[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 100 (Friday, May 23, 2003)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 28181-28182]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-13038]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Aviation Administration

14 CFR Part 91

[Docket No. FAA-2003-15230]


Call for Information on Supersonic Aircraft Noise

AGENCY: Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), DOT.

ACTION:  Request for information and notice of workshop.

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SUMMARY: The FAA is soliciting technical information from other Federal 
agencies, industries, universities, and other interested parties on the 
mitigation of sonic boom from supersonic aircraft. The FAA is trying to 
determine whether there is sufficient new data supported by flight over 
land. This document solicits information on the latest research and 
development activities directed at mitigating sonic boom. The FAA may 
use this information of future rulemaking actions.

DATES: Send your comments on or before September 30, 2003.

ADDRESSES: Address your comments to the Docket Management System, U.S. 
Department of Transportation, Room Plaza 401, 400 Seventh Street, SW., 
Washington, DC 20590-0001. You must identify the docket number FAA-
2003-15230 at the beginning of your comments, and you should submit two 
copies of your comments. If you wish to receive confirmation that FAA 
received your comments, include a self-addressed, stamped postcard.
    You may also submit comments through the Internet to http://dms.dot.gov. You may review the public docket containing comments to 
this notice in person in the Docket Office between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., 
Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays. The Dockets Office is 
on the plaza level of the NASSIF Building at the Department of 
Transportation at the above address. Also, you may review public 
dockets on the Internet at http://dms.dot.gov.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Laurette Fisher, Office of Environment 
and Energy (AEE-100), Federal Aviation Administration, 800 Independence 
Avenue, SW., Washington, DC 20591; telephone (202) 267-3561; facsimile 
(202) 267-5594.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Comments Invited

    The FAA invites interested persons to participate in this effort by 
submitting written comments, data, or views. We also invite comments 
relating to the economic, environmental, energy, or federalism impacts 
that might result if this effort resulted in amending FAA sonic boom 
regulations.
    We will file in the docket all comments we receive, and the docket 
is available for public inspection before and after the comment closing 
date. If you wish to review the docket in person, go to the address in 
the ADDRESSes section of this preamble between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., 
Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays. You may also review the 
docket using the Internet at the web address in the ADDRESSES section.

Background

    The FAA uses the term sonic boom to refer to a high-pressure air 
disturbance directed toward the ground by an aircraft flying 
supersonically and creating noise unacceptable to the public. 
Supersonic flight over land by civil aircraft is prohibited in the 
United States.

Supersonic Aircraft Regulations

    The current regulations applicable to supersonic aircraft are found 
in 14 CFR part 36, Subpart D, ``Noise Limits for Supersonic Transport 
Category Airplanes,'' and 14 CFR part 91, Subpart I, ``Operating Noise 
Limits.'' The noise certification levels for the Concorde airplane are 
in part 36. This regulation requires that the noise levels of the 
airplane must be reduced to the lowest levels that are economically 
reasonable, technologically practicable, and appropriate for a Concorde 
type design.
    Part 91 prohibits civil aircraft operation at greater than Mach 1 
over the United States. Part 91 also imposes flight limitations to 
ensure that civil supersonic flight entering or leaving the United 
States will not cause a sonic boom to reach the surface within the 
United States.
    In 1990, the FAA proposed to amend the type certification noise 
standards and noise operating rules for future-generation civil 
supersonic airplanes. After analyzing the comments received on the 
Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM), the FAA determined that further 
investigation and research was necessary before a final rule could be 
developed. Accordingly, the FAA withdrew the proposed rule and instead 
issued a policy on noise issues involving the development of future 
generation civil supersonic transport airplanes.
    With respect to future civil supersonic airplanes, specific noise 
standards have not yet been established. The FAA anticipates that any 
future proposed standards for civil supersonic airplanes would require 
that an airplane have no greater noise impact on a community than a 
civil subsonic airplane certified to Stage 3 noise levels.

