AVIATION MANUFACTURING Status of FAA's Efforts to Improve Certification and Regulatory Consistency

Located in FAA's Office of Aviation Safety (Aviation Safety), the Aircraft Certification Service (Aircraft Certification) and Flight Standards Service (Flight Standards) issue certificates and approvals for new aviation products to be used in the national airspace system as well as for new operators in the system, such as air carriers, based on federal aviation regulations (see fig. 1 below). FAA inspectors and engineers interpret and implement these regulations governing certificates and approvals through FAA policies and guidance, including orders, notices, and advisory circulars. Additionally, FAA also has the authority to use private individuals and organizational entities, known as designees, to carry out many certification activities on behalf of the FAA Administrator in order to enable FAA to better concentrate its limited staff resources on safety-critical functions.