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WASHINGTON, D.C. – During a House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee markup, H.R. 1848, the Small Airplane Revitalization Act of 2013, cosponsored by Alaskan Congressman Don Young, was voted out of committee today, and now heads to the House floor.  H.R. 1848 would expedite much needed reforms to the certification process of General Aviation aircraft.

“In Alaska, aviation is the lifeblood of our transportation system, connecting rural communities off the road system with the rest of the state.  Over the years, there has been a steady decrease in new pilots, sale of new aircraft, and overall flight activity, which can be attributed to an outdated, costly and burdensome certification process that often hinders the modernization and safety enhancements of older aircraft, or purchase of newer models,” Rep. Young said.  “Today’s legislation will bring General Aviation into the 21^st Century by reforming the aircraft certification process without compromising pilot safety, while stimulating innovation and technology adoption.”

Background Info on H.R. 1848

This legislation would require the FAA to issue a final rule based on the Part 23 Rulemaking Committee recommendations by December 31, 2015.

The final rule must:

• Create a streamlined regulatory regime for small airplanes that improves safety and decreases costs;
• Set safety objectives that will spur innovation and technology adoption;
• Replace the existing prescriptive regulatory regime with new standards for compliance and testing; and
• Use FAA-accepted consensus standards to clarify how FAR Part 23 safety objectives may be met by specific designs and technologies.

The General Aviation industry includes nearly 600,000 pilots, employs roughly 1.3 million people, and contributes approximately $150 billion annually to the U.S. economy.