Standardization News

European Commission and EASA Endorse Aviation Modernization Initiative

Shown from left to right: Boudewijn Deuss, rulemaking officer, EASA;

Gregory Bowles, director, European regulatory affairs and engineering, GAMA, and F44 Chairman;

Yves Morier, head of GA unit, EASA;

Sara Gobbi, director of EU affairs, ASTM International;

Christine DeJong, manager, ASTM International;

Filip Cornelis, head of unit, air safety, European Commission.

Both the European Commission and the European Aviation Safety Agency have endorsed a global initiative to modernize the way smaller airplanes are certified. The initiative was presented at "Shaping the Future of General Aviation Products in Europe," a workshop hosted by ASTM International and the General Aviation Manufacturers Association in Brussels, Belgium, on Sept. 16.

The purposes of the initiative, "CS 23/Part 23 Reorganization," are cutting the cost and increasing the safety of general aviation airplanes and technology. More than 90 aviation industry representatives, including many members from ASTM International Committee F44 on General Aviation Aircraft, attended the session.

"As the European general aviation community looks for a better approach to regulation, the European Commission and the European Aviation Safety Agency have identified the work of ASTM F44 to be a key component in the revitalization of general aviation in Europe," says Gregory J. Bowles, director, European regulatory affairs and engineering, General Aviation Manufacturers Association.

The CS 23/Part 23 initiative will lead to the world's aviation authorities each modernizing their own certification rules. The initiative is based on 16 draft standards currently being developed by Committee F44.

Speakers at the workshop included Filip Cornelius, head of the air safety unit of the European Commission, which oversees EASA; and Yves Morier, recently appointed head of EASA. Both Cornelius and Morier emphasized how the initiative is indicative of Europe's new approach to regulating aviation, particularly through global cooperation.

"ASTM International is fortunate to count more than 1,500 European members from different industries," says Sara Gobbi, director of EU Affairs, ASTM International. "For those active in the general aviation industry, the Brussels workshop was an excellent opportunity to meet with their international peers and reaffirm the importance of using globally recognized technical standards to meet their needs."