Department of Transportation 2010 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

This action amends Class E airspace for Magnolia, AR. Decommissioning of the Magnolia non-directional beacon (NDB) at Magnolia Municipal Airport, Magnolia, AR has made this action necessary to enhance the safety and management of Instrument Flight Rule (IFR) operations at the airport.

This action would permit certain U.S. civil aircraft operations below flight level (FL) 160 within the territory and airspace of Afghanistan, when approved by the FAA as provided herein. Otherwise, flight operations below FL 160 would be prohibited within the territory and airspace of Afghanistan by all U.S. air carriers; U.S. commercial operators; persons exercising the privileges of a U.S. airman certificate, except when that person is operating a U.S.- registered aircraft for a foreign air carrier; and operators of U.S.-registered aircraft, except when such operators are foreign air carriers. The FAA finds this action necessary to prevent a potential hazard to persons and aircraft engaged in such flight operations.

This notice contains a summary of a petition seeking relief from specified requirements of 14 CFR. The purpose of this notice is to improve the public's awareness of, and participation in, this aspect of FAA's regulatory activities. Neither publication of this notice nor the inclusion or omission of information in the summary is intended to affect the legal status of the petition or its final disposition.

This proposed action would require helicopter operators to use the New York North Shore Route when operating in that area of Long Island, New York. The North Shore Route was added to the New York Helicopter Route Chart in 2008 and the use of that route is currently voluntary. New York public officials have continued to receive complaints regarding the adverse impact of helicopter noise on their communities. The intended effect of this proposal is to maximize utilization of the existing route flown by helicopter traffic along the north shore of Long Island and reduce the noise impact on nearby communities.

FMCSA announces that its Motor Carrier Safety Advisory Committee (MCSAC) will hold a three-day committee meeting concerning distracted driving by commercial motor vehicle (CMV) operators, from June 8 through June 10, 2010. This meeting is open to the public.

The Department of Transportation (DOT) provides notice that it will submit an information collection request (ICR) to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for emergency approval of a proposed information collection under the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (Pub. L. 104-13, 44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.). Upon receiving the requested six-month emergency approval by OMB, OST will follow the normal, 6 month PRA procedures to obtain extended approval for this proposed information collection. This collection involves the National Infrastructure Investments Grant Program or ``TIGER II Discretionary Grants'' pursuant to Title I of the Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act for 2010 (Div. A of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2010 (Pub. L. 111-117, Dec. 16, 2009)) (``FY 2010 Appropriations Act''). Title I established a new program for OST to provide Supplemental Discretionary Grants for National Infrastructure Investments. OST is referring to these grants as TIGER II Discretionary Grants which include promoting economic recovery and supporting projects that have a significant impact on the Nation, Metropolitan area or a region.

This action restructures the special use airspace (SUA) at the Avon Park Air Force Range (APAFR), Florida. The changes provide additional restricted airspace needed for training in high altitude weapons releases and other hazardous activities, and reconfigure the military operations areas (MOA) to contain nonhazardous flight operations. These changes will permit realistic training in current tactics to be conducted at the Range and enable more efficient use of the National Airspace System.

The FAA is issuing this notice to advise the public of a meeting of Joint RTCA Special Committee 213: EUROCAE WG-79: Enhanced Flight Vision Systems/Synthetic Vision Systems (EFVS/SVS).

In accordance with the procedures governing the application for, and the processing of, special permits from the Department of Transportation's Hazardous Material Regulations (49 CFR part 107, subpart B), notice is hereby given that the Office of Hazardous Materials Safety has received the application described herein. Each mode of transportation for which a particular special permit is requested is indicated by a number in the ``Nature of Application'' portion of the table below as follows: 1Motor vehicle, 2Rail freight, 3Cargo vessel, 4Cargo aircraft only, 5Passenger-carrying aircraft.

We propose to adopt a new airworthiness directive (AD) for certain Hawker Beechcraft Corporation Model 390 airplanes. This proposed AD would require inspecting for installation of certain serial number (S/N) starter generators and replacing the starter generator if one with an affected serial number is found. This proposed AD results from reports that starter generators with deficient armature insulating materials may have been installed on certain airplanes. We are proposing this AD to detect and replace starter generators with defective armature insulating materials. This condition could result in the loss of operation of one or both starter generators with consequent loss of all non-battery electrical power.

