[Federal Register Volume 67, Number 78 (Tuesday, April 23, 2002)]
[Notices]
[Pages 19796-19797]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 02-9947]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Aviation Administration


Aviation Rulemaking Advisory Committee; Transport Airplane and 
Engine 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: The FAA assigned four new tasks to the Aviation Rulemaking 
Advisory Committee to develop recommendations that will broaden current 
regulations and advisory material to include state-of-the-art 
flightdeck displays and new technologies to aid flight crewmembers in 
decision making. This notice is to inform the public of this ARAC 
activity.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mike Kaszycki, Federal Aviation 
Administration, Northwest Mountain Region Headquarters, 1601 Lind 
Avenue, SW., Renton, Washington, 98055; telephone: 425-227-2137; fax: 
425-277-1320; e-mail: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

Problem

    Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Sec. 25.1322 describes 
standards for the color of warning, caution, advisory, and other 
message lights that are installed as annunciation displays in the 
flightdeck. It addresses visual alerting cues only in the form of 
colored lights installed in the flightdeck. The regulation became 
effective February 1 1977 (Amendment No. 25-38, 41 FR 44567, December 
20, 1976) and has never been amended. It does not consider the use of 
corresponding aural tones/voice and prioritization of multiple alerts 
that may occur at the same time. Nor, does it consider new 
technologies, other than colored lights, that may be more effective in 
aiding the flightcrew in decision making. Further, Sec. 25.1322 is 
outdated, does not address safety concerns associated with today's 
display systems, and has resulted in additional work for applicants 
when showing compliance, and for the FAA when addressing new flightdeck 
designs and the latest display technologies via special conditions and 
issue papers.
    Advisory Circular (AC) 25-11, Transport Category Airplane 
Electronic Display Systems, contains guidance for demonstrating 
compliance with Sec. 25.1322. The scope of the AC, which was published 
July 16, 1987, is limited and pertains strictly to cathode ray tube 
(CRT) based electronic display systems used for guidance, control, or 
decision making by the flightcrew. The guidance is clearly outdated in 
view of the computer-based and other advanced technological instruments 
used in transport category airplanes today.
    Any rule or advisory circulars that results from this action would 
affect all new transport airplanes that are certified to part 25/Joint 
Aviation Requirements 25 (JAR-25). Both the FAA and industry agree that 
Sec. 25.1322 is not appropriate for the current or future flightdeck 
design and the technologies associated with visual and aural 
annunciations to the flightcrew. This outdated regulation results in a 
potentially significant effect on airplane design, product design and 
technical standard orders, system integration, airplane type 
certifications and supplemental type certifications, costs associated 
with certifications, and flightcrew operation on airplane safety.

