[Federal Register Volume 74, Number 74 (Monday, April 20, 2009)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 17910-17911]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E9-8968]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Aviation Administration

14 CFR Parts 65, 119, 121, 135, and 142

[Docket No. FAA-2008-0677; Notice No. 08-07]
RIN 2120-AJ00


Qualification, Service, and Use of Crewmembers and Aircraft 
Dispatchers; Extension of Comment Period

AGENCY: Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), DOT.

ACTION: Notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM); extension of comment 
period.

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SUMMARY: This action extends the comment period for an NPRM that was 
published on January 12, 2009. In that document, the FAA proposed to 
revise the regulations for crewmember and aircraft dispatcher training 
programs in domestic, flag, and supplemental operations. This extension 
is a result of a request from the Air Transport Association of America, 
Inc., Air Carrier Association of America, Regional Airline Association, 
and National Air Carrier Association on behalf of their members, and 
Airbus Americas, Inc. to extend the comment period to the proposal.

DATES: The comment period for the NPRM published on January 12, 2009 
(74 FR 1280) was scheduled to close on May 12, 2009, and is extended 
until August 10, 2009.

ADDRESSES: You may send comments identified by Docket Number FAA-2008-
0677 using any of the following methods:
     Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to http://www.regulations.gov and follow the instructions for sending your 
comments electronically.
     Mail: Send comments to Docket Operations, M-30, U.S. 
Department of Transportation, 1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE., West 
Building Ground Floor, Room W12-140, Washington, DC 20590.
     Fax: Fax comments to Docket Operations at 202-493-2251.
     Hand Delivery: Bring comments to Docket Operations in Room 
W12-140 of the West Building Ground Floor at 1200 New Jersey Avenue, 
SE., Washington, DC, between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, 
except Federal holidays.
    For more information on the rulemaking process, see the 
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section of this document.
    Privacy: We will post all comments we receive, without change, to 
http://www.regulations.gov, including any personal information you 
provide. Using the search function of our docket Web site, anyone can 
find and read the comments received into any of our dockets, including 
the name of the individual sending the comment (or signing the comment 
for an association, business, labor union, etc.). You may review DOT's 
complete Privacy Act Statement in the Federal Register published on 
April 11, 2000 (65 FR 19477-78) or you may visit http://DocketsInfo.dot.gov.
    Docket: To read background documents or comments received, go to 
http://www.regulations.gov at any time or to Docket Operations in Room 
W12-140 of the West Building Ground Floor at 1200 New Jersey Avenue, 
SE., Washington, DC, between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, 
except Federal holidays.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ed Cook for flight crewmember 
information, [email protected]; Nancy Lauck Claussen for flight 
attendant information, [email protected]; and Dave Maloy for 
aircraft dispatcher information, [email protected], Flight Standards 
Service (AFS-200), Federal Aviation Administration, 800 Independence 
Ave., SW., Washington, DC 20591, telephone 202-267-8166. For legal 
questions, contact Anne Bechdolt, Office of Chief Counsel (AGC-200), 
Federal Aviation Administration, 800 Independence Avenue, SW., 
Washington, DC 20591; telephone 202-267-7230; e-mail: 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Comments Invited

    The FAA invites interested persons to participate in this 
rulemaking by submitting written comments, data, or views. We also 
invite comments relating to the economic, environmental, energy, or 
federalism impacts that might result from adopting the proposals in 
this document. The most helpful comments reference a specific portion 
of the proposal, explain the reason for any recommended change, and 
include supporting data. To ensure the docket does not contain 
duplicate comments, please send only one copy of written comments, or 
if you are filing comments electronically, please submit your comments 
only one time.
    We will file in the docket all comments we receive, as well as a 
report summarizing each substantive public contact with FAA personnel 
concerning this proposed rulemaking. Before acting on this proposal, we 
will

[[Page 17911]]

consider all comments we receive on or before the closing date for 
comments. We will consider comments filed after the comment period has 
closed if it is possible to do so without incurring expense or delay. 
We may change this proposal in light of the comments we receive.

Availability of Rulemaking Documents

    You can get an electronic copy using the Internet by:
    (1) Searching the Federal eRulemaking Portal at http://www.regulations.gov;
    (2) Visiting the Office of Rulemaking's Web page at http://www.faa.gov/avr/arm/index.cfm; or
    (3) Accessing the Government Printing Office's Web page at http://www.gpoaccess.gov/fr/index.html.
    You can also get a copy by sending a request to the Federal 
Aviation Administration, Office of Rulemaking, ARM-1, 800 Independence 
Avenue, SW., Washington, DC 20591, or by calling (202) 267-9680. Make 
sure to identify the docket number, notice number, or amendment number 
of this rulemaking.

Proprietary or Confidential Business Information

    Do not file in the docket information that you consider to be 
proprietary or confidential business information. Send or deliver this 
information directly to the person identified in the FOR FURTHER 
INFORMATION CONTACT section of this document. You must mark the 
information that you consider proprietary or confidential. If you send 
the information on a disk or CD-ROM, mark the outside of the disk or 
CD-ROM and also identify electronically within the disk or CD-ROM the 
specific information that is proprietary or confidential.
    Under 14 CFR 11.35(b), when we are aware of proprietary information 
filed with a comment, we do not place it in the docket. We hold it in a 
separate file to which the public does not have access, and place a 
note in the docket that we have received it. If we receive a request to 
examine or copy this information, we treat it as any other request 
under the Freedom of Information Act (5 U.S.C. 552). We process such a 
request under the DOT procedures found in 49 CFR part 7.

Background

    On January 12, 2009, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) 
issued Notice No. 08-07, Qualification, Service, and Use of Crewmembers 
and Aircraft Dispatchers (74 FR 1280). Comments to that document were 
to be received on or before May 12, 2009.
    By letter dated April 3, 2009, the Air Transport Association of 
America, Inc., Air Carrier Association of America, Regional Airline 
Association, and National Air Carrier Association on behalf of their 
members, and Airbus Americas, Inc. requested that the FAA extend the 
comment period for Notice No. 08-07 for 180 days. They requested the 
extension so the public has sufficient time to review and comment on 
the extensive and complex proposed rule.
    While the FAA concurs with the petitioners' requests for an 
extension of the comment period on Notice No. 08-07, the FAA believes 
that a 180-day extension would be excessive. As Notice No. 08-07 is 
lengthy, the FAA provided a 120-day comment period. Although the FAA 
agrees that additional time for comments may be needed, this need must 
be balanced against the need to proceed expeditiously with an important 
rulemaking. The FAA believes an additional 90 days would be adequate 
for these petitioners to provide meaningful comment to Notice No. 08-
07. The FAA does not anticipate any further extension of the comment 
period for this rulemaking.

Extension of Comment Period

    In accordance with section 11.47(c) of title 14, Code of Federal 
Regulations, the FAA has reviewed the petition made by the Air 
Transport Association of America, Inc., Air Carrier Association of 
America, Regional Airline Association, and the National Air Carrier 
Association on behalf of their members, and Airbus Americas, Inc. for 
extension of the comment period to Notice No. 08-07. These petitioners 
have shown a substantive interest in the proposed rule and good cause 
for the extension. The FAA has determined that extension of the comment 
period is consistent with the public interest, and that good cause 
exists for taking this action.
    Accordingly, the comment period for Notice No. 08-07 is extended 
until August 10, 2009.

    Issued in Washington, DC, on April 15, 2009.
Pamela Hamilton-Powell,
Director, Office of Rulemaking.
[FR Doc. E9-8968 Filed 4-17-09; 8:45 am]
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