[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 116 (Friday, June 16, 2006)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 34787-34789]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E6-9410]



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  Federal Register / Vol. 71, No. 116 / Friday, June 16, 2006 / Rules 
and Regulations  

[[Page 34787]]



DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Aviation Administration

14 CFR Part 23

[Docket No. CE250; Special Conditions No. 23-190-SC]


Special Conditions: Aero Propulsion, Inc., Piper Model PA28-236; 
Installation of Societe de Motorisation Aeronautiques (SMA) Model 
SR305-230 Aircraft Diesel Engine (ADE) for Full Authority Digital 
Engine Control (FADEC) System and the Protection of the System From the 
Effects of High Intensity Radiated Fields (HIRF)

AGENCY: Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), DOT.

ACTION: Final special conditions; request for comments.

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

SUMMARY: These final special conditions are issued to Aero Propulsion, 
Inc., for Piper Model PA28-236 airplanes with a Societe de Motorisation 
Aeronautiques (SMA) Model SR305-230 ADE. The supplemental type 
certificate for these airplanes will have a novel or unusual design 
feature associated with the installation of an aircraft diesel engine 
that uses an electronic engine control system instead of a 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 on these special conditions may be mailed in 
duplicate to: Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), Regional Counsel, 
ACE-7, Attention: Rules Docket, Docket No. CE250, 901 Locust Street, 
Room 506, Kansas City, Missouri 64106, or delivered in duplicate to the 
Regional Counsel at the above address. Comments must be marked: Docket 
No. CE250. 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, Federal Aviation 
Administration, Aircraft Certification Service, Small Airplane 
Directorate, ACE-111, 901 Locust Street, Room 301, 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 design 
approval 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 special condition number and be submitted in 
duplicate to the address specified above. All communications received 
on or before the closing date for comments 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. CE250.'' The postcard will be date stamped and 
returned to the commenter.

Background

    On August 20, 2003, Aero Propulsion, Inc., applied for a 
Supplemental Type Certification of Piper Model PA28-236 airplanes with 
the installation of an SMA Model SR305-230 engine. The airplane is 
powered by an SMA Model SR305-230 engine that is equipped with an 
electronic engine control system with full authority capability in 
these airplanes.

Type Certification Basis

    Under the provisions of 14 CFR part 21, Sec.  21.101, Aero 
Propulsion, Inc., must show that the Piper Model PA28-236 airplanes, as 
changed, continue to meet the applicable provisions of the regulations 
incorporated by reference in the original type certification basis of 
the Piper Model PA28-236 airplanes, as listed on Type Certificate No. 
2A13 or the applicable regulations in effect on the date of application 
for the change; exemptions, if any; and the special conditions adopted 
by this rulemaking action. The regulations incorporated by reference in 
the type certificate are commonly referred to as the ``original type 
certification basis.'' The Model PA28-236 airplanes were originally 
certified under Part 3 of the Civil Air Regulations.
    If the Administrator finds that the applicable airworthiness 
regulations (i.e., CAR 3; 14 CFR part 23) do not contain adequate or 
appropriate safety standards for the Model PA28-236 airplanes because 
of a novel or unusual design feature, special conditions are prescribed 
under the provisions of Sec.  21.16.
    Special conditions, as appropriate, as defined in Sec.  11.19, are 
issued in accordance with Sec.  11.38, and become part of the 
certification basis for the supplemental type certification basis in 
accordance with Sec.  21.101. Special conditions are initially 
applicable to the model for which they are issued. Should the applicant 
apply for a supplemental type certificate to modify any other models 
that are listed on the same type certificate to incorporate the same 
novel or unusual design features, the special conditions would also 
apply under the provisions of Sec.  21.101.

Novel or Unusual Design Features

    The Aero Propulsion, Inc., modified Piper Model PA28-236 airplanes 
will incorporate a novel or unusual design

[[Page 34788]]

