Federal Aviation Administration May 1, 2017 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The FAA is considering a proposal to change 4.53 acres of airport land from aeronautical use to non-aeronautical use and to authorize the lease of airport property located at Flying Cloud Airport, Minneapolis, Minnesota. The aforementioned land is not needed for aeronautical use. The property is located northeast of the airport's Gate H and south of Pioneer Trail. This parcel has been vacant since the 1950's with drainage ditches on three sides. The proposed use of the property is to lease the parcel for development of commercial/retail space.

This action removes Class E airspace extending upward from 700 feet above the surface at Ruston Municipal Airport, Ruston, LA, as the airport has closed and controlled airspace is no longer required, and establishes Class E airspace extending upward from 700 feet above the surface at the new Ruston Regional Airport, Ruston, LA. This final rule is necessary to ensure the safety and management of instrument flight rules (IFR) operations at the new airport.

We propose to adopt a new airworthiness directive (AD) for certain The Boeing Company Model 737-300, -400, and -500 series airplanes. This proposed AD would require repetitive inspections for cracking in the skin lap splice at the lower fastener row, and repair if necessary. This AD was prompted by an evaluation by the design approval holder (DAH) indicating that the lower skin at the skin lap splice lower fastener row is subject to widespread fatigue damage (WFD). We are proposing this AD to address the unsafe condition on these products.

These special conditions are issued for non-rechargeable lithium battery installations on the Gulfstream Aerospace LP (GALP) Model Gulfstream G150 airplane, as modified by Gulfstream Aerospace Corporation (Gulfstream). Non-rechargeable lithium batteries are a novel or unusual design feature when compared to the state of technology envisioned in the airworthiness standards for transport category airplanes. The applicable airworthiness regulations do not contain adequate or appropriate safety standards for this design feature. 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.

These special conditions are issued for non-rechargeable lithium battery installations on the Bombardier Aerospace Inc. (Bombardier) Model BD-700-1A11 airplane. Non-rechargeable lithium batteries are a novel or unusual design feature when compared to the state of technology envisioned in the airworthiness standards for transport category airplanes. The applicable airworthiness regulations do not contain adequate or appropriate safety standards for this design feature. 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.