[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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