feature, an engine that includes an electronic control system with 
FADEC capability.
    Many advanced electronic systems are prone to either upsets or 
damage, or both, at energy levels lower than analog systems. The 
increasing use of high power radio frequency emitters mandates 
requirements for improved HIRF protection for electrical and electronic 
equipment. Since the electronic engine control system used on the Aero 
Propulsion, Inc., modified Piper Model PA28-236 airplanes will perform 
critical functions, provisions for protection from the effects of HIRF 
should be considered and, if necessary, incorporated into the airplane 
design data. The FAA policy contained in Notice 8110.71, dated April 2, 
1998, establishes the HIRF energy levels that airplanes will be exposed 
to in service. The guidelines set forth in this notice are the result 
of an Aircraft Certification Service review of existing policy on HIRF, 
in light of the ongoing work of the Aviation Rulemaking Advisory 
Committee (ARAC) Electromagnetic Effects Harmonization Working Group 
(EEHWG). The EEHWG adopted a set of HIRF environment levels in November 
1997 that were agreed upon by the FAA, the Joint Aviation Authorities 
(JAA), and industry participants. As a result, the HIRF environments in 
this notice reflect the environment levels recommended by this working 
group. This notice states that a FADEC is an example of a system that 
should address the HIRF environments.
    Even though the 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 in 14 CFR part 23 for evaluating the installation of 
complex systems, including electronic systems, are contained in Sec.  
23.1309. However, when Sec.  23.1309 was developed, the use of 
electronic control systems for engines was not envisioned; therefore, 
the Sec.  23.1309 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 (e.g., 
automated cockpit powerplant controls such as mixture setting). 
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 unfeasible 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.
    Therefore, special conditions are proposed for the Aero Propulsion, 
Inc., modified Piper Model PA28-236 airplanes to provide HIRF 
protection and to evaluate the installation of the electronic engine 
control system for compliance with the requirements of Sec.  23.1309(a) 
through (e) at Amendment 23-49.

Applicability

    As discussed above, these special conditions are applicable to the 
Aero Propulsion, Inc., modified Piper Model PA28-236 airplanes. Should 
Aero Propulsion, Inc., apply at a later date for a supplemental type 
certificate to modify any other model included on Type Certificate No. 
2A13 to incorporate the same novel or unusual design features, 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 Aero Propulsion, Inc., modified Piper Model PA28-236 airplanes. It 
is not a rule of general applicability, and it 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 Piper 
Model PA28-236 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 Sec. Sec.  
21.16 and 21.101; 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 supplemental type certification basis for Aero Propulsion, Inc., 
modified Piper Model PA28-236 airplanes.
    1. High Intensity Radiated Fields (HIRF) Protection. In showing 
compliance with 14 CFR part 21 and the airworthiness requirements of 14 
CFR part 23, protection against hazards caused by exposure to HIRF 
fields for the full authority digital engine control system, which 
performs critical functions, must be considered. To prevent this 
occurrence, the electronic engine control system must be designed and 
installed to ensure that the operation and operational capabilities of 
this critical system are not adversely affected when the airplane is 
exposed to high energy radio fields.
    At this time, the FAA and other airworthiness authorities are 
unable to precisely define or control the HIRF energy level to which 
the airplane will be exposed in service; therefore, the FAA hereby 
defines two acceptable interim methods for complying with the 
requirement for protection of systems that perform critical functions.
    (1) The applicant may demonstrate that the operation and 
operational capability of the installed electrical and electronic 
systems that perform critical functions are not adversely affected when 
the aircraft is exposed to the external HIRF threat environment defined 
in the following table:

------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                  Field Strength  (volts
                                                        per meter)
                    Frequency                    -----------------------
                                                     Peak       Average
------------------------------------------------------------------------
10 kHz--100 kHz.................................          50          50
100 kHz--500 kHz................................          50          50
500 kHz--2 MHz..................................          50          50
2 MHz--30 MHz...................................         100         100
30 MHz--70 MHz..................................          50          50
70 MHz--100 MHz.................................          50          50
100 MHz--200 MHz................................         100         100
200 MHz--400 MHz................................         100         100
400 MHz--700 MHz................................         700          50
700 MHz--1 GHz..................................         700         100
1 GHz--2 GHz....................................        2000         200
2 GHz--4 GHz....................................        3000         200
4 GHz--6 GHz....................................        3000         200
6 GHz--8 GHz....................................        1000         200
8 GHz--12 GHz...................................        3000         300
12 GHz--18 GHz..................................        2000         200
18 GHz--40 GHz..................................         600         200
------------------------------------------------------------------------
 The field strengths are expressed in terms of peak root-mean-square
  (rms) values.

Or,

    (2) The applicant may demonstrate by a system test and analysis 
that the electrical and electronic systems that perform critical 
functions can withstand a minimum threat of 100 volts per meter peak 
electrical strength, without the benefit of airplane structural 
shielding, in the frequency range of 10 KHz to 18 GHz. When using this 
test to show

[[Page 34789]]

compliance with the HIRF requirements, no credit is given for signal 
attenuation due to installation. Data used for engine certification may 
be used, when appropriate, for airplane certification.
    2. 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.
    With respect to compliance with Sec.  23.1309(e), the levels 
required for compliance shall be at the levels for catastrophic failure 
conditions.

    Issued in Kansas City, Missouri on June 9, 2006.
James E. Jackson,
Acting Manager, Small Airplane Directorate, Aircraft Certification 
Service.
[FR Doc. E6-9410 Filed 6-15-06; 8:45 am]
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