51st annual SUN ‘n FUN Aerospace Expo in Lakeland, Florida, leaders of four major aviation organizations hosted a forum to discuss the state of the long-awaited Modernization of Special Airworthiness Certification (MOSAIC) ruling. Unfortunately, the detailed hour-long discussion many expected turned out to be 20 minutes of introductions and 30 minutes of what we already knew.

The panel included Light Aircraft Manufacturers Association (LAMA) president Scott Severen, Streamline Designs CEO Adam Morrison, recently-named Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) president Darren Pleasance, and Experimental Aircraft Association CEO Jack Pelton.

The forum officially began at 10:00 am and was given the stage until 11:00 am. For the first 18 minutes, Severen gave in-depth introductions to the panel. This ensured we knew how qualified each of them was to tell us the vague MOSAIC details that have been on repeat since 2022.

“The good news is, nothing is slowing down, nothing is stopping,” stated Pelton. “It’s still a priority within the FAA, it’s still being worked on.”

Once Severen was done explaining the panel’s life stories, the forum began with an estimated timeline for MOSAIC. They expect the FAA to publish a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) with an effective date of closer to 30 days out rather than the 60-day maximum. While the regulation could be published as soon as May, panelists explained that it would likely debut closer to August. This gives the new, still unconfirmed, FAA administrator time to settle in. We’re still reserving hope for the announcement coming at Oshkosh AirVenture in July, however.

“This would be a win, and [the FAA needs] a win right now. So there’s a lot of energy to get this across the line,” Pleasance noted. “We’re not hearing anything that says this is at risk of being killed.”

The next chunk went over expected MOSAIC standards, which are different from current LSA-designation methods in that they focus on performance rather than weight. If the FAA does not alter its current proposal, aircraft with a clean stall speed of less than 54 knots and a level flight speed of under 250 knots will count as a light sport aircraft. This includes aircraft with a maximum of four seats, retractable gear, constant-speed propellers, or multiple engines.

Sadly, this seems to be a theme for MOSAIC-centered discussions. The FAA hosted a forum at last year’s AirVenture airshow and spent the hour dodging the topic and covering for the absence of then-Administrator Mike Whitaker.

FMI: www.faa.gov