[Federal Register Volume 67, Number 135 (Monday, July 15, 2002)]
[Notices]
[Pages 46563-46564]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 02-17738]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Aviation Administration


[Docket No. FAA-2002-12504] Security Considerations for the 
Flightdeck on Foreign Operated Transport Category Airplanes

AGENCY: Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), DOT

ACTION: Notice of public meeting.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: This notice announces a public meeting to be held to solicit 
comments and information on a final rule that the FAA published June 
21, 2002, on security considerations for the flightdeck on foreign 
operated transport category airplanes. The final rule requires the same 
level of safety for flightdeck protection for foreign air carriers 
operating to, from, and over the U.S. as required for U.S. air 
carriers. This notice announces the date, time, location and procedures 
for the public meeting.

DATES: The meeting will be held on Tuesday, July 30, 2002, beginning at 
9 a.m. Persons unable to attend the meeting are invited to provide 
written comments to the DOT Docket Management System, on or before 
August 20, 2002.

ADDRESSES: The public meeting will be held at the National 
Transportation Safety Board Conference Center, 429 L'Enfant Plaza, SW., 
Washington, DC 20594. Persons unable to attend the meeting may mail 
their comments in duplicate to: U.S. Department of Transportation 
Dockets, Docket No. FAA-2002-12504, 400 Seventh Street, SW, Plaza 
Level, Room 401, Washington, DC 20590. Comments also may be sent 
electronically to the Dockets Management System (DMS) at the following 
Internet address: http://dms.dot.gov/ at anytime. Commenters who wish 
to file comments electronically, should follow the instructions on the 
DMS web site. Comments may be filed and/or examined at the U.S. 
Department of Transportation Dockets, Plaza Level, Room 401 between 10 
a.m. and 5 p.m. weekdays except Federal holidays.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Requests to present a statement at the 
meeting or questions regarding the logistics of the meeting should be 
directed to Effie Upshaw, Federal Aviation Administration, Office of 
Rulemaking, ARM-209, 800 Independence Avenue, SW., Washington, DC 
20591; telephone (202) 267-7626; fax (2020 267-5075; e-mail: 
[email protected].
    Questions concerning the applicability of the part 129 requirements 
should be directed to Michael E. Daniel, International Liaison Staff, 
AFS-50, Flight Standards Service, Federal Aviation Administration, 800 
Independence Avenue, SW., Washington, DC 20591; telephone (202) 385-
4510; fax (202) 385-4561; e-mail: [email protected].

Background

    On September 11, 2001, the United States experienced terrorist 
attacks when aircraft were commandeered and used as weapons. These 
actions demonstrated that there is a need to improve the design, 
operational, and procedural security of the flightdeck.
    In response, the FAA amended Title 14 Code of Federal Regulation 
part 121 to require that certain U.S. air carriers install reinforced 
flightdeck doors that

[[Page 46564]]

provide intrusion resistance and ballistic penetration resistance by 
April 9, 2003 (Amendment 121-288, 67 FR 2881, January 15, 2002). As 
discussed in the preamble to Amendment 121-288, the FAA expected that 
foreign operators conducting service to and from the United States 
under part 129 would have flightdeck security measures commensurate 
with those of U.S. carriers.
    On June 21, 2002, the FAA issued a final rule entitled ``Security 
Considerations for the Flightdeck on Foreign Operated Transport 
Category Airplanes'' (67 FR 42450). The final rule requires improved 
flightdeck security and other operational and procedures changes to 
prevent unauthorized access to the flightdeck on passenger-carrying 
aircraft and some cargo aircraft operated by foreign carriers under the 
provisions of part 129. The FAA is holding this public meeting to give 
the public an additional opportunity to comment on the final rule.

Participation at the Meeting

    The FAA should receive requests from persons who wish to present 
oral statements at the meeting no later than July 25, 2002. Such 
requests should be submitted to Effie Upshaw, as listed above in the 
section titled FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT, and should include a 
written summary of oral remarks to be presented and an estimate of time 
needed for the presentation. An agenda of speakers will be available at 
the meeting. The names of those individuals who request to present oral 
statements after the date specified above may not appear on the written 
agenda. To accommodate as many speakers as possible, the amount of time 
allocated to each speaker may be less than the amount of time 
requested. Persons requiring audiovisual equipment should notify the 
FAA when requesting to be placed on the agenda.

Public Meeting Procedures

    The FAA will use the following procedures to facilitate the 
meeting:
    (1) There will be no admission fee or other charge to attend or to 
participate in the meeting. The meeting will be open to all persons who 
are scheduled to present statements or who register between 8:30 a.m. 
and 9 a.m. on the day of the meeting. While the FAA will make every 
effort to accommodate all persons wishing to participate, admission 
will be subject to availability of space in the meeting room. The 
meeting may adjourn early if scheduled speakers complete their 
statements in less time than is scheduled for the meeting.
    (2) An individual, whether speaking in a personal or a 
representative capacity on behalf of an organization, may be limited to 
a 10-minute statement. If possible, we will notify the speaker if 
additional time is available.
    (3) The FAA will try to accommodate all speakers. If the available 
time does not permit this, speakers generally will be scheduled on a 
first-come-first-served basis. However, the FAA reserves the right to 
exclude some speakers if necessary to present a balance of viewpoints 
and issues.
    (4) Sign and oral interpretation can be made available at the 
meeting, as well as an assistive listening device, if requested 10 
calendar days before the meeting.
    (5) Representatives of the FAA will preside over the meeting. A 
panel of FAA personnel involved in this rulemaking will be present.
    (6) The meeting will be recorded by a court reporter. A transcript 
of the meeting and any material accepted by the FAA representatives 
during the meeting will be included in the public docket. Any person 
who is interested in purchasing a copy of the transcript should contact 
the court reporter directly. Additional transcript purchase information 
will be available at the meeting.
    (7) The FAA will review and consider all material presented by 
participants at the meeting. Position papers or material presenting 
views or arguments related to the rule may be accepted at the 
discretion of the presiding officer and subsequently placed in the 
public docket. The FAA requests that persons participating in the 
meeting provide nine copies of all materials to be presented for 
distribution to the FAA representatives; other copies may be provided 
to the audience at the discretion of the participant.
    (8) Statements made by FAA representatives are intended to 
facilitate discussion of the issues or to clarify issues. Any statement 
made during the meeting by an FAA representative is not intended to be, 
and should not be construed as, a position of the FAA.
    (9) The meeting is designed to solicit public views and gather 
additional information on the rule. Therefore, the meeting will be 
conducted in an informal and non-adversarial manner. No individual will 
be subject to cross-examination by any other participant; however, FAA 
representatives may ask questions to clarify a statement and to ensure 
a complete and accurate record.
    (10) As this issue is closely related to rulemaking adopted for 
domestic U.S. operations (which is also an area of high public 
interest), the FAA anticipates that the domestic rulemaking may be 
brought up during the meeting. To the extent that such discussions are 
relevant to the subject of flightdeck security on foreign operated 
airplanes, they will be allowed to proceed. However, discussions that 
are not relevant to the purpose of the meeting will be ruled out of 
order and the meeting Chair will move on to the next discussion item.

    Issued in Washington, DC on July 9, 2002.
Tony Fazio,
Director, Office of Rulemaking.
[FR Doc. 02-17738 Filed 7-12-02; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-13-M