[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 46 (Friday, March 8, 2013)]
[Notices]
[Pages 15112-15114]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-05230]
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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Federal Aviation Administration Aviation
Rulemaking Advisory Committee; Transport Airplane Performance and
Handling Characteristics--New Task
AGENCY: Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), DOT.
ACTION: Notice of new task assignment for the Aviation Rulemaking
Advisory Committee (ARAC).
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SUMMARY: The FAA assigned ARAC a new task to prioritize potential topic
areas for development of new or revised requirements and guidance
material for airplane performance and handling characteristics in new
transport category airplanes. The output of this task is intended to
support FAA planning for subsequent ARAC taskings in these topic areas.
This notice is to inform the public of this ARAC activity.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Joe Jacobsen, Airplane & Flight Crew
Interface Branch, ANM-111, Transport Airplane Directorate, Federal
Aviation Administration, 1601 Lind Ave. SW., Renton, Washington 98057-
3356; telephone (425) 227-2011, facsimile (425) 227- 1149; email
[email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background
The FAA established ARAC to provide advice and recommendations to
the FAA Administrator on the FAA's rulemaking activities with respect
to aviation-related issues. This includes obtaining advice and
recommendations on the FAA's commitments to harmonize FAA regulations
with its partners in Europe, Canada, and Brazil; in this instance, on
airplane performance and handling characteristics standards. ARAC will
address this task under the Transport Airplane and Engine (TAE)
Subcommittee, and will reestablish the Flight Test Harmonization
Working Group (FTHWG) to assist in completion of this task.
The FAA has established regulations and policy in the areas of
airplane performance and handling characteristics. However, existing
standards do not adequately address airplane designs using fly-by-wire
technology. Additionally, there are a number of issues, such as several
items in the areas of takeoff and landing performance and flying
qualities that may not be adequately addressed by the existing
airworthiness requirements and guidance material. Finally, there are
cases where guidance information provided by the airworthiness
authorities is not harmonized, sometimes leading to different
compliance findings.
The Task
The FAA tasked ARAC to consider several areas within the airplane
performance and handling qualities requirements of the 14 CFR part 25
airworthiness standards and guidance for possible revision. The task
includes prioritizing the list of topic areas provided in this notice
based on prioritization criteria established by the FTHWG. The
prioritization criteria should consider harmonization of regulatory
requirements and associated guidance material for airworthiness
certification of airplane designs. Recommendations may result in
subsequent ARAC taskings for standards recommendations in follow-on
phases. ARAC may also recommend additional topics in the general area
of airplane performance and handling qualities that are not on the list
provided in this notice
The working group will provide a draft report to ARAC recommending
focus areas and work plans to address those areas the FTHWG identified
as high priorities for airworthiness standards development relative to
new
[[Page 15113]]
airplane designs. This report will provide the rationale for the
priority recommended as well as identify those items for which
coordination with other working groups or experts outside the FTHWG may
be needed. The report will also include a proposed schedule for
accomplishment of the plan, including whether multiple topics can be
worked simultaneously. If there is disagreement within the working
group, those items should be documented, including the rationale from
each party and the reasons for the disagreement. The following subject
areas should be considered:
1. Fly-by-wire (FBW) Flight Controls. Regulatory requirements and
associated guidance material for airworthiness certification of
airplane designs using FBW technology to obviate longstanding,
repetitively used FBW special conditions. Specific areas include:
a. Applicability/adaptation of Amendment 25-121 airplane
performance and handling characteristics in icing conditions
requirements
b. Design maneuver requirements,*
c. Design dive speed,*
d. Side stick controls,*
e. Flight envelope protection, and *
f. Interaction of airplane systems and structure.*
* Note: These items should be considered for coordination with
other working groups.
2. Takeoff and Landing Performance. Regulatory requirements and
associated guidance material for airworthiness certification in the
following areas listed below. (Note: This topic area excludes items
addressed by the Takeoff and Landing Performance Assessment Aviation
Rulemaking Committee.)
a. Flight test methods used to determine maximum tailwind and
crosswind capability. Additionally, for crosswind testing, better
define intended operational use of demonstrated maximum steady and
gusting crosswind performance.
b. Wet runway stopping performance. Recent landing overruns on wet
runways have raised questions regarding current wet runway stopping
performance requirements and methods. Analyses indicate that the
braking coefficient of friction in each case was significantly lower
than expected for a wet runway (i.e., lower than the level specified in
FAA regulations). Consideration should also be given to the scheduling
of landing performance on wet porous friction course and grooved runway
surfaces. Recommendations may include the need for additional data
gathering, analysis, and possible rulemaking.
c. Go-around performance, specifically height lost in executing a
go-around. While airplanes may be able to demonstrate the climb
gradient capability prescribed in 14 CFR/European Aviation Safety
Agency (EASA) Certification Specification (CS) 25.121, it may not be
able to achieve it quickly enough, particularly when executing a go-
around close to the ground.
d. Performance standards and guidance regarding landing in abnormal
configurations.