U.S. Civil Programs

    There have been two recent supersonic aircraft technology 
development programs sponsored by the U.S. government. They are the 
High Speed Civil Transport (HSCT) program sponsored by the National 
Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), and the Quiet Supersonic 
Platform (QSP) program sponsored by the Defense Advanced Research 
Project Agency (DARPA). These programs included both military and civil 
aircraft.
    In the late 1980's, NASA initiated a partnership with Boeing and 
McDonnell Douglas to develop the technology for a commercial supersonic 
transport. This activity was called the High Speed Civil Transport 
(HSCT) program. In 1999, the HSCT program was terminated. Boeing cited 
the high cost of developing a supersonic airplane, along with 
anticipated more stringent federal regulations regarding noise and 
emissions as the reason for terminating the program. NASA's research 
and technology (R&T) effort on HSCT was also terminated. In 2000, NASA 
requested that the National Research Council (NRC) conduct a study to 
identify breakthrough technologies for overcoming key barriers to the 
development of an environmentally acceptable and economically viable 
commercial supersonic aircraft. The study, ``Commercial Supersonic 
Technology, The Way Ahead,'' concluded that no insurmountable obstacles 
exist to viable commercial supersonic aircraft. The study further 
concluded that while NASA should have its eye on supersonic commercial 
transport, it remains appropriate to conduct research on sonic boom 
even when related to smaller supersonic business jets.
    The DARPA's QSP program, which began in 2000, was a congressionally 
mandated effort to develop technologies that could mitigate the impact 
of sonic boom to 0.3 pounds per square feet over-pressure propagated to 
the ground. This is significantly less then the 2.0 pounds per square 
feet created by the

[[Page 28182]]

Concorde that is restricted from flying at supersonic speeds over land. 
The QSP Program initially included both military and civil aircraft. In 
2003, the QSP Program is scheduled to conduct a flight demonstration to 
investigate sonic boom signature shaping and propagation.
    In 2001, the NASA Langley Research Center was directed by Congress 
to expand on the civil part of DARPA's QSP Program. This program is 
ongoing.
    In addition, at least one U.S. manufacturer has an ongoing 
technology effort, the goal of which is the development of supersonic 
civil aircraft that are deemed environmentally acceptable for 
supersonic operations over land.

Request for Information

    The FAA is requesting information regarding current commercial 
supersonic aircraft development and associated sonic boom reduction 
technology. The FAA may use the information received to initiate 
rulemaking that addresses new supersonic technologies and related noise 
effects.
    The FAA is requesting information in the following general topics 
of technical information. Please submit any information or comments to 
the Docket Management System using the docket number given in the 
``ADDRESSES'' paragraph above.
    (1) A summary of advancements made since the 1999 High Speed Civil 
Transport (HSCT) program;
    (2) Understanding the effects of sonic boom to aid in the 
establishment of sonic boom impact criteria;
    (3) The technical challenges in making the noise created by sonic 
boom acceptable;
    (4) The sonic boom prediction models available to support future 
noise impact studies; and
    (5) Whether supersonic aircraft can function within the present 
commercial airport infrastructure and what airport accessibility issues 
need to be addressed.
    The FAA encourages all interested parties to participate in this 
opportunity to offer the latest information on supersonic aircraft 
noise and technologies. The FAA will evaluate the information received 
to aid in the consideration of future rulemaking.
    In addition, the FAA is planning to conduct a technical workshop in 
the next six months to allow subject matter experts to discuss their 
research data and findings. The FAA will publish a notice in the 
Federal Register announcing the date and place of the workshop.
    Information on this project will be up-dated and made available on 
an FAA Web site located at http.//www.aee.faa.gov/noise/sst.html.
    All comments submitted in response to this notice and information 
presented at the workshop will be filed in the docket. The docket is 
available for public inspection at any time. Anyone submitting 
information is cautioned that it will not be considered proprietary 
unless properly marked and separately submitted. Information presented 
in a workshop setting is not considered proprietary.

    Issued in Washington DC on May 13, 2003.
Carl Burleson,
Director of Environment and Energy.
[FR Doc. 03-13038 Filed 5-22-03; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-13-M