[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 116 (Friday, June 16, 2006)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 34789-34790]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E6-9409]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Aviation Administration

14 CFR Part 23

[Docket No. CE252, Special Conditions No. 23-192-SC]


Special Conditions; Cessna Aircraft Company Model 510 Airplane; 
Full Authority Digital Engine Control (FADEC) System

AGENCY: Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), DOT.

ACTION: Final special conditions; request for comments.

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SUMMARY: These special conditions are issued for the Cessna Aircraft 
Company, Model 510 airplane. This airplane will have a novel or unusual 
design feature(s) associated with the use of an electronic engine 
control system instead of a traditional mechanical control system. The 
applicable airworthiness regulations do not contain adequate or 
appropriate safety standards for this design feature. These special 
conditions contain the additional safety standards that the 
Administrator considers necessary to establish a level of safety 
equivalent to that established by the existing airworthiness standards.

DATES: The effective date of these special conditions is June 9, 2006. 
Comments must be received on or before July 17, 2006.

ADDRESSES: Comments may be mailed in duplicate to: Federal Aviation 
Administration, Regional Counsel, ACE-7, Attention: Rules Docket Clerk, 
Docket No. CE252, Room 506, 901 Locust Street, Kansas City, Missouri 
64106. All comments must be marked: Docket No. CE252. Comments may be 
inspected in the Rules Docket weekdays, except Federal holidays, 
between 7:30 a.m. and 4 p.m.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Peter L. Rouse, Aerospace Engineer, 
Standards Office (ACE-111), Small Airplane Directorate, Aircraft 
Certification Service, Federal Aviation Administration, Room 301, 901 
Locust Street, Kansas City, Missouri 64106; telephone (816) 329-4135, 
fax 816-329-4090.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The FAA has determined that notice and 
opportunity for prior public comment hereon are impracticable because 
these procedures would significantly delay issuance of the approval 
design and thus delivery of the affected aircraft. In addition, the 
substance of these special conditions has been subject to the public 
comment process in several prior instances with no substantive comments 
received. The FAA, therefore, finds that good cause exists for making 
these special conditions effective upon issuance.

Comments Invited

    Interested persons are invited to submit such written data, views, 
or arguments as they may desire. Communications should identify the 
regulatory docket or notice number and be submitted in duplicate to the 
address specified above. All communications received on or before the 
closing date for comments specified above will be considered by the 
Administrator. The special conditions may be changed in light of the 
comments received. All comments received will be available in the Rules 
Docket for examination by interested persons, both before and after the 
closing date for comments. A report summarizing each substantive public 
contact with FAA personnel concerning this rulemaking will be filed in 
the docket. Commenters wishing the FAA to acknowledge receipt of their 
comments submitted in response to this notice must include a self-
addressed, stamped postcard on which the following statement is made: 
``Comments to Docket No. CE252.'' The postcard will be date stamped and 
returned to the commenter.

Background

    On January 28, 2004, Cessna Aircraft Company; One Cessna Boulevard; 
Post Office Box 7704; Wichita, KS 67277, applied to the FAA for a new 
Type Certificate for the Cessna Model 510 Mustang. The Cessna 510 will 
be approved under TC No. A24CE. The Model 510 is an all new, high 
performance, low-wing, aft fuselage mounted twin turbofan engine 
powered aircraft in the Normal Category including flight into known 
icing conditions and single pilot operations. The Model 510 is to use 
existing Cessna Citation construction materials and methods. The design 
criteria includes: 8,480 pounds maximum ramp weight, 8,395 pounds 
maximum takeoff weight, 250 KCAS/0.63 Mach VMO/MMO, and a 41,000 foot 
maximum altitude. The Model 510 airplane design includes digital 
electronic engine control systems, which were not envisaged and are not 
adequately addressed in 14 CFR part 23. The applicable existing 
regulations do not address electronic control systems since those were 
not envisioned at the time. Even though the engine control system will 
be certificated as part of the engine, the installation of an engine 
with an electronic control system requires evaluation due to the 
possible effects on or by other airplane systems (e.g., radio 
interference with other airplane electronic systems, shared engine and 
airplane power sources). The regulatory requirements were not 
applicable to systems certificated as part of the engine (reference 
Sec.  23.1309(f)(1)). Also, electronic control systems often require 
inputs from airplane data and power sources and outputs to other 
airplane systems. Although the parts of the system that are not 
certificated with the engine could be evaluated using the criteria of 
Sec.  23.1309, the integral nature of systems such as these makes it 
not feasible to evaluate the airplane portion of the system without 
including the engine portion of the system. However, Sec.  
23.1309(f)(1) again prevents complete evaluation of the installed 
airplane system since evaluation of the engine system's effects is not 
required.

