Sponsors (8)
The bill aims to accelerate and make aviation certification more transparent and predictable—boosting industry innovation and reducing litigation—but increases administrative costs, concentrates some decisions, and raises safety, equity, and accountability trade-offs that could affect workers, communities, and taxpayers.
Aircraft manufacturers, applicants, and related industry workers will face clearer, more predictable certification rules and public timelines, reducing uncertainty and likely speeding approvals for new aircraft and components.
The FAA will provide more public reporting and post delegation guidance, increasing transparency so industry, Congress, and taxpayers can track performance and hold the agency to account.
Broader use of industry consensus standards, performance-based standards, and converting stable issue papers into advisory circulars creates clearer means of compliance that can shorten review timelines and reduce repetitive work for industry.
Transportation workers, passengers, and the public face increased safety risk if rigid timelines and pressure to meet milestones lead FAA staff or delegations to prioritize speed over thorough technical review.
Taxpayers and FAA staff may bear higher administrative costs and diverted resources from core certification work due to new reporting, staffing, and requirements to revise orders and produce advisory documents within short deadlines.
Limiting judicial challenges to missed timelines reduces individuals' legal recourse and external accountability, making it harder to compel timely agency action.
Based on analysis of 12 sections of legislative text.
Directs FAA to publish plans, timelines, criteria, and delegation guidance to make aircraft/engine type certification more transparent, predictable, and timely; requires reporting to Congress.
Official title: To provide for updates to the Federal Aviation Administration type certification process to support development of new and novel technologies, and for other purposes.
Introduced February 12, 2026 by Troy E. Nehls · Last progress February 12, 2026
Requires the FAA to make the aircraft and engine type‑certification process more transparent, timely, and predictable by publishing a public improvement plan, establishing standard timelines and documented criteria for issue papers, updating delegation guidance, and reporting regularly to Congress. It also expresses a non‑binding sense that the U.S. should support advanced air mobility and clarifies that the timeline targets do not create new legal rights or judicial reviewability. The bill sets firm deadlines for FAA actions (90–270 days after enactment for various updates), requires stakeholder consultation, and mandates annual status reports with metrics on missed timelines and corrective steps. It focuses on converting recurring issue papers into stable policy, distinguishing routine vs. safety‑critical findings, and explaining how delegation to authorized representatives will be managed without reducing safety oversight.