Generally, I’m not a fan of seeing how “the sausage” is made.
In this case, how aviation regulation is made.
But after a recent conversation with Aithre owner Jim Ruttler, I’m both intrigued and enlightened about how the Modernization of Special Airworthiness Certification (MOSAIC) “sausage” is made.
Why did Jim get involved?
Ruttler got involved because he noticed something missing.
No oxygen standard existed for the new MOSAIC framework.
That may sound like a small technical issue, but for aircraft manufacturers hoping to build high-flying turbocharged airplanes under MOSAIC, it was a big deal. Without a standard, there may have been no approved pathway to install built-in oxygen systems in Part 22 aircraft.
Yikes.
“At that point I realized if I hadn’t done this, then there would be no availability of oxygen for Part 22 aircraft,” Ruttler told me. “Even if the manufacturers wanted to put it in.”
That’s the part many pilots may not yet fully appreciate about MOSAIC. The FAA writes the broad rules, but ASTM committees are developing many of the detailed standards manufacturers will actually use to comply.
And those committees? They’re filled with industry people. Manufacturers, pilots, air show buddies, competitors, friends, and the like.
“I figured that the members of the ASTM committee were going to draft these up, and then that would be adopted by the FAA,” Ruttler said. “When I showed up at ASTM, I learned everybody got a vote. And I was shocked to see friends there.”
That quote stuck with me.
Because it changed the mental picture I had of the process.
The FAA is involved — but not alone
Another surprise for Jim was how the FAA participates in the process.
Not from above. Inside it.
“At the very end the FAA showed up as a voter and said, ‘We like what we see, but we’d like to see more,’” he said.
After reviewing Jim’s first draft, the FAA wanted more detail on installation guidance and maintenance documentation. Reasonable stuff.
But the agency didn’t simply dictate the outcome.
That’s an important distinction.
This isn’t industry running wild without oversight. And it’s not pure top-down regulation either. It’s more collaborative than I realized.
Messy sometimes? Sure.
But maybe healthier too.
One negative vote can stop everything
Here’s the part that blew me away: “If there’s one negative vote, just one, then the ballot does not proceed,” Ruttler explained.
One vote.
That means consensus really matters. Competitors, manufacturers, suppliers, engineers, and regulators all have leverage.
If you recall, MOSAIC was announced at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2025.
ASTM consensus standards for a few dozen topics, not just built-in oxygen systems, all had to be submitted to the FAA by mid-April 2026 to be part of the July 26, 2026, final MOSAIC rules.
“The FAA has been working on this for five years, but they essentially gave this committee less than a year to do all these standards,” Ruttler said.
That helps explain why industry people like Van’s Aircraft’s Rian Johnson, Streamline Design’s Adam Morrison, professional pilot and light-sport enthusiast Linda Sallers, and many others have been working nonstop behind the scenes.
Most pilots will never know their names. But they’re helping shape the future of light aircraft.
Why this matters
Pilots love to complain about regulations. Sometimes deservedly so.
But listening to Jim, I kept coming back to one thought: This process only works if knowledgeable people actually participate.
Otherwise, gaps happen.
Like not including oxygen system standards.
And if nobody notices? Well, suddenly manufacturers and pilots are stuck trying to operate inside rules that accidentally overlooked real-world flying.
That’s why this matters.
This is how the future of MOSAIC aircraft is being built — one standard, one vote, one volunteer at a time.
That’s worth understanding.
And honestly, worth appreciating as well.
After ten years as a DPE and working with the FAA fellows I’ll say that the FAA bureaucracy is terrible from up high. However the local offices are regular guys trying hard to live within the sometimes inane rules and at the same time trying to be logical and helpful to the pilots.
Yes they get frustrated too.
But if you have been to the academy for FAA training the one impression above all others is YOUR SUBJECTION TO THE LEGAL AND CAREER DESTROYING RULES YOU MUST FOLLOW OR PAY THE PRICE.
YES OCCASIONAL POWER PEOPLE ARE EVERYWHERE BUT DONT LET A FEW TAINT ALL.
Too bad that portable oxygen systems don’t exist.
Without the dedication and work of Rian and Adam there would be no MOSAIC. Others have contributed greatly, but these two are taking time from their business to help us all.
Thanks Guys!
100% agree Bill.
How MOSAIC wrecked the sport pilot SES add on dual endorsement pathway used for18+ years at Jack Brown’s Seaplane base. A year ago I could add the seaplane rating at Jack Brown’s as a private pilot using the sport pilot privileges and a drivers license medical. Under those rules one obtains traing and an endorsement from an instructor and then did a proficiency check and 2nd endorsement from another instructor, no DPE check ride required. Ones SEL training as listed on the SEL ACS extended to. the SES ACS, use to have a paragraph at the bottom allowing this.
In February I attended Jack Brown’s for my SES endorsement/BFR using the above rules. After 2 hours of ground school and 4.5 hours , 33 take offs and landings my traing was stopped by the Orlando FSDO’s intervention, stating they were reviewing this pathway after the October 2022 MOSAIC passage. The instructor and chief pilot informed me that they could no longer use the dual endorsement option using sport pilot and drivers license options. They told me that the paragraph on the SES ACS had been temoved so my SEL experience was no longer transferrable to the SES training using my drivers license medical. If I had a 3rd class or Basic Med, yes I could continue. With only the drivers license medical the only path to the SES endorsement was to complete the WHOLE SES ACS like a noob walking in off the street.
So there I was a 600+ hour pilot with 8 recent WINGS CREDIT course, 2 hours of SES ground school, 4.5 hours of 172 Skyhawk float flying with 33 take offs and landings HALTED and they even refused to sign me off for a BFR because training was in the wrong class of airplane. . $2100 later I was turned away and all I was trying to do was obtain my SES for my little 585 lbs light sport amphib Buccaneer II. The real pisser is that after MOSAIC I can go fly a 12,499 lb airplane with 199 hp that stalls sloer than 69 knots on my sport pilot drivers license medical. EAA and Florida FASST TEAM folks were helpful in trying to resolve this but the ORLANDO FSDO messed this. Up.
Call JACK BROWN’S SEAPLANE BASE today and they will tell you that they no longer offer sport pilot LSA SES training particularly if you are using a drivers license medical. For the 18 years before MOSAIC they did.