Small Airplane Revitalization Act of 2013

Floor Speech

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Ms. TITUS. I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 1848, the Small Airplane Revitalization Act of 2013. H.R. 1848 would require the Federal Aviation Administration to update its part 23 small airplane design regulations by December 31, 2015.

Last week, the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee ordered H.R. 1848 reported favorably to the House by a voice vote.

In June, an FAA-chartered Part 23 Aviation Rulemaking Committee, or ARC, submitted its comprehensive report with recommendations for rewriting and reorganizing part 23 to the agency. Representatives from the FAA, international regulatory agencies, aircraft manufacturers, general aviation pilot groups, and labor unions all participated in the ARC. Its work followed a 2009 FAA report on the Small Airplane Certification Process and fulfilled requirements in section 312 of the FAA reauthorization bill.

Mr. Speaker, prior to the Part 23 ARC, the agency's most recent comprehensive review of part 23 was almost 30 years ago, in 1984. Part 23 has not kept up with the times. These regulations are prescriptive in nature, often written to address out-of-date technologies. As a result, they are creating cost barriers for certifying new airplanes and retrofitting older aircraft with new safety-enhancing modifications. The need to improve the process for retrofitting older aircraft is particularly urgent, given the 40-year-old average age of the U.S. general aviation fleet. Small airplane manufacturers and part suppliers across the country are limited in their ability to innovate with new technology because of these outdated regulations. This bill will allow these manufacturers to innovate more quickly and bring more safety technology online.

H.R. 1848 will fast-track the Part 23 ARC's work by requiring the FAA to draft a new regulation that emphasizes performance-based safety objectives. These new regulations make the retrofit of new technology more straightforward and also remove barriers to bringing new, safer airplane designs to market. It will help small business, and I urge support.

I reserve the balance of my time.

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