The General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA) welcomed news yesterday that the FAA is forming a Part 23 Reorganization Aviation Rulemaking Committee (ARC) that will update design and manufacturing rules for entry-level certified airplanes. GAMA expects these streamlined regulations–once enacted–to result in lower certification costs for entry-level airplanes and increased safety for all Part 23 general aviation airplanes. As the FAA has worked to address airplanes with increased complexity and performance, GAMA said the certification process for light aircraft has become “over-burdensome.” According to the association, “The rewrite of these certification rules will align the requirements to address simple products with equivalent rules while eliminating the need for special conditions on high-performance and complex aircraft such as light jets. This makes certification and manufacturing for a particular product more efficient, thereby decreasing the cost of these airplanes and acting as a catalyst for the resurgence of the light end of the market.” In addition, GAMA said the “strict safety standards that are a hallmark of U.S. certified airplanes” will become even more effective as the rules are tailored to the products and technologies undergoing certification. It hopes other world aviation regulators will align their certification standards once the new U.S. rules are finalized.