Hearing
Review of FAA’s Certification Process: Ensuring an Efficient, Effective, and Safe ProcessTranscript of Hearing Chairman Frank LoBiondo (R-NJ) Subcommittee on Aviation Hearing on Review of FAA’s Certification Process: Ensuring an Efficient, Effective, and Safe Process October 30, 2013 Opening Statement (Remarks as Prepared) Today the Subcommittee will hear from the FAA and other expert witnesses on the Agency’s certification processes. It is the shared goal of everyone in this room to find the right balance between maintaining the highest level of aviation safety while achieving greater efficiencies in FAA’s certification processes. As the aviation industry develops new products and other innovations, the FAA must likewise evolve. Examples of this creative spirit can be found throughout the industry. Many companies have worked with the FAA’s William J. Hughes Technical Center to develop and test new products that improve the safety and efficiency of the U.S. aviation system. To ensure that the hard work at the Technical Center and elsewhere in the industry is not needlessly delayed or wasted altogether, it is critical that the FAA’s certification processes keep pace. The Aviation Subcommittee often hears concerns from companies, operators and other certificate holders related to the FAA’s certification processes. In particular, long wait times, inconsistent regulatory interpretations, and redundant or outdated processes have all been brought to the Subcommittee’s attention. In response, Congress included two important provisions in the FAA Modernization and Reform Act of 2012 to improve the FAA’s certification processes. These provisions require the agency to develop plans to streamline their certification processes, and address regional regulatory inconsistencies—all while maintaining the highest level of safety. In response, the FAA submitted reports to the Committee that outline recommendations to improve and streamline certification, and address inconsistent regulatory interpretations. Today we look forward to hearing what progress the FAA has made carrying out these provisions, and what recommendations they will implement to further ensure certification processes are effective and efficient. # # # Panel I
Panel II
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