[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 1 (Monday, January 4, 1999)]
[Notices]
[Pages 201-202]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-34765]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Aviation Administration


Aviation Rulemaking Advisory Committee; Air Carrier Operations 
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. This notice informs the public 
of the activities of ARAC.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Quentin J. Smith, Federal Aviation 
Administration (AFS-200), 800 Independence Avenue, SW., Washington, DC 
20591; phone (202) 267-5819; fax (202) 267-5229.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFOMATION:

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 regulations and practices with 
its trading partners in Europe and Canada.
    One area ARAC deals with is air carrier operations issues. These 
issues involve the operational requirements for air carriers, including 
crewmember requirements, airplane operating performance and 
limitations, and equipment requirements.

The Tasks

    This notice is to inform the public that the FAA has asked ARAC to 
provide advice and recommendations on the following harmonization 
tasks:
    Tasks 1 through 3 have been previously published and are restated 
here for continuity; Task 4 is new and is hereby added by this notice. 
Task 4 also cites the required completion date for all tasks.

Airplane Performance Operating Limitations

    1. Review FAA and JAA airplane

[[Page 202]]

operational performance requirements (14 CFR parts 121 and 135/JAR-OPS) 
and develop a list of differences between the two sets of requirements. 
(Use should be made of preliminary work on the task carried out by 
industry). During this review, if differences are identified in the 
associated certification requirements, such differences should be 
reported to the Aviation Rulemaking Advisory Committee (ARAC) and the 
Harmonization Management Team by the FAA and JAA contracts.
    2. When the first step is completed, explore the feasibility of 
harmonization of each identified difference in the following order of 
priority: Performance Class A, Class B, and Class C.
    3. Develop recommendations for common (harmonized) operational 
performance requirements for those items identified under item 2 above 
as being feasible for harmonization. If the working group determines 
FAA rulemaking is required, that determination must be forwarded to the 
FAA for consideration of rulemaking priority, resource allocation, and 
additional tasking to ARAC, as appropriate.
    4. (The new task) Within one year of publication of this revised 
ARAC task in the Federal Register, recommend: a) whether the standards 
adopted by the FAA on February 18, 1997, in the final rule, ``Improved 
Standards for Determining Rejected Takeoff and Landing Performance,'' 
should be applied retroactively to airplanes currently in use or 
airplanes of existing approved designs that will be manufactured in the 
future; and b) whether to adopt a requirement for operators to take 
into account any distance needed to align the airplane on the runway in 
the direction of takeoff. The standards referenced in (a) revise the 
method for taking into account the time needed for the pilot to 
accomplish the procedures for a rejected takeoff; require that takeoff 
performance be determined for wet runways; and require that rejected 
takeoff and landing stopping distances be based on worn brakes, but 
apply only to airplanes whose type certification basis includes 
Amendment 25-92 (effective March 20, 1998) or equivalent. JAR-OPS 1 
requires operators of Performance Class A airplanes to take wet runways 
and runway alignment distance into account regardless of the type 
certification basis of the airplane.

Working Group Activity

    The Airplane Performance Harmonization 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 work plan for completion of the tasks, including the 
rationale supporting such a plan, for consideration at the meeting of 
ARAC to consider air carrier operations 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. Draft an appropriate report.
    4. Provide a status report at each meeting of ARAC held to consider 
air carrier operations issues.

Participation in the Working Group

    The Airplane Performance Harmonization Working Group is composed of 
experts having an interest in the assigned tasks. A working group 
member need not be a representative of a member of the full committee. 
The working group has formed. However, an individual who has specific 
expertise in the subject matter and wishes to become a member of the 
working group should contact the person listed under the caption FOR 
FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT expressing that desire, describing his or 
her interest in the tasks, 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. To the extent possible, the composition of 
the working group will be balanced among the aviation interests 
selected to participate.
    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. Meetings of the 
Airplane Performance Harmonization 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.

    Issued in Washington, DC, on December 23, 1998.
Quentin J. Smith,
Assistant Executive Director, Air Carrier Operations Issues Group, 
Aviation Rulemaking Advisory Committee.
[FR Doc. 98-34765 Filed 12-31-98; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-13-M