Type Certification Basis

    Under the provisions of 14 CFR part 21, Sec.  21.17, Cessna 
Aircraft Company must show that the applicant meets the applicable 
provisions of 14 CFR part 23, effective February 1, 1965, as amended by 
Amendment 23-1 through Amendment 23-54, effective September 14, 2000; 
14 CFR part 36, effective

[[Page 34790]]

December 1, 1969, through the amendment effective on the date of type 
certification; 14 CFR part 34; exemptions, if any; and the special 
conditions adopted by this rulemaking action.
    If the Administrator finds that the applicable airworthiness 
regulations (i.e., 14 CFR part 23) do not contain adequate or 
appropriate safety standards for the Cessna Aircraft Company Model 510 
because of a novel or unusual design feature, special conditions are 
prescribed under the provisions of Sec.  21.16.

Discussion

    Special conditions, as appropriate, as defined in Sec.  11.19, are 
issued in accordance with Sec.  11.38, and become part of the type 
certification basis in accordance with Sec.  21.17.
    Special conditions are initially applicable to the model for which 
they are issued. Should the type certificate for that model be amended 
later to include any other model that incorporates the same novel or 
unusual design feature, the special conditions would also apply to the 
other model under the provisions of Sec.  21.101.

Novel or Unusual Design Features

    The Model 510 will incorporate the following novel or unusual 
design features:
    Digital electronic engine control systems. This special condition 
covers a digital electronic engine control system on the Cessna 
Aircraft Company Model 510 airplane.

Applicability

    As discussed above, these special conditions are applicable to the 
Cessna Aircraft Company Model 510 airplane. Should Cessna Aircraft 
Company apply at a later date for a change to the type certificate to 
include another model incorporating the same novel or unusual design 
feature, the special conditions would apply to that model as well under 
the provisions of Sec.  21.101.

Conclusion

    This action affects only certain novel or unusual design features 
on one model of airplane. It is not a rule of general applicability and 
affects only the applicant who applied to the FAA for approval of these 
features on the airplane.
    Under standard practice, the effective date of final special 
conditions would be 30 days after the date of publication in the 
Federal Register; however, as the certification date for the Cessna 
Aircraft Company Model 510 is imminent, the FAA finds that good cause 
exists to make these special conditions effective upon issuance.

List of Subjects in 14 CFR Part 23

    Aircraft, Aviation Safety, Signs and Symbols

Citation

0
The authority citation for these Special Conditions is as follows:

    Authority: 49 U.S.C. 106(g); 40113 and 44701; 14 CFR 21.16 and 
21.17; and 14 CFR 11.38 and 11.19.

The Special Conditions

0
Accordingly, pursuant to the authority delegated to me by the 
Administrator, the following special conditions are issued as part of 
the type certification basis for the Cessna Aircraft Company Model 510 
airplane.
1. Electronic Engine Control System
    The installation of the electronic engine control system must 
comply with the requirements of Sec.  23.1309(a) through (e) at 
Amendment 23-49. The intent of this requirement is not to re-evaluate 
the inherent hardware reliability of the control itself, but rather 
determine the effects, including environmental effects addressed in 
Sec.  23.1309(e), on the airplane systems and engine control system 
when installing the control on the airplane. When appropriate, engine 
certification data may be used when showing compliance with this 
requirement.

    Issued in Kansas City, Missouri on June 9, 2006.
James E. Jackson,
Acting Manager, Small Airplane Directorate, Aircraft Certification 
Service.
 [FR Doc. E6-9409 Filed 6-15-06; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-13-P