[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 227 (Friday, November 26, 1999)]
[Notices]
[Pages 66522-66524]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-30774]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Aviation Administration


Aviation Rulemaking Advisory Committee; Transport Airplane and 
Engine Issues--New and Revised Tasks

AGENCY: Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), DOT.

ACTION: Notice of new and revised task assignments for the Aviation 
Rulemaking Advisory Committee (ARAC).

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

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dorenda Baker, Transport Airplane 
Directorate, Aircraft Certification Service (ANM-110), 1601 Lind 
Avenue, SW., Renton, WA 98055; phone (425) 227-2109; fax (425) 227-
1320.

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 transport airplane and engine issues. 
These issues involve the airworthiness standards for transport category

[[Page 66523]]

airplanes and engines in 14 CFR parts 25, 33, and 35 and parallel 
provisions in 14 CFR parts 121 and 135. The corresponding Canadian 
standards are contained in Parts V, VI, and VII of the Canadian 
Aviation Regulations. The corresponding European standards are 
contained in Joint Aviation Requirements (JAR) 25, JAR-E, JAR-P, JAR-
OPS-Part 1, and JAR-26.
    As proposed by the U.S. and European aviation industry, and as 
agreed between the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the 
European Joint Aviation Authorities (JAA), an accelerated process to 
reach harmonization has been adopted. This process is based on two 
procedures:
    (1) Accepting the more stringent of the regulations in Title 14 of 
the Code of Federal Regulations (FAR), Part 25, and the Joint 
Airworthiness Requirements (JAR); and
    (2) Assigning approximately 41 already-tasked significant 
regulatory differences (SRD), and certain additional part 25 regulatory 
differences, to one of three categories:

 Category 1--Envelope
 Category 2--Completed or near complete
 Category 3--Harmonize

The Revised Tasks

    ARAC will review the rules identified in the ``FAR/JAR 25 
Differences List,'' dated June 30, 1999, and identify changes to the 
regulations necessary to harmonize part 25 and JAR 25. ARAC will submit 
a technical report on each rule. Each report will include the cost 
information that has been requested by the FAA. The tasks currently 
underway in ARAC to harmonize the listed rules are superseded by this 
tasking.

New Tasks

    The FAA has submitted a number of new tasks for the Aviation 
Rulemaking Advisory Committee (ARAC), Transport Airplane and Engine 
Issues. As agreed by ARAC, these tasks will be accomplished by existing 
harmonization working groups. The tasks are regulatory differences 
identified in the above-referenced differences list as Rule type = P-
SRD.

New Working Group

    In addition to the above new tasks, a newly established Cabin 
Safety Harmonization Working Group will review several FAR/JAR 
paragraphs as follows:
    ARAC will review the following rules and identify changes to the 
regulations necessary to harmonize part 25 and JAR:

(1) Section 25.787;
(2) Section 25.791(a) to (d);
(3) Section 25.810;
(4) Section 25.811;
(5) Section 25.819; and
(6) Section 25.813(c).

    ARAC will submit a technical report on each rule. Each report will 
include the cost information that has been requested by the FAA.
    The Cabin Safety Harmonization Working Group would be expected to 
complete its work for the first five items (identified as Category 1 or 
2) before completing item 6 (identified as Category 3).

Schedule

Within 120 days of tasking/retasking:
     For Category 1 tasks, ARAC submits the Working Groups' 
technical reports to the FAA to initiate drafting of proposed 
rulemaking documents.
     For Category 2 tasks, ARAC submits technical reports, 
including already developed draft rules and/or advisory materials, to 
the FAA to complete legal review, economic analysis, coordination, and 
issuance.
June 2000: For Category 3 tasks, ARAC submits technical reports 
including draft rules and/or advisory materials to the FAA to complete 
legal review, economic analysis, coordination, and issuance.

ARAC Acceptance of Tasks

    ARAC has accepted the new tasks and has chosen to assign all but 
one of them to existing harmonization working groups. A new Cabin 
Safety Harmonization Working Group will be formed to complete the 
remaining tasks. The working groups serve as staff to ARAC to assist 
ARAC in the analysis of the assigned tasks. Working group 
recommendations must be reviewed and approved by ARAC. If ARAC accepts 
a working group's recommendations, it forwards them to the FAA and ARAC 
recommendations.

Working Group Activity

    All working groups are expected to comply with the procedures 
adopted by ARAC. As part of the procedures, the working groups are 
expected to accomplish the following:
    1. Document their decisions and discuss areas of disagreement, 
including options, in a report. A report can be used both for the 
enveloping and for the harmonization processes.
    2. If requested by the FAA, provide support for disposition of the 
comments received in response to the NPRM or review the FAA's prepared 
disposition of comments. If support is requested, the Working Group 
will review comments/disposition and prepare a report documenting their 
recommendations, agreement, or disagreement. This report will be 
submitted by ARAC back to the FAA.
    3. Provide a status report at each meeting of ARAC held to consider 
Transport Airplane and Engine Issues.

Partcipation in the Working Groups

    Membership on existing working groups will remain the same, with 
the formation of subtask groups, if appropriate. The Cabin Safety 
Harmonization Working Group will be composed of technical 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 Cabin Safety Harmonization 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 
tasks, and stating the expertise he or she would bring to the working 
group. All requests to participate must be received no later than 
December 30, 1999. The requests will be reviewed by the assistant 
chair, the assistant executive director, and the working group chair, 
and the individuals will be advised whether or not the request can be 
accommodated.
    Individuals chosen for membership on the Cabin Safety Harmonization 
Working Group will be expected to represent their aviation community 
segment and participate actively in the working group (e.g., attend all 
meetings, provide written comments when requested to do so, etc.). They 
also will be expected to devote the resources necessary to ensure the 
ability of the working group to meet any assigned deadline(s). Members 
are expected to keep their management chain advised of working group 
activities and decisions to ensure that the agreed technical solutions 
do not conflict with their sponsoring organization's position when the 
subject being negotiated is presented to ARAC for a vote.
    Once the working group has begun deliberations, members will not be 
added or substituted without the approval of the assistant chair, the 
assistant executive director, and the working group chair.
    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.

[[Page 66524]]

    Meetings of ARAC will be open to the public. Meetings of the 
working groups 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 November 19, 1999.
Anthony F. Fazio,
Executive Director, Aviation Rulemaking Advisory Committee.
[FR Doc. 99-30774 Filed 11-24-99; 8:45 am]
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