FAA Accepts Batch of Part 23 Cert Consensus Standards

In a step that signifies the evolution taking place under the recent Part 23 rewrite, the FAA has issued a “notification of availability” and request for comment for a series of means of compliance (MOCs) for Part 23 certification. The Part 23 rewrite paved the way for a more flexible approach to certification that accommodates the use of consensus standards established by experts within the international aviation community. Previously, the FAA committed to providing notification of its acceptance of standards.

“The Administrator finds these MOCs to be an acceptable means, but not the only means, of showing compliance to the applicable regulations in Part 23, Amendment 23–64, for normal-category airplanes,” the agency said in the notification, which was published on May 11. “The Administrator further finds that these accepted means of complying with Part 23, Amendment 23–64, provide at least the same level of safety as the corresponding requirements in Part 23.”

In all, the FAA is making available 63 MOCs that are based on 30 standards established by the standards organization ASTM International. Of these, 46 MOCs stem from the ASTM standards outright. The remainder are a combination of ASTM standards and FAA changes.

The Aircraft Electronics Association is encouraging its members to review and provide comment on the notification.