“Moving with the times is an important idea for strategy today.” — Denise Morrison

“Innovation requires an experimental mindset.”— Denise Morrison

Recently-retired Campbell’s Soup CEO Denise Morrison may have been thinking about soup when she uttered these words, but they certainly apply to aviation. As anyone in the GA community can attest, aviation does not — indeed cannot — stand still, and every segment of the industry has repeatedly proven that innovation comes from willingness to experiment.

When it comes to many things, including the design, production, and certification of aircraft, the FAA has not historically had a reputation for things like innovation or willingness to experiment. On the contrary — the traditional certification process for part 23 seemed designed to do anything BUT move with the times. There are good reasons for caution. The agency has a significant responsibility, and there ARE designs and ideas that quite literally shouldn’t fly.

Times and mindsets have changed. The FAA has made significant strides toward moving ahead with the times and being more open to “alternative means of compliance” for integrity of design and production. This mindset is consistent with the FAA’s broader emphasis on risk-based decision-making, as well as on the determination to avoid stifling indus­try’s ability to be creative and innovative.

The “mission statement” for this particular FAA Safety Briefing column is to help develop awareness of FAA activities and resources relevant to the general aviation community. In that spirit, let’s take a look at some of the GA-related certification material you can find — at no cost, of course — on the FAA’s website.

General Aviation Fleet Modernization Efforts: Review and download this handy one-pager (go.usa.gov/xE84M) for a visual overview of the FAA Aircraft Certification Service’s focus areas for both retrofit of the existing fleet and future R&D efforts, such as advanced “refuse to crash” autopilots and future automation. Topics in the retrofit category include propulsion enhancements, advanced flight displays, autopilot and envelope protection systems, engine monitoring systems, fuel gauge systems, ADS-B In/Out, attitude indicators, angle of attack indicators, and non-required safety enhanc­ing equipment (NORSEE).

Non-Required Safety Enhancing Equipment (NORSEE) Policy: We will cover NORSEE in greater detail elsewhere in this issue, but take a look at the NORSEE policy statement (go.usa.gov/xE82C) for a description of the purpose and overall applicability. You will also want to review the approved equip­ment page (go.usa.gov/xE822), which is updated on a regular basis to list specific items covered under the NORSEE policy.

General Aviation Fuel: Avgas is the only remaining lead-containing transportation fuel. There are increasing concerns about lead emissions from small aircraft. To help “get the lead out,” the FAA is supporting the research of alternate fuels at its Wil­liam J. Hughes Technical Center in Atlantic City. We are working with the aircraft and engine manufactur­ers, fuel producers, the EPA and industry associa­tions to overcome technical and logistical challenges to developing and deploying a new, unleaded fuel. faa.gov/about/initiatives/avgas.

Part 23 Reform: You can read the full text of the revised Airworthiness Standards for Normal, Util­ity, Acrobatic, and Commuter Category Airplanes at go.usa.gov/xE82Z, but for a quick summary, the FAA’s webpage (go.usa.gov/xE82K) provides a broad overview, and you will find additional informa­tion elsewhere in this issue. The part 23 reform is important because its flexible, forward-looking use of performance-based standards recognizes multiple avenues to safety in aircraft design and production.

AIR Transformation Impact: In 2017, both the FAA Flight Standards Service and the FAA Aircraft Certification Service (AIR) implemented changes in organizational structure and culture (go.usa.gov/xE829). We have previously described the Flight Standards (FS) changes in some detail (adobe.ly/2xL0cZC). The AIR Transformation is a compre­hensive change in the way AIR does business. The traditional focus is on compliance, which defines the expected level of safety. The AIR Transforma­tion is a conscious decision to shift emphasis to up front planning, development of performance-based standards and means of compliance, and a robust, risk-based systems oversight program. (FAA Safety Briefing – MayJun 2019)