Do not underestimate Aboulafia's words nor influence.
In regards to regulations, regulatory requirements, or certifications; those are the bare minimum to which the aircraft is unsafe to fly. Anything less, and the aircraft is unsafe.
Regulators are forbidden by law to dictate design changes to meet certification. That is called design by review and is illegal.
It is up to the manufacturer to show that the aircraft meets the MINIMUM requirements to be safe to fly.
In issuing the cert, regulators show that what the manufacturer submits, either meets or exceeds the minimum requirements, nothing more, nothing less.
Case in point: The 737 MAX REQUIRED MCAS to meet MINUMUM requirements to be safe to fly. Without MCAS the ac is NOT SAFE to fly.
Last edited by Smythe; 9th May 2019 at 00:16.