The world of government regulation may be getting a little less painful for folks trying to certify airplanes (but not helicopters) with 19 or fewer seats: “FAA Issues Final Rule on Small Airplane Safety Certification Standards”.
It will likely still be true that the paperwork for certification weighs more than the aircraft, but maybe we will get a few finished designs out of this?
If you’re curious, the old rules are here: 14 CFR Part 23
Members of the public still can’t seem to fathom how far behind the world of aviation lags in many ways. A reporter the other day asked me various questions about Malaysia Airlines 370, the B777 that disappeared. I had to remind him that “all of the electronics in that plane taken together are less powerful than the phone in your pocket.”
Related:
- Flight deck integration + regulation = reduced innovation
- FAA committees meet for 17 years…
- Cirrus (and the Chinese) push the world’s first personal jet out the door
- Tecnam P2012, an Italian 11-seater that might benefit from this change, thus allowing Cape Air to replace some of their Cessna 402s (introduced 1967); supposedly the Technam is going to cost more than $2 million, against closer to $200,000 for an old Twin Cessna
The Malaysian Air flight had satellite communication capability, which most people don’t carry in their pocket. The problem was that the airline was too cheap to pay for a subscription.
The other problem was that someone with a lot of knowledge (presumably the pilot) turned off a lot of the electronics. Suicidal pilots didn’t seem to be a problem in the past but there have been quite a few incidents recently. Perhaps if the pilot goes nutso (plane deviates from its course without a good explanation) there should be a capability to lock out the pilot and fly the plane remotely? This would have to be done in a way that the pilot could not defeat, which leads to other problems – what if there is a short circuit and the pilot can’t turn the power off because he is locked out of those systems?
I see that Cessna is crushing the remainder of the LSA fleet they manufactured that didn’t sell. If you build it – they won’t come.