GAMA Welcomes New Era of GA Development With Final CS-23 Rule
GAMA Welcomes New Era of GA Development With Final CS-23 Rule
Friedrichshafen, Germany
The General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA) last month hailed the launch of the European Aviation Safety Agency’s (EASA) CS-23 final rule, calling it a true breakthrough for the general aviation sector.
The new CS-23 framework will dramatically improve how easily new safety technologies and products can be developed and made available to customers. Manufacturers and suppliers will no longer have to comply with overly prescriptive design requirements, which have not kept pace with the development of technology. Instead, industry will now be able to more nimbly respond in a cost-effective manner through performance-based safety rules, coupled with consensus standards for compliance.
“This is a landmark day for the general aviation industry,” GAMA President and CEO Pete Bunce said. “This rule is nothing less than a total rethinking of how our industry can bring new models of pistons, diesels, turboprops, light jets, and new hybrid and electric propulsion airplanes to market, as well as facilitating safety-enhancing modifications and upgrades to the existing fleet. The new CS-23 rule makes it easier for manufacturers to do so by reducing the time, cost, and risk involved in certification. This will provide existing and future pilots with the tools they need to fly safer and more easily.”
“EASA CS-23 are new smart and flexible rules that were prepared with, and for, a safe innovative general aviation industry,” added Trevor Woods, EASA’s Director of Certification.
The new rule forms part of a global, harmonized effort to develop common certification standards; removing regulatory barriers and promoting the acceptance of airplanes and products worldwide. The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is also in the process of implementing its Part-23 rule for small airplanes, a result of recommendations from the Part-23 Reorganization Aviation Rulemaking Committee, which GAMA co-chaired. Other leading aviation authorities are expected to follow suit to implement similar rules, creating a truly global framework.
“It would not have been possible to reach this milestone without the dedication and tireless efforts of many in the industry and EASA,” Bunce noted. “This initiative is truly the poster child of future rulemaking: with a cooperative, global approach between authorities and all relevant stakeholders”.
Using the international standards body, ASTM International, seven of the world’s leading authorities have been working with 250 different stakeholders to agree upon a continually evolving body of standards to underpin the rule. In parallel, EASA retains its independent role in surveillance and oversight, while strengthening its risk-based methodology to improve safety.”
“These new rules will allow us to bring new airplane models with features using increased automation to market,” stated Simon Caldecott, President and CEO of Piper Aircraft as well as Chairman of GAMA. “We anticipate that these new features will not only help increase the user experience, but will help improve safety.”
“It’s revolutionary,” remarked Ivo Boscarol, CEO of the Slovenian manufacturer Pipistrel, “which is why we have been an active supporter of the CS-23 initiative. Right now, we see tremendous opportunities in hybrid and electric propulsion and increased automation. The new CS-23 will enable us to move at the pace of these developments and more readily leverage these innovations.”
“I am sure the result we see here today is a testament to what we can accomplish when government and industry work hand in hand to achieve a common goal,” added Matthias Betsch, CEO of Flight Design Germany. “In fact, it might be the best example yet of global cooperation between aviation authorities.”
The new CS-23 framework goes into effect on August 15, 2017. For more information, visit the GAMA website at gama.aero.
