Time To Modernize!

by Mark R. Baker
President & CEO Aircraft Owners & Pilots Association
Published in Midwest Flyer Magazine Aug/Sept 2016

We all know the general aviation fleet is getting older. In fact, the average age of a single-engine piston airplane in the United States is about 47 years old. And if you own or rent one of these airplanes, you know that most of them are still equipped with avionics and technology from the 1960s, ’70s, or ’80s.

That’s one reason the GA community is united behind changes to Part 23 airplane certification requirements—changes designed to promote innovation and lower the cost of bringing new airplanes to market.

But we think that’s just part of the answer, and we’re asking the FAA to develop a comprehensive policy for GA fleet modernization. While Part 23 changes have the potential to make new airplanes safer and more affordable, they don’t address the fact that most of us won’t be buying one of these new airplanes anytime soon. For one thing, these proposed changes won’t happen overnight. For another, cost will continue to be an obstacle for many of us. And we can’t overlook the fact that, at current rates of production, it will take decades for aircraft manufacturers to make enough planes to replace the existing fleet.

What we really need is to be able to update our existing aircraft at a more affordable price.

Today, it is extremely expensive and time consuming for equipment manufacturers to meet the certification standards for putting new equipment in Part 23 aircraft. Often the barriers are so high as to be insurmountable. But it’s different for experimental aircraft. Let me give you an example of what I mean.

Research conducted by a joint FAA-industry working group found that a homebuilder can install an autopilot for about $2,500, while putting an autopilot in a Part 23 airplane would cost between $10,000 and $15,000. And there are no big differences in those autopilots—they both have the same functionality and capability. They also represent largely the same “risk” when it comes to failure.

So, why the big pricing gap? The time, money, and investment spent on certifying one unit and not the other has a whole lot to do with it.

We don’t think it has to be that way. And, we don’t need a rulemaking process to change it. Instead, we’re asking the FAA to review its policies and procedures for putting new equipment in older airplanes to make them more consistent with the risk-based approach to certification that the agency is already taking toward some types of equipment, like angle of attack indicators.

We believe this is common sense for GA pilots and our industry. But I won’t pretend it’s simple. Harmonizing the rules, practices, policies, and culture of the FAA will take time and persistence.

At AOPA, we believe it’s worth the effort, and we’re prepared to do the work.

www.aopa.org

800-872-2672

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