U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE

WASHINGTON : 

1 

29–010 

" ! SENATE 113TH CONGRESS

1st Session 

REPORT

2013

113–108 

Calendar No. 187 

SMALL AIRPLANE REVITALIZATION ACT OF 

2013 

R E P O R T 

OF THE

COMMITTEE ON COMMERCE, SCIENCE, AND 

TRANSPORTATION 

ON

S. 1072 

SEPTEMBER 17, 2013.—Ordered to be printed 


jbell on DSK7SPTVN1PROD with REPORTScongress.#13
(II) 

SENATE COMMITTEE ON COMMERCE, SCIENCE, AND TRANSPORTATION 

ONE HUNDRED THIRTEENTH CONGRESS

FIRST SESSION

JOHN D. ROCKEFELLER IV, West Virginia, Chairman 

BARBARA BOXER, California 

BILL NELSON, Florida 

MARIA CANTWELL, Washington 

MARK PRYOR, Arkansas 

CLAIRE MCCASKILL, Missouri 

AMY KLOBUCHAR, Minnesota 

MARK WARNER, Virginia 

MARK BEGICH, Alaska 

RICHARD BLUMENTHAL, Connecticut 

BRIAN SCHATZ, Hawaii 

MARTIN HEINRICH, New Mexico 

ED MARKEY, Massachusetts 

JOHN THUNE, South Dakota 

ROGER F. WICKER, Mississippi 

ROY BLUNT, Missouri 

MARCO RUBIO, Florida 

KELLY AYOTTE, New Hampshire 

DEAN HELLER, Nevada 

DAN COATS, Indiana 

TIM SCOTT, South Carolina 

TED CRUZ, Texas 

DEB FISCHER, Nebraska 

RON JOHNSON, Wisconsin 

JEFF CHIESA, New Jersey 

ELLEN DONESKI, Staff Director 

JAMES REID, Deputy Staff Director 

JOHN WILLIAMS, General Counsel 

DAVID SCHWIETERT, Republican Staff Director 

NICK ROSSI, Republican Deputy Staff Director 

REBECCA SEIDEL, Republican General Counsel 


jbell on DSK7SPTVN1PROD with REPORTS
Calendar No. 187 

113TH CONGRESS REPORT " ! SENATE 1st Session 113–108 

SMALL AIRPLANE REVITALIZATION ACT OF 2013 

SEPTEMBER 17, 2013.—Ordered to be printed 

Mr. ROCKEFELLER, from the Committee on Commerce, Science, and 

Transportation, submitted the following 

R E P O R T 

[To accompany S. 1072] 

The Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, to 

which was referred the bill (S. 1072) to ensure that the Federal 

Aviation Administration advances the safety of small airplanes and 

the continued development of the general aviation industry, and for 

other purposes, having considered the same, reports favorably 

thereon with an amendment (in the nature of a substitute) and recommends that the bill (as amended) do pass. 

PURPOSE OF THE BILL

S. 1072 advances the safety and continued development of small 

airplanes by directing the Administrator of the Federal Aviation 

Administration (FAA) to reorganize certification requirements in a 

manner that streamlines the approval of small aircraft and associated products, and modifications to their certified designs. 

BACKGROUND AND NEEDS

The FAA is responsible for developing safety standards for civil 

aircraft and associated products, and for certifying that new aircraft designs, and changes to those designs, meet these standards. 

Part 23 refers to the FAA regulations that apply to general aviation aircraft with a maximum certified takeoff weight of 19,000 

pounds or less. Part 23 covers both new aircraft designs as well as 

modifications to existing aircraft to improve safety or performance. 

Part 23 is a large body of regulatory material that is complimented by a system of overlapping advisory circulars and industry standards from groups such as the SAE International and 

Radio Technical Commission for Aeronautics that establish the 


jbell on DSK7SPTVN1PROD with REPORTS
2 

standards and guidelines a manufacturer must use to show its 

products comply with safety requirements. Both the safety regulations within Part 23, as well as the advisory circulars produced by 

the FAA, have not been revised regularly, resulting in guidance 

and certification standards that have not kept pace with advances 

in technology. As a result, a significant portion of the Part 23 safety regulations prescribe design solutions that have not anticipated 

advances in technology, which have inhibited manufacturers’ abilities to develop and adopt new designs. 

Advisory circulars also typically provide a detailed description of 

a particular method manufacturers can use to comply with the regulations. In practice, the specific compliance method presented in 

a given advisory circular is often treated in the industry as the 

only acceptable way to comply with the regulations, and discourages manufacturers from developing alternative methods that 

would provide the same level of safety. 

The aviation industry has advocated for Part 23 regulatory reforms, arguing that the current process inhibits innovations that 

would improve safety and increase economic output. Reforms could 

reduce the challenge of trying to prove the viability of new technologies against a framework of assumptions that can be outdated, 

while still maintaining the highest levels of safety. This could reduce both the time and resources consumed by the process for manufacturers and regulators alike. 

The FAA initiated an on-going review process for Part 23 certification in 2008, and in 2011, commissioned an aviation rulemaking 

committee to review the work to date and develop recommendations. The committee issued its report, which forms the basis of 

this bill, in June 2013. 

SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS

S. 1072 would reorganize the certification requirements for general aviation under Part 23 in order to make it quicker and more 

cost-effective to bring safety and other technological improvements 

to market. The bill would require the FAA to pass a final rule updating Part 23 regulations by December 2015. The legislation 

would mandate the development of performance-based safety requirements for Part 23 and introduce consensus-based standards to 

clarify how to comply with these requirements. This would provide 

the FAA greater flexibility to keep standards in sync with technological advancements. 

LEGISLATIVE HISTORY

Senator Klobuchar introduced S. 1072 on May 23, 2013 along 

with eight cosponsors. On July 30, 2013, the Committee met in Executive Session during which S. 1072 was considered. One amendment, in the nature of a substitute, was offered by Senator Klobuchar that clarified aspects of the legislation and made technical 

corrections. The bill, as amended, was ordered reported by voice 

vote. 

A companion bill, The Small Airplane Revitalization Act of 2013, 

H.R. 1848, was introduced by Representative Mike Pompeo and 31 

cosponsors in the House of Representatives on May 7, 2013. H.R. 


jbell on DSK7SPTVN1PROD with REPORTS
3 

1848 passed the House of Representatives on July 16, 2013, by a 

roll call vote of 411–0. 

ESTIMATED COSTS

In accordance with paragraph 11(a) of rule XXVI of the Standing 

Rules of the Senate and section 403 of the Congressional Budget 

Act of 1974, the Committee provides the following cost estimate, 

prepared by the Congressional Budget Office: 

S. 1072—Small Airplane Revitalization Act of 2013 

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is responsible for 

regulating and overseeing civil air transportation. S. 1072 would 

require the agency to issue a final rule related to certification and 

safety requirements of small airplanes by December 31, 2015. According to the agency, the rule required under the bill would build 

on efforts already under way to develop a regulatory regime for 

small airplanes, and CBO does not expect that meeting the deadline specified under S. 1072 would significantly affect the agency’s 

costs to complete those proceedings. As a result, CBO estimates 

that implementing S. 1072 would have no significant impact on the 

federal budget. The legislation would not affect direct spending or 

revenues; therefore, pay-as-you-go procedures do not apply. 

S. 1072 contains no intergovernmental or private-sector mandates as defined in the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act. 

On July 15, 2013, CBO transmitted a cost estimate for H.R. 

1848, the Small Airplane Revitalization Act of 2013, as ordered reported by the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure. The two bills are similar, and the CBO cost estimates are the 

same. 

The CBO staff contact for this estimate is Megan Carroll. This 

estimate was approved by Theresa Gullo, Deputy Assistant Director for Budget Analysis. 

REGULATORY IMPACT STATEMENT

In accordance with paragraph 11(b) of rule XXVI of the Standing 

Rules of the Senate, the Committee provides the following evaluation of the regulatory impact of the legislation, as reported: 

NUMBER OF PERSONS COVERED

The reported bill would be consistent with the current operation 

of the air transportation system, thus the number of persons covered should be consistent with the current levels of individuals impacted under the existing aviation system. 

ECONOMIC IMPACT

S. 1072 is expected to have a positive impact on the U.S. economy. The transportation system is a key component of the Nation’s 

economy. Provisions in this legislation aim to improve the competitiveness of U.S. aircraft manufacturers. 

PRIVACY

The reported bill is not expected to have any impact on the privacy rights of individuals. 


jbell on DSK7SPTVN1PROD with REPORTS
4 

PAPERWORK

It is not anticipated that there will be a major increase in paperwork burdens resulting from the enactment of S. 1072. 

CONGRESSIONALLY DIRECTED SPENDING

In compliance with paragraph 4(b) of rule XLIV of the Standing 

Rules of the Senate, the Committee provides that no provisions 

contained in the bill, as reported, meet the definition of congressionally directed spending items under the rule. 

SECTION-BY-SECTION ANALYSIS

Section 1. Short Title 

This section would provide that the Act be cited as the ‘‘Small 

Airplane Revitalization Act of 2013’’. 

Section 2. Findings 

This section would lay out a series of findings regarding the state 

of the general aviation segment of the industry that support the 

need for this Act. Among the findings is that a healthy small aircraft industry is integral to U.S. economic growth and includes 

products that are exported in great numbers. General aviation contributes to well-paying manufacturing and technology jobs, and cultivates a workforce of engineers, manufacturing and maintenance 

professionals, and pilots. Small airplanes comprise nearly 90 percent of the general aviation aircraft certified by the FAA, but the 

average age of these aircraft is now 40 years, due in part to regulatory barriers that make it difficult to bring new designs and technologies to market. Since 2003, the United States has lost 10,000 

active private pilots per year on average, in part due to a lack of 

cost-effective, new small airplanes. 

Section 3. Safety and Regulatory Improvements for General Aviation 

This section would require the FAA to issue a final rule updating 

certification requirements for Part 23 aircraft by December 15, 

2015. The final rule would be based on findings of the Part 23 Reorganization Aviation Rulemaking Committee, which issued its report in June 2013. The final rule would improve safety and reduce 

the regulatory costs of certification for both the FAA and industry. 

The rule would establish broad, outcome driven safety standards 

that can be met using performance-based requirements. The bill 

also would direct the FAA to work with aviation regulators in other 

countries to adopt similar standards. 

CHANGES IN EXISTING LAW

In compliance with paragraph 12 of rule XXVI of the Standing 

Rules of the Senate, the Committee states that the bill as reported 

would make no change to existing law. 

Æ 


jbell on DSK7SPTVN1PROD with REPORTS