Department of Transportation February 2007 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

These special conditions are issued for the Dassault Aviation Model Falcon 7X airplane. This airplane will have novel or unusual design features when compared to the state of technology envisioned in the airworthiness standards for transport category airplanes. These design features include interaction of systems and structures, limit pilot forces, and electrical and electronic flight control systems. The applicable airworthiness regulations do not contain adequate or appropriate safety standards for these design features. 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.

This notice announces the publication of final guidance in the form of a circular to assist grantees in implementing the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) Formula Grants for Other Than Urbanized Areas Program (commonly referred to as Section 5311). This notice provides a summary of the Section 5311 program circular, and addresses comments received in response to the July 31, 2006, Federal Register notice (71 FR 43280) announcing the availability of the proposed circular for comment.

FRA is notifying the public that waivers granted relative to the provisions of 49 CFR Part 229, Railroad Locomotive Safety Standards, may be affected by potential revisions to the regulation. FRA is requesting that grantees (primarily railroads) submit current waivers for consideration in light of potential revisions to the regulation, and is establishing a docket to collect the waivers along with other documents generated by the Locomotive Safety Standards Working Group (LSSWG) as part of the Railroad Safety Advisory Committee (RSAC) process. Note that this request pertains to waivers from the provisions of 49 CFR Part 229 only, and not to waivers of any other of the regulations administered by FRA.

This document announces receipt by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) of a petition for a decision that 2006-2007 Carrocerias Alcides Cimarron trailers that were not originally manufactured to comply with all applicable Federal motor vehicle safety standards (FMVSS) are eligible for importation into the United States because they have safety features that comply with, or are capable of being altered to comply with, all such standards.

The Department of Transportation is directing all interested persons to show cause why it should not issue an order revoking the Canadian charter air taxi registration of Flight-Ops International d/b/ a SkyXpress Airline.

The Surface Transportation Board is scheduled to relocate over the period of February 28-March 4, 2007. The Board is giving notice of pre-relocation and post-relocation procedures. The Board's new address will be: Surface Transportation Board, 395 E Street, SW., Washington, DC 20423-0001.

This notice announces the availability of and requests comments on a proposed advisory circular (AC) which provides guidance to type certificate holders and supplemental type certificate holders for developing damage tolerance data that will support operator compliance with certain airworthiness standards. This proposed AC complements revisions to the airworthiness standards that are being proposed by a separate notice. This notice is necessary to give all interested persons an opportunity to present their views on the proposed AC.

We are adopting a new airworthiness directive (AD) for the products listed above. This AD results from mandatory continuing airworthiness information (MCAI) originated by an aviation authority of another country to identify and correct an unsafe condition on an aviation product. The MCAI describes the unsafe condition as follows:

The FAA is adopting a new airworthiness directive (AD) for all Fokker Model F.28 Mark 0070 and 0100 airplanes. This AD requires a one- time inspection of the fuel lines located in the left and right main landing gear (MLG) bays to determine the clearance between the fuel and hydraulic lines. If necessary, this AD also requires an inspection of fuel lines for chafing, the replacement of a chafed fuel line with a new fuel line, and the repositioning of existing clamps and installation of additional clamps between the fuel and hydraulic lines. This AD results from a fuel leak found in the left MLG bay. We are issuing this AD to detect and correct inadequate clearance between fuel and hydraulic lines in the MLG bay, which could lead to chafing of a fuel line and fuel leakage. A fuel leak near hot brakes could result in a fire in the MLG bay.

The FAA is superseding an existing airworthiness directive (AD), which applies to certain Fokker Model F.28 Mark 0070 and 0100 airplanes. That AD currently requires a one-time inspection of the sliding members in the main landing gear (MLG) for cracking and replacement of the sliding members with serviceable parts if necessary. This new AD adds repetitive magnetic particle inspections of the sliding members of the MLG for cracking and corrective actions as necessary. This AD results from inspection findings that have shown repetitive inspections are needed to establish fleet safety. We are issuing this AD to detect and correct fatigue cracking of the sliding member, which could result in possible separation of the MLG from the airplane and consequent reduced controllability of the airplane upon landing and possible injury to passengers.

