MOSAIC Set for August 2023 NPRM

At the Meet the Administrator forum on Thursday, July 28, senior FAA leadership told AirVenture attendees that a notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) on MOSAIC (Modernization of Special Airworthiness Certificates) will be ready by August 2023. The announcement is confirmation that the rulemaking package, which is anticipated to contain changes to the light-sport airplane (LSA) and sport pilot rules, continues to make progress, and comes after hard work by EAA and others over the past year.

With a 2030 deadline to complete the transition to unleaded avgas, Nolen acknowledged that the issue is among the top priorities for the FAA, and he is confident in the progress that’s been made so far.

The EAA advocacy team spent the first days of EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2022 acquainting a mostly new FAA leadership team and their Department of Transportation oversight with the community’s priorities for MOSAIC. In addition to expanding the entry-level sport pilot certificate to allow the operation of larger, more capable aircraft, EAA sees the rule change as critical to addressing the needs of small flight schools around the country. These schools are many people’s entry point to the world of aviation, but they have mostly been priced out of new, versatile training aircraft. A new generation of LSAs could change that.

The FAA had previously indicated that they were working on a congressionally mandated deadline of September 30, 2023, for the MOSAIC package. However, this mandate specifically applied to new uncrewed aerial systems (UAS, or “drone”) regulations. With FAA Acting Administrator Billy Nolen saying during his address that he wanted to narrow the scope of MOSAIC, the 2023 mandate cannot be relied upon to deliver LSA and sport pilot reform. The fact that the FAA went on record as having an August 2023 deadline for an NPRM in relation to the EAA community’s priorities is a very positive development.

Throughout the week, EAA made effective use of AirVenture’s unique opportunities in its advocacy messaging. The event is a microcosm of the entire general aviation world. In one short driving tour the advocacy team can show any government official the entire scope of the GA community, from ultralights to jet warbirds. Through use of the actual aircraft that stand to benefit from LSA reforms in MOSAIC, EAA and other industry partners effectively introduced their vision of the new rule to the decision makers.

“It was a productive week, but we have a lot of work to do to keep MOSAIC on track for an NPRM next year,” said Sean Elliott, EAA vice president of advocacy and safety. “We will follow up our Oshkosh meetings with regular visits to FAA headquarters in the months ahead, and continue to brief key policymakers and members of Congress.”