VLJ Certification Challenges
European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) certification manager for general aviation Roger Hardy said VLJs are classified as high-performance aircraft (HPA).

European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) certification manager for general aviation Roger Hardy said VLJs are classified as high-performance aircraft (HPA). However, he admitted that the Part 23 rules are “frankly not geared to HPAs the way Part 25 is. It was drafted in the 1960s and has barely kept pace, with special conditions used to supplement the code to cover new technology such as FADECs and composite structures.”

Hardy said discussions are under way with the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration to harmonize the special conditions for HPAs, which now also include turboprops such as the Daher-Socata TBM 700 and Piaggio P-180 Avanti.