[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 115 (Monday, June 16, 2003)]
[Notices]
[Page 35771]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-15141]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Aviation Administration


Development of Voluntary Consensus Standards for Electrical 
System Wiring Practices on Small Airplanes

AGENCY: Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), DOT.

ACTION: Notice; request for comments.

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SUMMARY: This notice requests comments on voluntary consensus standards 
for electrical system wiring practices on general aviation small 
airplanes. In addition, the FAA requests comments from nongovernmental 
standards developing organizations (SDO) on their interest in 
developing such standards. This information will help the FAA determine 
the types of markets best suited to develop these standards for 
possible inclusion in the maintenance programs for general aviation 
small airplanes.

ADDRESSES: Barry Ballenger, Aerospace Engineer, FAA, Small Airplane 
Directorate, Continued Operational Safety Branch, ACE-113, 901 Locust, 
Room 301, Kansas City, Missouri 64106; telephone (816) 329-4152; fax 
(816) 329-4149; e-mail [email protected].

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: If you need added information, you may 
contact the person listed under the ADDRESSES section of this notice.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Comments Invited

    The FAA invites interested persons to respond to this notice by 
giving answers to the questions in the notice. Please ensure your reply 
gives your organization's name, address, and contact information. The 
FAA is particularly interested in comments from persons actively 
involved in voluntary standards development or are considering setting 
up a program for developing voluntary standards for electrical system 
wiring practices on general aviation small airplanes.
    You may send your response to the person listed under the ADDRESSES 
section of this notice no later than August 15, 2003. The FAA will 
accept and consider all comments.
    You should not send proprietary information by e-mail. If you 
believe any portion of the information you send is entitled to 
treatment as proprietary, you must claim confidentiality under 49 CFR 
part 7 for each portion. This claim must be made at the time the 
information is sent to the FAA. You should clearly mark all comments 
containing proprietary information.

Background

    The National Technology Transfer and Advancement Act of 1995 
encourages cooperative research and development efforts between the 
public and private sectors to bring technology and industrial 
innovations to the marketplace. With this in mind, the FAA seeks to 
gather information about how active standards developing organizations 
(SDO) are in determining standards for electrical system wiring 
practices on general aviation small airplanes. The FAA also wants to 
know the expertise available in this area. The FAA is especially 
interested in working with nongovernmental SDOs to promote development 
of voluntary consensus standards for these airplanes and get their 
comments on whether FAA should adopt these standards.

Information Requested

    In addition to any general comments from interested parties, FAA 
specifically requests the following information from responding SDOs:
    1. Does the organization develop standards for specific business or 
industry sectors (namely, automotive, aviation, and so forth) or does 
it develop standards in all areas?
    2. Does the organization work under the American National Standards 
Institute (ANSI) procedures, or does it have other written procedures 
it uses for standards development? If available, please provide a copy.
    3. Does the organization have, or plan to have, standards 
development that focus on, or that integrate the design, installation, 
maintenance, inspection, repair, and modification criteria of 
electrical systems as part of the scope of the standard(s)?
    These standards would address cleaning procedures, wire and cable 
identification, wire and cable damage limits, installation clamping and 
routing methods, repair and replacement practices, inspection methods, 
and any other item that would provide a consistent way to ensure the 
continued airworthiness of installed electrical systems on small 
general aviation airplanes. In addition, the standards would act as a 
method of compliance to FAA certification and maintenance regulations 
for manufacturers, maintenance organizations, modifiers, third-party 
vendors, and any other interested party responsible for the design, 
modification, and maintenance of small general aviation airplanes.
    4. Does the organization do product certification? If yes, what 
kind of products are generally involved?
    5. Does the organization typically engage in product attribute 
development as well as standards development? If so, what kinds of 
products are generally involved?
    6. Do members of government departments or agencies take part in 
the organization's standards development activities? If so, are there 
any members from regulatory agencies or departments?
    7. Has the organization done any assessment of the market needs for 
electrical system wiring practices on small airplanes? If so, and the 
information is available, what is your assessment of categories and 
market sectors where the interest is likely to be high for electrical 
system wiring practices on small airplanes related standards?

    Issued in Kansas City, Missouri, on June 6, 2003.
Michael Gallagher,
Manager, Small Airplane Directorate, Aircraft Certification Service.
[FR Doc. 03-15141 Filed 6-13-03; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-13-P