e. Guidance regarding the function and use of the amber band on
airspeed tapes. Manufacturers' philosophies differ regarding the
meaning of the amber band in an airspeed tape display, as do U.S. and
European regulatory authorities' policies regarding acceptance of
target airspeeds within the amber band.
f. Guidance on piloting procedures used to evaluate airplane tail
clearance during certification flight tests for takeoff performance.
g. Landing distance performance for autoland and landing distance
performance using heads-up-displays (HUD). Use of autoland or HUD may
invalidate landing distance performance determined for compliance to 14
CFR/CS 25.125.
h. Steep approach landing performance. Current airplane
certification standards are not harmonized among the U.S., Canadian,
Brazilian, and European airworthiness authorities.
i. Narrow runway operations. Current airplane certification
standards do not identify minimum runway widths for which the standards
apply.
j. Reduced and derated takeoff thrust procedures. Updates to
existing guidance material may be appropriate to limit the number of
derates permitted for a specific airframe/engine combination.
k. Guidance material for pressure error measurement during takeoff
until out of ground effect to ensure proper data reduction for
calculation of takeoff distance performance.
l. Guidance material addressing the adverse effects on stall speed
in ground effect.
3. Handling Characteristics. Regulatory requirements and associated
guidance material for airworthiness certification in the following
areas:
a. Guidance material for assessing handling qualities. Advisory
Circular 25-7C, ``Flight Test Guide for Certification of Transport
Category Airplanes,'' provides an FAA Handling Quality Rating Method
(HQRM) that is intended to provide a systematic way of determining
appropriate minimum handling qualities requirements and evaluating
those handling qualities for failure conditions affecting an airplane's
flying qualities. The FAA handling quality rating system is not
universally accepted within industry, nor is it accepted by EASA.
b. Guidance for assessing susceptibility to pilot-induced
oscillations/airplane-pilot coupling (PIO/APC). Guidance provided in AC
25-7C for evaluating PIO/APC is also not well accepted by airplane
manufacturers, is not harmonized with EASA, and has been superseded to
some extent in recent certification programs. Modified guidance is
needed to both simplify and standardize the methods for evaluating an
airplane's susceptibility to PIO/APC.
Schedule
The required completion date for the recommendation report is 9
months after the FAA publishes the task in the Federal Register. After
receiving the report, the FAA will consider the recommendations and
determine subsequent development tasks. The FAA expects to publish
additional ARAC taskings for follow on phases to develop
recommendations for the selected standards and guidance.
ARAC Acceptance of Task
ARAC accepted the task and assigned it to the FTHWG under the TAE
Subcommittee. The working group serves as staff to ARAC and assists in
the analysis of assigned tasks. ARAC must review and approve the
working group's recommendations. If ARAC accepts the working group's
recommendations, it will forward them to the FAA.
Working Group Activity
The FTHWG must comply with the procedures adopted by ARAC. As part
of the procedures, the working group must:
1. Develop a prioritized list of subject areas (as provided in this
notice or added by the FTHWG) to focus subsequent efforts and standards
development in follow-on phases for consideration by ARAC.
2. Based on the priorities from item 1 above, recommend a work plan
and phasing for completion of each prioritized task for review and
approval by ARAC.
3. Provide a status report at each meeting of ARAC.
4. Provide a final recommendation report to ARAC for review and
approval.
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Participation in the Working Group
The FTHWG is composed of technical experts having expertise in the
subject matter and an interest in the assigned task. A working group
member need not be a representative or a member of ARAC.
If you have expertise in the subject matter and wish to become a
member of the working group, write to the person listed under the
caption FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT expressing that desire.
Describe your interest in the task and state the expertise you would
bring to the working group. We must receive all requests by April 5,
2013. ARAC and the FAA will review the requests and advise you whether
or not your request is approved.
If you are chosen for membership on the working group, you must
represent your aviation community segment and actively participate in
the working group by attending all meetings and providing written
comments when requested to do so. You must devote the resources
necessary to support the working group in meeting any assigned
deadlines. You must keep your management chain and those you may
represent advised of working group activities and decisions to ensure
that the proposed technical solutions do not conflict with your
sponsoring organization's position when the subject being negotiated is
presented to ARAC for approval. Once the working group has begun
deliberations, members will not be added or substituted without the
approval of the FAA and the Working Group Co-Chairs.
The Secretary of Transportation determined that the formation and
use of ARAC is necessary and in the public interest in connection with
the performance of duties imposed on the FAA by law. ARAC and the TAE
Subcommittee meetings are open to the public. Meetings of the Flight
Test Harmonization Working Group will not be open to the public, except
to the extent individuals with an interest and expertise are selected
to participate. The FAA will make no public announcement of working
group meetings.
Issued in Washington, DC, on March 1, 2013.
Lirio Liu,
Designated Federal Officer, Aviation Rulemaking Advisory Committee.
[FR Doc. 2013-05230 Filed 3-7-13; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-13-P