[Federal Register Volume 61, Number 35 (Wednesday, February 21, 1996)]
[Notices]
[Pages 6680-6681]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 96-3865]



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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Federal Aviation Administration


Aviation Rulemaking Advisory Committee; Training and 
Qualification Issues--New Task

AGENCY: Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), DOT.

ACTION: Notice of New Task Assignment for the Aviation Rulemaking 
Advisory Committee (ARAC).

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SUMMARY: Notice is given of a new task assigned to and accepted by the 
Aviation Rulemaking Advisory Committee (ARAC). This notice informs the 
public of the activities of ARAC.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Mr. Thomas Toula, Assistant Executive Director for Training and 
Qualification Issues, Flight Standards Service (AFS-210), 800 
Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, DC 20591, telephone: (202) 267-
3729; fax: (202) 267-5229.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Background

    The FAA has established an Aviation Rulemaking Advisory Committee 
to provide advice and recommendations to the FAA Administrator, through 
the Associate Administrator for Regulation and Certification, on the 
full range of the FAA's rulemaking activities with respect to aviation-
related issues. This includes obtaining advice and recommendations on 
the FAA's commitment to harmonize its Federal Aviation Regulations 
(FAR) and practices with its trading partners in Europe and Canada.
    One area ARAC deals with is training and qualification issues. 
These issues involve training and qualification of air carrier 
crewmembers and other air transport employees.

The Task

    This notice is to inform the public that the FAA has asked ARAC to 
provide advice and recommendation on the following task:

    Recommend disposition of comments made to the Advance Notice of 
Proposed Rulemaking No. 94-74, which proposes to amend the 
applicable portions of parts 123, 125, and 135 of the Federal 
Aviation Regulations to establish requirements to ensure that flight 
attendants understand sufficient English language to communicate, 
coordinate, and perform all required safety related duties.

    The FAA also has asked ARAC to evaluate these comments and 
recommend an appropriate rulemaking action (e.g., notice of proposed 
rule making, withdrawal) or if advisory material should be issued. If 
so, ARAC has been asked to prepare the necessary documents, including 
economic analysis, to justify and carry out its recommendation(s). If 
ARAC determines that the NPRM or Advisory Circular would be 
approporiate, those documents are to be submitted in the format 
prescribed by the FAA.

ARAC Acceptance of Task

    ARAC has accepted the task and his chosen to establish an Operator 
Flight Attendant English Language Program Working Group to which to 
assign the task. The working group serves as staff to ARAC to assist 
ARAC in the analysis of the assigned task. Working group 
recommendations must be reviewed and approved by ARAC. If ARAC accepts 
the working group's recommendations, it forwards them to the FAA as 
ARAC recommendations.

Working Group Activity

    The Operator Flight Attendant English Language Program Working 
Group is expected to comply with the procedures adopted by ARAC. As 
part of the procedures, the working group is expected to:
    1. Recommend a workplan for completion of the task, including the 
rationale supporting such a plan, for consideration at the meeting of 
ARAC to consider training and qualification issues held following 
publication of this notice.
    2. Give a detailed conceptual presentation of the proposed 
recommendations, prior to proceeding with the work stated in item 3 
below.
    3. For each task, draft appropriate regulatory documents with 
supporting economic and other required analyses, and/or any other 
related guidance material or collateral documents the working group 
determines to be appropriate; or, if new or revised requirements or 
compliance methods are not recommended, a draft report stating the 
rationale for not making such recommendations.
    4. Provide a status report at each meeting of ARAC held to consider 
training and qualification issues.

Participation in the Working Group

    The Operator Flight Attendant English Language Program Working 
Group will be composed of experts having an interest in the assigned 
task. A working group member need not be a representative of a member 
of the full committee.
    An individual who has expertise in the subject matter and wishes to 
become a member of the working group should write to the person listed 
under the caption FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT expressing that 
desire, describing his or her interest in the task, and stating the 
expertise he or she would bring to the working group. The request will 
be reviewed by the assistant chair, the assistant executive director, 
and the working group chair, and the individual will be advised whether 
or not the request can be accommodated.
    The Secretary of Transportation has determined that the formation 
and use of ARAC are necessary and in the public interest in connection 
with the performance of duties imposed on the FAA by law.
    Meetings of ARAC will be open to the public, except as authorized 
by section 10(d) of the Federal Advisory Committee Act. Meetings of the 
Operator Flight Attendant English Language Program Working Group will 
not be open to the public, except to the extent that individuals with 
an interest and expertise are selected to participate. No public 
announcement of working group meetings will be made.


[[Page 6681]]

    Issued in Washington, DC, on February 13, 1996.
Thomas Toula,
Assistant Executive Director, for Training and Qualifications, Aviation 
Rulemaking Advisory Committee.
[FR Doc. 96-3865 Filed 2-20-96; 8:45 am]
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