Department of Transportation March 16, 2021 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The FAA is superseding Emergency Airworthiness Directive (AD) 2021-05-52 which applied to certain Bell Textron Canada Limited (Bell) Model 505 helicopters. Emergency AD 2021-05-52 required a one-time visual inspection of the pilot collective stick and grip assembly (pilot collective stick), a fluorescent penetrant inspection (FPI) if no crack was found during the visual inspection, and depending on the inspection results, removing the pilot collective stick from service and reporting certain information to Bell. Emergency AD 2021-05-52 also prohibited installing any pilot collective stick on any helicopter unless the inspections had been accomplished. This AD removes the visual inspection of the pilot collective stick, requires repetitive FPIs of the pilot collective stick, and requires revising the existing Rotorcraft Flight Manual (RFM) for your helicopter. This AD retains the reporting requirement and expands the prohibition. This AD was prompted by the determination that visual inspections do not adequately detect a crack and additional findings that a crack may occur sooner than previously expected. The FAA is issuing this AD to address the unsafe condition on these products.

This notice contains a summary of a petition seeking relief from specified requirements of Federal Aviation Regulations. The purpose of this notice is to improve the public's awareness of, and participation in, the FAA's exemption process. 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.

FMCSA announces its decision to exempt seven individuals from the vision requirement in the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations (FMCSRs) to operate a commercial motor vehicle (CMV) in interstate commerce. They are unable to meet the vision requirement in one eye for various reasons. The exemptions enable these individuals to operate CMVs in interstate commerce without meeting the vision requirement in one eye.

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, FAA invites public comments about our intention to request approval from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to renew a currently approved information collection. The FAA collects information from U.S. and foreign air carriers holding a slot at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA), John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK), and LaGuardia Airport (LGA); operating scheduled flights at Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR), Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), O'Hare International Airport (ORD), and San Francisco International Airport (SFO); and conducting unscheduled operations at DCA and LGA. The information collected is necessary to support the advance management of air traffic demand by the FAA Slot Administration in an effort to reduce potential delays. The FAA proposes renaming this information collection to ``FAA Runway Slot Administration and Schedule Analysis'' to more accurately reflect the collection of information related to multiple airports subject to different FAA regulatory and voluntary processes under this program.

FMCSA announces that FirstGroup plc (FirstGroup) has applied for an exemption on behalf of three of its subsidiaries, First Student, Inc., First Transit, Inc., and First Mile Square, which employ commercial driver's license (CDL) holders subject to drug and alcohol testing. FirstGroup requests an exemption from the requirement that an employer must conduct a full query of FMCSA's Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse (Clearinghouse) before employing a CDL holder to perform safety-sensitive functions. Under the requested exemption, in lieu of a full query, FirstGroup would conduct a limited pre-employment query of the Clearinghouse. If the limited query indicated that information about the driver existed in the Clearinghouse, FirstGroup would then conduct a full query of the Clearinghouse, with the driver-applicant providing consent in the Clearinghouse as required. In addition, FirstGroup would conduct a second limited query within 30 to 35 days of the initial limited query and conduct multiple limited queries on all its CDL drivers each year thereafter.