This document corrects a notice served and published in the Federal Register on January 15, 2010 (75 FR 2580), titled ``Carolina Coastal Railway, Inc.Acquisition and Operation ExemptionNorth Carolina State Ports Authority'' to reflect a correction submitted by Carolina Coastal Railway, Inc. (CLNA). CLNA filed a verified notice of exemption under 49 CFR 1150.41 to acquire, by assignment, the lease of Morehead & South Fork Railroad Co., Inc. (MHSF) with North Carolina State Ports Authority (SPA) and to operate approximately 0.87 miles of SPA's rail line. After the effective date of the exemption, CLNA filed a letter on February 16, 2010, notifying the Board that MHSF's counsel has advised CLNA that MHSF is not a party to any lease agreement with SPA and therefore was not assigning a lease to CLNA. Instead, MHSF assigned a freight easement and operating agreement to CNLA.\1\ This notice correctly identifies MHSF, instead of SPA, as the regulated party to the transaction, corrects the title, and clarifies what was conveyed. Accordingly, the correct title should read, ``Carolina Coastal Railway, Inc.Acquisition and Operation ExemptionMorehead & South Fork Railroad Co.''

The FMCSA amends its regulations implementing section 215 of the Motor Carrier Safety Improvement Act of 1999 (MCSIA). The purpose of this rule is both to make amendments responding to petitions for reconsideration and to make technical corrections to a FMCSA regulation.

FMCSA announces its decision to exempt 19 individuals from the vision requirement in the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations (FMCSRs). The exemptions will enable these individuals to operate commercial motor vehicles (CMVs) in interstate commerce without meeting the prescribed vision standard. The Agency has concluded that granting these exemptions will provide a level of safety that is equivalent to, or greater than, the level of safety maintained without the exemptions for these CMV drivers.

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this notice announces the intention of the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) to request the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to approve the revision of the currently approved information collection:

We are superseding an existing 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: * * * * *

We are superseding an existing 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:

We are adopting a new airworthiness directive (AD) for the specified ECF model helicopters. This AD results from a mandatory continuing airworthiness information (MCAI) AD issued by the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), which is the Technical Agent for the Member States of the European Community. The MCAI AD states that with certain pilot and copilot seats in the rear high position and seat backrest fully tilted the seat shoulder harness could become jammed between the seat and bulkhead. This condition, if not corrected, could result in the shoulder harness binding and causing the inertial reel to malfunction and no longer retain the flight crew member in the seat in the event of an emergency or hard landing.

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:

The FRA is issuing this notice to advise the public that the Oregon Department of Transportation (``ODOT'') has requested a waiver from the Buy America requirements of the Passenger Rail Investment and Improvement Act of 2008 (``PRIIA'') (49 U.S.C. 24405(a)) for the purchase of metal roof tiles made of 40/45 KSI 2, 24 Gauge (0.0276'') Galvanized ``Non-Fluting'' Steel Stock with Kynar PPG 5LR82411 or L/G Rodda Red II Paint finish color. ODOT is seeking a waiver in order to complete the rehabilitation of the historic Union Station roof in Portland, Oregon as one component of a project funded by FRA under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (``Recovery Act''). The purpose of this notice is to seek public comment on whether the FRA should grant a waiver to its Buy America requirements in 49 U.S.C. 24405(a).

The FAA is issuing this notice to advise the public of a meeting of EUROCAE WG-72: RTCA Special Committee 216: Aeronautical Systems Security (Joint Meeting).

The Maritime Administration (MARAD) is changing the definition of ``eligible vessel'' to be considered for a waiver of the coastwise laws to operate as small passenger vessels or uninspected passenger vessels authorized to carry no more than 12 passengers for hire. The new definition of ``eligible vessel'' deletes the requirement that the eligible vessel be five net tons or more. That requirement is not in the enabling statute and is preventing MARAD from considering waiver

The FAA proposes to adopt a new airworthiness directive (AD) for Pratt & Whitney (PW) JT8D-9, -9A, -11, -15, -17, and -17R turbofan engines. This proposed AD would require overhauling fan blade leading edges at the first shop visit after 4,000 cycles-in-service (CIS) since the last total fan blade overhaul was performed. This proposed AD results from reports of failed fan blades. We are proposing this AD to prevent high-cycle fatigue cracking at the blade root, which could result in uncontained failures of first stage fan blades and damage to the airplane.

We propose to adopt a new airworthiness directive (AD) for the products listed above. This proposed AD results from mandatory continuing airworthiness information (MCAI) issued 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: A number of LPT casings have been found cracked during engine shop visit. Cracking of the LPT casing reduces the capability of the casing to contain debris in the event of an LPT stage 1 blade failure. Therefore, blade failure in an engine featuring a cracked LPT casing may result in release of uncontained high energy debris. For the reason described above, this AD requires repetitive inspections and corrective actions, depending on findings. We are proposing this AD to detect cracks in the LPT casings, which could result in the release of uncontained high-energy debris in the event of a stage 1 blade failure. Uncontained high-energy debris could result in damage to the airplane.