The FAA is adopting a new airworthiness directive (AD) for certain Bombardier Model DHC-8-100 (as described above), DHC-8-200, and DHC-8-300 series airplanes. This AD requires doing a one-time inspection for damage of the electrical cable harness assembly located on the left and right wing root-to-fuselage aft seal, and repair if necessary; and reworking the fuselage aft seal assembly (left and right) to create a clearance between the electrical cable assemblies and the edge of the fairing panel. This AD results from a report that an airplane encountered an uncommanded propeller feathering during climb, which resulted in an emergency landing. We are issuing this AD to prevent chafing or grounding of the wiring against the aft seal assemblies, which, if not corrected, could interrupt the operation of various systems, including the propeller feather control, alternating current (AC) electrical power, and standby hydraulic power, and result in reduced controllability of the airplane.

The purpose of this request for comments is to acquire new and updated information regarding vehicle manufacturers' future product plans to aid in implementing the President's plan for reforming and increasing corporate average fuel economy (CAFE) standards for passenger cars and further increasing the already reformed light truck standards. Under this plan, the President set a goal of reducing the annual gasoline use in 2017 by up to 8.5 billion gallons. More specifically, we are seeking information related to fuel economy improvements for MY 2007-2017 passenger cars and MY 2010-2017 light trucks. The agency is seeking information in anticipation of obtaining statutory authority to reform the passenger car CAFE program and to set standards under that structure for MY 2010-2017 passenger cars. The agency is also seeking this information in anticipation of setting standards for MY 2012-2017 light trucks. This information will help the agency in assessing, in greater detail, the potential levels of future standards under a reformed structure, and the impact of those standards on gasoline consumption, manufacturers, consumers, the economy, and motor vehicle safety.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announces its determination that the noise-exposure maps (NEM) submitted by the Director of Aviation for Great Falls International Airport under the provisions of 49 U.S.C. 47501 et seq. (Aviation Safety and Noise Abatement Act) and 14 CFR Part 150, are in compliance with applicable requirements. The FAA also announces that it is reviewing a proposed noise-compatibility program, submitted for Great Falls International Airport under Part 150, in conjunction with the noise-exposure map. This program will be approved or disapproved on or before August 9, 2007.

This action modifies Class D airspace at Luke Air Force Base (LUF), AZ. This modification is necessary to contain and protect circling maneuvers for Category E aircraft executing these maneuvers in conjunction with Standard Instrument Approach Procedures (SIAPs) at the airport.

This action amends Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations, part 71 (14 CFR part 71) by modifying the Class E airspace area at Peru, Illinois Valley Regional-Walter A. Duncan Field, IL. The cancellation of the Non Directional Beacon (NDB) Instrument Approach Procedure (IAP) and subsequent decommissioning of the Valley NDB requires modification of the Class E airspace area extending upward from 700 feet above the surface of the earth. The intended effect of this rule is to provide controlled airspace of appropriate dimensions to protect aircraft executing Standard Instrument Approach Procedures (SIAPs) to Peru, Illinois Valley Regional-Walter A. Duncan Field, IL.

In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.), this notice announces that the Information Collection Request (ICR) abstracted below has been forwarded to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and comment. The ICR describes the nature of the information collections and their expected burden. The Federal Register Notice with a 60-day comment period was published on November 28, 2006 [68 FR 68887-68888].

This action proposes special conditions for the Dassault Aviation Model Falcon 7X airplane. This airplane will have novel or unusual design features when compared to the state of technology envisioned in the airworthiness standards for transport category airplanes. These design features include side stick controllers, electronic flight control systems, and flight envelope protections. These special conditions pertain to control and handling qualities of the airplane and protection limits within the normal flight envelope. The applicable airworthiness regulations do not contain adequate or appropriate safety standards for these design features. These proposed 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. Additional special conditions will be issued for other novel or unusual design features of the Dassault Model Falcon 7X airplanes.

