Spin Resistant Airplane Certification Issues

The aviation community has for many years searched for a solution to the inadvertent stall and spin of snail single-engine airplanes. NASA, GAMA, and the FAA have coordinated an effort to develop technology that would markedly improve an airplane's resistance to entering a spin. Two manufacturers are proposing designs for FAR certification that incorporate spin-resistant features. The FAA has proposed certification requirements in special conditions to allow type certification of these new designs. This paper will discuss the historical perspective of FAA spin-resistant airplane efforts and procedures to be used by the FAA to test and determine compliance of the proposed designs to the standards set forth in the special conditions.