The gulf between aviation technology and airworthiness regulations widens almost daily as new capabilities are developed with ever-increasing speed, while key regulations remain static.
This situation has been a particular source of frustration for those operating under U.S. Federal Aviation Regulations (FARs) Part 23, which prescribes airworthiness standards for the issuance of type certificates for airplanes under 12,500 lb (5,670 kg; the normal, utility and acrobatic categories) and under 19,000 lb (8,618 kg; the commuter category). The standards, based on weight, do not account for modern, potentially life-saving technologies such as angle-of-attack (AOA) indicators, leaving many products inaccessible or unaffordable for the vast majority of pilots flying Part 23–certified aircraft. So pilots do without the latest equipment, or they bring aboard uncertified, handheld devices that can add workload and distraction to the job of flying the airplane.
This safety gap may close soon….