The FHWA has forwarded the information collection request described in this notice to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for approval of a new information collection. We published a Federal Register Notice with a 60-day public comment period on this information collection on November 24, 2006. We are required to publish this notice in the Federal Register by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995.

This notice publishes guidance concerning the carriage of service animals in air transportation from the United States (U.S.) to the United Kingdom (U.K.). These guidelines address the differences between U.K. laws regulating the transport of service animals on flights into the U.K. and U.S. law with respect to the carriage of service animals in air transportation. U.K. laws affecting the transport of service animals in air travel differ significantly from the requirements of the Air Carrier Access Act (ACAA), 49 U.S.C. 41705, and its implementing regulation in 14 CFR Part 382, resulting in uncertainty for carriers and persons with disabilities about the requirements that apply on flights into or transiting the U.K. The purpose of this guidance document is to assist U.S. and foreign carriers, as well as passengers with disabilities, in complying with both U.S. and U.K. regulations concerning the transport of service animals on flights from the U.S. to the U.K. by: (1) Explaining the procedures passengers must follow to comply with the U.K.'s Pet Travel Scheme (PETS); (2) explaining the procedures U.S. and foreign carriers must follow to obtain an approved Required Method of Operation (RMOP) from the U.K.'s Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA); and (3) notifying both U.S. and foreign carriers operating flights between the U.S. and the U.K. that failure to obtain an approved RMOP from DEFRA will be considered a violation of the ACAA and may subject such carriers to enforcement action by the U.S. DOT.

The FAA proposes to adopt a new airworthiness directive (AD) for certain McDonnell Douglas Model DC-10-30 and DC-10-30F (KC-10A and KDC-10) airplanes, Model DC-10-40 and DC-10-40F airplanes, and Model MD-10-30F airplanes. This proposed AD would require installing bracket assemblies and jumper wires in the center main wheel well to improve the bonding path between the structure (wall) of the lower auxiliary fuel tank and its internal fuel pumps; measuring the electrical resistance between the fuel pump housings and the fuel tank structure; and doing corrective actions if necessary. This proposed AD results from fuel system reviews conducted by the manufacturer. We are proposing this AD to detect and correct an inadequate bond between the internal fuel pump housings and the structure of the lower auxiliary fuel tank. This condition, if not corrected, could fail to meet fault current requirements and result in a potential ignition source that, in combination with flammable fuel vapors, could cause a fuel tank explosion and consequent loss of the airplane.

The FAA proposes to adopt a new airworthiness directive (AD) for all McDonnell Douglas Model MD-11 and MD-11F airplanes. This proposed AD would require installing bracket assemblies and jumper wires in the center main wheel well to improve the bonding path between the structure (wall) of the lower auxiliary fuel tank and its internal fuel pumps; measuring the electrical resistance between the fuel pump housings and the fuel tank structure; and doing corrective actions if necessary. This proposed AD results from fuel system reviews conducted by the manufacturer. We are proposing this AD to detect and correct an inadequate bond between the internal fuel pump housings and the structure of the lower auxiliary fuel tank. This condition, if not corrected, could fail to meet fault current requirements and result in a potential ignition source that, in combination with flammable fuel vapors, could cause a fuel tank explosion and consequent loss of the airplane.

The FAA proposes to adopt a new airworthiness directive (AD) for certain McDonnell Douglas airplanes described previously. This proposed AD would require installing bonding jumpers to the airplane wing structure from the fuel system in-line electrical solenoid valves along the left and right wing front spar. This proposed AD results from fuel system reviews conducted by the manufacturer. We are proposing this AD to prevent point-of-contact arcing or filament heating damage in the fuel lines that could create a potential ignition source, which, in combination with flammable fuel vapors, could cause a fuel tank explosion and consequent loss of the airplane.