FAA Bashes Its Own Proposal
AOPA says a proposed FAA
noise regulation would hurt safety and small businesses.
Ironically, so does FAA.
In a classic bureaucratic "oversight," FAA's Environment and
Energy office is proposing regulations to tighten the noise
standards for small aircraft to "harmonize" U.S. rules with
European restrictions. But the environment office wrote proposed
changes to FAR Part 36 (Noise Standards: Aircraft Type and
Airworthiness Certification) without talking to the general
aviation industry or the FAA office responsible for small aircraft
certification, the Small Airplane Directorate. Both AOPA and FAA
(small airplane part) want the proposal changed or withdrawn.
The FAA environment office wants to reduce the maximum noise
allowed by 6 dBA for newly certificated aircraft weighing less than
1,257 pounds (a four-fold reduction in sound) to a 3 dBA reduction
for aircraft weighing more than 3,307 pounds. Under this proposal,
a newly certificated aircraft the weight of a Cessna 172 would have
to be quieter than a handsaw or lawn mower.
But the big problem is that the rule, as currently written,
would apply to any changes made to existing aircraft that would
affect the "acoustic signature." Change an engine or a propeller,
and a 30-year-old aircraft would suddenly have to meet 2004 noise
standards. That could significantly impact safety and utility
improvements to existing aircraft, and the small companies that
offer those improvements under the supplemental type certificate
(STC) process.
In its comments on the proposed
rule, AOPA noted, "Today's average general aviation aircraft is 30
years old, and many rely on STCs to allow for continued upgrades.
These continued upgrades, including engine and propeller
modifications, add to the performance and safety of the operations
of these aircraft. The FAA should be promoting the development of
these STCs and not hindering them with this type of regulatory
change. By imposing this limitation, the FAA is inhibiting the
continued development of STCs paramount to the continued safe
operations of general aviation aircraft."
"This rule should be limited to newly type certificated
aircraft," said Luis Gutierrez, AOPA director of Regulatory and
Certification Policy, "and STCs should be excluded.
"And FAA really needs to talk to FAA. The Small Aircraft
Directorate must be allowed to evaluate the impact of this rule on
existing aircraft and the businesses supporting them."