Tasking Statement

    For the problem described above, the FAA tasked the ARAC \1\ to:
    1. Review and recommend revisions Sec. 25.1322 that are necessary 
to bring the safety standards up-to-date; make the standards more 
appropriate for addressing current and future flightdeck design and 
technologies associated with visual and aural annunciation; and address 
prioritization of multiple alerts that may occur at the same time. At a 
minimum, the recommendations must consider airworthiness, safety, cost, 
recent certification and fleet experience, and harmonization of JAR 
25.1322.
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    \1\ In 1992, the FAA established the ARAC to provide advice and 
recommendations to the FAA Administrator on the agency's rulemaking 
activities with respect to aviation-related issues. This includes 
obtaining advice and recommendations on the FAA's commitments to 
harmonize Title 14 of the Code of Federal Regulations (14 CFR) with 
its partners in Europe and Canada.
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    2. Review the existing Advisory Circular Joint (ACJ) 25.1322 and 
determine if a harmonized AC 25.1322 should be developed.
    3. Identify any rules or advisory circulars that may conflict with 
the revised rule to determine if changes should be developed and 
address the proposed changes to Secs. 25.1309 and 25.1329 that pertain 
to alerting.
    4. Recommend revisions to AC 25-11 and ACJ 25-11.
    a. Review AC 25-11 and ACJ 25-11 to develop harmonized advisory 
material. The harmonized guidance material may be significantly 
different from the existing material, but it must not conflict with the 
harmonized Sec. 25.1322 standard.
    b. Coordinate with other harmonization working groups in revising 
the advisory material. The Human Factors HWG is currently working a 
similar activity and should be consulted to ensure that any revised 
material has appropriate input and influence from the human factors 
discipline. Review and revision of the powerplant-related sections of 
AC 25-11 should be delegated to the Powerplant Installation HWG. The 
Flight Test HWG should review the flight test related sections.
    c. Prepare a ``user needs analysis'' that addresses some unique 
requirements that are not fully met by the current guidance. (For 
example, manufacturers and installers of liquid crystal display based 
systems are considered ``users'' whose needs may not currently be met.)
    d. Review other advisory circulars (such as AC's/ACJ's for various 
systems) and other industry documents to understand their relevance to 
AC 25-11. Additionally, recent industry activities have produced 
materials (for example, Aviation Recommended Practices) that may be 
useful in developing the harmonized AC.
    e. Recommend a format of the advisory circulars that can 
accommodate future changes. The current AC/ACJ format is not conducive 
to additions as new systems are developed, new functions are 
identified, and new technologies are employed. The revised harmonized 
AC/ACJ should be formatted to accommodate future changes.
    For each task, ARAC is to review airworthiness, safety, cost, and 
other relevant factors, including recent certification and fleet 
experience. ARAC will submit a report to the FAA (format and content to 
be determined by the FAA) that recommends revisions to the regulation, 
including cost estimates, and outlines the information and background 
for the advisory circulars.
    If a notice of proposed rulemaking or notices of proposed advisory 
circulars are published for public comment as a result of the 
recommendations, ARAC may be further asked to review all comments 
received and provide the FAA with a recommendation for disposition of 
public comments for each project.

[[Page 19797]]

    Schedule: The report and draft advisory circular is to be completed 
no later than 24 months after the FAA publishes the tasks in the 
Federal Register.

ARAC Acceptance of Tasks

    ARAC accepted and assigned the task to the Avionics Systems 
Harmonization Working Group. The working group serves as staff to ARAC 
and assists in the analysis of the assigned task. ARAC must review and 
approve each working group's recommendations. If ARAC accepts the 
working group's recommendations, it will forward them to the FAA. 
Recommendations that are received from ARAC will be submitted to the 
agency's Rulemaking Management Council to address the availability of 
resources and prioritization.

Working Group Activity

    The Avionics System Harmonization Working Group must comply with 
the procedures adopted by ARAC. As part of the procedures, the working 
group must:
    1. Recommend a work plan for completing each task, including the 
rationale supporting such a plan for consideration at the October 15-
16, 2002, meeting of the ARAC on transport airplane and engine issues.
    2. Give a detailed conceptual presentation of the proposed 
recommendations before proceeding with the work stated in item 3.
    3. Draft the appropriate documents and required analyses and/or any 
other related materials or documents.
    4. Provide a status report at each ARAC meeting on transport 
airplane and engine issues.

Participation in the Working Group

    The Avionics Systems Harmonization Working Group is composed of 
technical experts having an interest in the assigned tasks. A working 
group member need not be a representative or 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. All requests to 
participate must be received no later than (1 month after publication 
of the tasking statement). The requests will be reviewed by the 
assistant chair, the assistant executive director, and the working 
group co-chairs. Individuals will be advised whether their request can 
be accommodated.
    Individuals chosen for membership on the working group must 
represent their aviation community segment and actively participate in 
the working group (e.g., attend all meetings, provide written comments 
when requested to do so, etc.). They must devote the resources 
necessary to support the working group in meeting any assigned 
deadlines. Members are expected to keep their management chain and 
those they may represent advised of working group activities and 
decisions to ensure the proposed technical solutions do not conflict 
with their sponsoring organization's position when the subject being 
negotiated is presented to ARAC for approval.
    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 co-chairs.
    The Secretary of Transportation determined that the formation and 
use of the ARAC is necessary and in the public interest in connection 
with the performance of duties imposed on the FAA by law.
    Meetings of the ARAC will be open to the public. Meetings of the 
Avionics Systems 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. The FAA will make no public 
announcement of working group meetings.

    Issued in Washington, DC, on April 11, 2002.
Anthony F. Fazio,
Executive Director, Aviation Rulemaking Advisory Committee.
[FR Doc. 02-9947 Filed 4-22-02; 8:45 am]
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