Published in Midwest Flyer Magazine June/July 2022 Digital Issue
WASHINGTON, DC – The FAA has appointed Lirio Liu manager of Aircraft Certification, replacing Earl Lawrence, who has held the position since 2018. Liu is an aerospace engineer and has been with the FAA since 1991, most recently in the FAA’s International Affairs Office. Much of that experience has been in aircraft certification and safety roles. Prior to that role, Liu managed the Office of Rulemaking for aviation safety for seven years.
Lawrence came to the FAA in 2010 as manager of the Small Airplane Directorate. Prior to that he had been EAA’s Vice President of Industry and Regulatory Affairs. He worked his way up through the FAA executive branch, becoming the Director of the UAS Integration Branch from 2015 until 2018, when he was appointed the manager of Aircraft Certification. Lawrence has now been reassigned elsewhere within the FAA.