This bill would require the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to update how it handles type certification for aircraft and aircraft engines. It directs the FAA to publish a plan within 180 days to improve the "issue paper" process used during certification, to consider using industry consensus standards where possible, to create more stable policy on commonly raised issues, and to consider performance-based standards. The FAA must also amend its guidance within 270 days to set standard expected timelines for major certification milestones, responses to petitions and proposals, and applicant responses, except for complex unsafe issues the Administrator identifies. The bill requires the FAA to consult trade groups, advanced air mobility stakeholders, infrastructure providers, and FAA employee representatives while making these changes, and to report to Congress with performance metrics after timelines are set and annually thereafter.
The bill also requires the FAA, within 180 days, to add specific criteria in its issue-paper guidance for when an issue should get an issue paper, who inside the FAA evaluates those criteria, how to handle performance-based projects, and ways to reduce recurring issue papers by converting stable issue-paper topics into published policy or advisory circulars or updating airworthiness standards annually.
Finally, within 90 days the FAA must publish updated delegation guidance for type certification. That guidance must set criteria for who is eligible for delegation, classify routine versus safety-critical compliance findings, set documentation and review processes when the FAA does not use authorized representatives, and explain how delegation will promote safety, predictable certification for new technologies, and effects on U.S. leadership in developing those technologies.
If enacted, the bill would require the FAA to publish plans, timelines, and updated guidance that could make certification steps clearer. Companies seeking new type certificates, especially for advanced air mobility or novel aircraft, would see formal timelines, clearer rules for when FAA issue papers are used, and published delegation criteria. Airports or vertiport planners and FAA staff would be formally included in consultations. The bill does not itself change safety standards; it directs how the FAA documents and manages the certification process.
No publicly available information.
The bill states it is intended to support aviation innovation and development of new and novel technologies, including advanced air mobility, and to help maintain U.S. global leadership in aviation. Proponents say the changes will create clearer timelines, more predictable certification processes, and more stable policy on recurring technical issues.
No publicly available information.