Department of Transportation April 20, 2018 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

Pursuant to a recommendation by the Future of Aviation Advisory Committee, the Secretary of Transportation, through the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), is announcing the fifth annual competition to recognize students with the ability to demonstrate unique, innovative thinking in aerospace science and engineering. There are two divisions within the competition: a high school division and a university division (both undergraduate and graduate). The Department of Transportation (DOT) intends to use the competition to incentivize students at high schools and universities to think creatively in developing innovative solutions to aviation and aerospace issues, and to share those innovations with the broader community.

By Federal Register notice on October 31, 2017 the National Park Service (NPS) and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) invited interested persons to apply to fill two upcoming openings on the National Parks Overflights Advisory Group (NPOAG). The notice invited interested persons to apply to fill future openings to represent air tour operator concerns and Native American interests. This notice informs the public that no selections were made for those vacancies representing air tour operator and Native American interests and invites persons interested in serving on the NPOAG to apply for those openings.

The FAA is issuing this notice to advise the public of a meeting of Fifty Seventh RTCA SC-224 Standards for Airport Security Access Control Systems Plenary.

In a final rule published on January 19, 2017, federal departments and agencies made revisions to the Federal Policy for the Protection of Human Subjects (hereafter the ``2018 Requirements''). The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) adopted the same regulatory changes in a separate final rule published on September 18, 2017. The 2018 Requirements were scheduled to become effective on January 19, 2018, with a general compliance date of January 19, 2018 (with the exception of the revisions to the cooperative research provision). The departments and agencies listed in this document have also published an interim final rule delaying the effective date and general compliance date for the 2018 Requirements for six months, to cover the time period of January 19, 2018 until July 19, 2018. As per the interim final rule, the effective date of the 2018 Requirements is now July 19, 2018. The departments and agencies listed in this document propose delaying the general compliance date for the 2018 Requirements for an additional six months, for the time period of July 19, 2018 until January 21, 2019. This proposed rule is intended to provide additional time to regulated entities for the preparations necessary to implement the 2018 Requirements. This proposed rule, if finalized, would require regulated entities to continue to comply with the requirements of the current Federal Policy for the Protection of Human Subjects (hereafter the ``pre-2018 Requirements'') until January 21, 2019. This proposal also takes comment on whether to permit institutions to implement, for certain research studies, the following provisions in the 2018 Requirements during the period from July 19, 2018, until January 21, 2019, that the general compliance date is delayed. Those three provisions, intended to reduce burdens on regulated entities, are the 2018 Requirements' definition of ``research,'' which deems certain activities not to be research, the allowance for no annual continuing review of certain categories of research, and the elimination of the requirement that institutional review boards (IRBs) review grant applications related to the research. The way that this option is proposed, regulated entities would be required to comply with all pre- 2018 Requirements during the period that the general compliance date is delayed, except for provisions substituted by the three burden-reducing provisions of the 2018 Requirements. As described in section III, below, this flexibility is proposed only for studies for which an institution makes a choice to transition to comply with the 2018 Requirements, beginning on July 19, 2018. In order to clearly describe this proposed flexibility, including how it would impact institutions choosing to transition research to comply with the 2018 Requirements, this document proposes a redrafted transition provision.

This rule amends, suspends, or removes Standard Instrument Approach Procedures (SIAPs) and associated Takeoff Minimums and Obstacle Departure Procedures for operations at certain airports. These regulatory actions are needed because of the adoption of new or revised criteria, or because of changes occurring in the National Airspace System, such as the commissioning of new navigational facilities, adding new obstacles, or changing air traffic requirements. These changes are designed to provide for the safe and efficient use of the navigable airspace and to promote safe flight operations under instrument flight rules at the affected airports.

We propose to adopt a new airworthiness directive (AD) for various Airbus Helicopters Deutschland GmbH (Airbus Helicopters) Model MBB-BK117 and Model BO-105 helicopters. This proposed AD would require removing the swashplate bellows (bellows) and repetitively inspecting the swashplate assembly. This proposed AD is prompted by reports of loose and missing clamps installed on bellows. The proposed actions are intended to detect and prevent an unsafe condition on these products.

This action proposes to amend the Class E airspace extending upward from 700 feet above the surface at New Castle-Henry County Municipal Airport, New Castle, IN. The FAA is proposing this action as a result of an airspace review caused by the decommissioning of the Richmond VHF omnidirectional range (VOR) navigation aid as part of the VOR Minimum Operational Network (MON) Program. The geographic coordinates of the airport would also be updated to coincide with the FAA's aeronautical database.