The U.S. Congress signaled that aircraft manufacturing remains high on its agenda, with the House aviation subcommittee holding its first hearing of the 115th Congress on improving the certification process.

In the previous Congress, the subcommittee backed provisions in a long-term FAA reauthorization bill seeking continued improvement in the FAA’s certification efforts. But those provisions were sidelined after Congress opted for a short-term extension of FAA authorization instead of a more comprehensive bill.

“Manufacturers [that] design and build to meet these standards….can experience needless and harmful bureaucratic delays, both internationally and domestically. These delays can be very detrimental to U.S. manufacturers trying to compete globally,” aviation subcommittee chairman Frank LoBiondo (R-N.J.) said, opening the February 15 hearing.

House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee chairman Bill Shuster (R-Pa.) agreed that the U.S. process is lagging and said, “I don’t want to see the aviation industry go the way of electronics, autos, textiles and steel. This is so important to the nation.”

Peggy Gilligan, the FAA’s associate administrator for aviation safety, outlined a series of initiatives the agency is undertaking to improve its efforts, including a reorganization of the Aircraft Certification Service and development of a “score card” that holds both government and industry accountable. Gilligan also underscored the importance of partnering with industry as new business models, such as use of additive manufacturing (aka 3D printing), are introduced. This includes continued use of organizational delegation authorization (ODA), which she said is now in place at 84 companies.

Progress has been made, agreed Michael Thacker, who recently moved to Bell after serving as senior v-p of engineering for Textron Aviation. But he said even greater progress can “capture benefits” of those changes, including ensuring clear and stable requirements for aircraft certification, expanding ODA use and improving validation processes. Thacker pointed to concerns of “regulatory creep,” where compliance requirements vary. He praised the newly revised Part 23 regulation, saying it will bring near-term benefits, but added that Textron Aviation would like to see the approach expanded.

John Hamilton, v-p engineering for Boeing Commercial Airplanes, also highlighted the importance of improving validation, saying in some places it can take up to 14 months. Noting that the company has received orders for its 737 Max from 83 countries, he said the FAA cannot efficiently work with that many countries for a smooth validation process without resources and support from Congress.