The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) recently changed the organization structural of its Aircraft Certification Service (AIR) as part of the FAA’s Blueprint for AIR Transformation.
“The Aircraft Certification Service transformation is aimed at increasing the FAA’s efficiency and effectiveness,” the FAA said. “As part of the FAA’s efforts to improve its responsiveness to the U.S. aviation industry as it certificates new products, the agency is refreshing its certification strategy, investing in management systems to improve performance and the organization. Streamlining its regulations and policies will help the industry move products to market faster and retain competitiveness.”
AIR is part of the Office of Aviation Safety and is comprised of more than 1,300 engineers, scientists and others who are responsible for product design and approval. It is headed by the Aircraft Certification Service Executive Director and two deputies.
Industry feedback indicated AIR could not maintain consistency or meet with industry demands as the aviation industry becomes more global.
Benefits of the reorganization, according to the FAA, include establishing an oversight system, utilizing metrics to determine efficacy, establishing risk-based monitoring to eliminate unnecessary FAA involvement during certification, and providing adaptability to meet with industry challenges.
Product-based directorates are eliminated under the new structure.