The Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) has today opened the consultation process on the maximum stall speed for aircraft certified under CAO 95.55.
CAO 95.55 covers aircraft administered by Approved Self-administering Aviation Organisations (ASAO) like RAAus, which traditionally have been required to have a stall speed of no more than 45 knots in any configuration.
Changes to the regulations to permit ASAO aircraft to have maximum take-off weights up to 760 kg prompted many in the industry to demand a corresponding increase to the stall speed to allow aircraft owners to take advantage of the new rules.
Feedback on the amended MTOW showed that many in the industry identified the issue with the stall speed, but CASA elected to introduce the new rules without making a change to stall speed.
"After considering submissions, we determined the 45 knot stall speed should initially remain and that a review of the stall speed limitation be conducted and consulted with industry," a CASA statement released today reads.
"We are proposing to amend CAO 95.55 to achieve the following outcomes:
- Remove the 45 knot stall speed limit for lightweight aeroplanes (other than for aeroplanes certificated to CS-VLA as this speed remains a certification limit for these aeroplanes) for which a certificate of airworthiness is in force under regulation 21.176 of the Civil Aviation Safety Regulations 1998 (CASR).
- Remove the 45 knot stall speed limit for lightweight aeroplanes for which an experimental certificate of airworthiness issued for a purpose mentioned in either paragraph 21.191(g) or paragraph 21.191(h) of CASR is in force."
If the proposal are supported by the consultation feedback, CASA will also incorporate the changes into CASR Part 103, the manual of standards for which is yet to be completed.
Feedback to the consultation can be submitted via the CASA website. Submissions will be taken until 13 April 2022.