FAR 23.2500 — Airplane Systems Requirements
FAR 23.2500 sets the design and installation standards for airplane equipment and systems to ensure safe operation in Day VFR, Night VFR, and IFR conditions.
In Plain English
FAR 23.2500 is a top-level rule under Part 23 that governs how equipment and systems are designed and installed on small airplanes. It applies broadly unless a more specific section of Part 23 calls out particular requirements for a given piece of equipment.
The regulation breaks systems into two groups:
- Required equipment — anything needed for the airplane to safely operate in the kinds of operations it's certificated for (Day VFR, Night VFR, or IFR) must:
- Meet the level of safety appropriate to the airplane's certification and performance level, and
- Perform their intended function across the airplane's full operating and environmental limits.
- Non-required equipment — systems not covered above must be designed and installed so they do not adversely affect the airplane or its occupants, whether considered alone or in combination with other systems.
Why it matters operationally: this rule is why an IFR-certified airplane has redundancy and reliability standards that a Day VFR airplane doesn't, and why even optional installed equipment can't compromise flight safety.
Regulation Text
14 CFR § 23.2500§ 23.2500 Airplane level systems requirements.
This section applies generally to installed equipment and systems unless a section of this part imposes requirements for a specific piece of equipment, system, or systems.
(a) The equipment and systems required for an airplane to operate safely in the kinds of operations for which certification is requested (Day VFR, Night VFR, IFR) must be designed and installed to—
(1) Meet the level of safety applicable to the certification and performance level of the airplane; and
(2) Perform their intended function throughout the operating and environmental limits for which the airplane is certificated.
(b) The systems and equipment not covered by paragraph (a) of this section—considered separately and in relation to other systems—must be designed and installed so their operation does not have an adverse effect on the airplane or its occupants.
[Doc. No. FAA-2015-1621, Amdt. 23-64, 81 FR 96689, Dec. 30, 2016, as amended by Doc. No. FAA-2022-1355, Amdt. 23-65, 87 FR 75710, Dec. 9, 2022]
Oral Exam Questions a DPE Might Ask
Q1Under FAR 23.2500, what two design and installation criteria must required equipment meet?
Per FAR 23.2500(a), required equipment must meet the level of safety applicable to the airplane's certification and performance level, and must perform its intended function throughout the airplane's certificated operating and environmental limits.
Q2How does FAR 23.2500 treat equipment that isn't required for the airplane's certificated kinds of operations?
FAR 23.2500(b) requires that non-required systems and equipment, considered both separately and with other systems, be designed and installed so their operation does not adversely affect the airplane or its occupants.
Q3What kinds of operations does FAR 23.2500 specifically reference for determining required equipment?
FAR 23.2500(a) references Day VFR, Night VFR, and IFR as the kinds of operations for which certification is requested, driving what equipment is considered required.
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Related Sections in Part 23