Federal Aviation Administration March 10, 2011 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, FAA invites public comments about our intention to request the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) approval to renew an information collection. Standards have been established for the certification of agricultural aircraft. The information collected shows applicant compliance and eligibility for certification by FAA.

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, FAA invites public comments about our intention to request the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) approval to renew an information collection. The information is needed to determine an applicant's eligibility for an award of attorney's fees and other expenses under the Equal Access to Justice Act.

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, FAA invites public comments about our intention to request the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) approval to renew an information collection. To determine regulatory compliance, there is a need for airmen to maintain records of certain training and recency of experience; a training center has to maintain records of student's training, employee qualification and training, and training program approvals.

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, FAA invites public comments about our intention to request the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) approval to renew an information collection. The respondents supply information through the AC 8050-135 to the FAA Civil Aviation Registry's Aircraft Registration Branch in order to obtain an authorization code for access to the International Registry.

We are superseding an existing airworthiness directive (AD) for the products listed above. That AD currently requires you to incorporate operating limitations of maximum operating altitude of 37,000 feet into Section 2, Limitations, of the airplane flight manual (AFM). This AD requires you to incorporate operating limitations of maximum operating altitude of 30,000 feet into Section 2, Limitations, of the AFM. This AD was prompted by several incidents of engine surge. We are issuing this AD to prevent hard carbon buildup on the static vane, which could result in engine surges. Engine surges may result in a necessary reduction in thrust and decreased power for the affected engine. In some cases, this could result in flight and landing under single-engine conditions. It is also possible this could affect both engines at the same time, requiring dual-engine shutdown.

We are superseding an existing airworthiness directive (AD) for the products listed above. That AD currently requires repetitive inspections and torque checks of the hanger fittings and strut forward bulkhead of the forward engine mount and adjacent support structure, and visual inspections of the internal angle and external bulkhead chord and detailed inspection of internal angles, and corrective actions if necessary. The existing AD also provides for an optional inspection. This new AD requires additional inspections of airplanes that have hi-lok bolts and collars at all of the Group B fastener locations, except fastener 13, and related investigative and corrective actions. This AD also requires repetitive inspections of the internal angle, and corrective actions if necessary. This AD also requires, for certain airplanes, replacing the fasteners, which terminates certain repetitive inspections. This AD was prompted by reports of undertorqued or loose fasteners, a cracked bulkhead chord, and a fractured back-up angle. We are issuing this AD to detect and correct loose fasteners and/or damaged or cracked hanger fittings, back-up angles, and bulkhead of the forward engine mount, which could lead to failure of the hanger fitting and bulkhead and consequent separation of the engine from the airplane.

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: * * * * * Recently, during a walk round check, an operator found an aileron trim tab hinge pin that had migrated sufficiently to cause a rubbing foul on the flap. Other reports indicate that, for the purposes of expediency, it has become common practice during maintenance when replacing a control tab, instead of unbolting the forward part of the piano hinge from the primary control surface, the hinge pins are punched out of the hinges. Investigations have concluded that, after reinserting the pins after maintenance, the ends of the hinges may not have been pinched, which is likely to have been the cause of the detected hinge pin migration. This condition [non-pinched hinge pin ends], if not detected and corrected, could lead to further incidents of migration of a tab hinge pin out of the hinge, likely resulting in restricted movement of the tab control and consequent reduced control of the aeroplane.

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:

This action establishes six High Altitude Area Navigation (RNAV) routes in the Western United States (U.S.). These new routes provide pilots and air traffic controllers with efficient direct routes enhancing safety and improving the efficient use of the National Airspace System (NAS).

This action amends a final rule published by the FAA in the Federal Register, that inadvertently extended VOR Federal airway V-358 to the wrong end point. This action reflects the correct end point and coincides with the FAA's aeronautical database.

This amendment adopts a new airworthiness directive (AD) for the specified Eurocopter France (Eurocopter) model helicopters. This AD requires replacing the aluminum tail rotor (T/R) blade pitch control shaft with a steel T/R blade pitch control shaft. This AD is prompted by an incident involving a Eurocopter Model AS-365N2 helicopter on which there was a loss of control of the T/R due to a broken shaft. The actions specified by this AD are intended to prevent failure of the T/R blade pitch control shaft, loss of T/R control, and subsequent loss of control of the helicopter.

This document publishes in the Federal Register an amendment adopting Emergency Airworthiness Directive (AD) 2010-26-51, which was sent previously to all known U.S. owners and operators of the specified model helicopters by individual letters. This AD also supersedes existing AD 2009-08-03. This AD is prompted by another incident in which the tail rotor blade (blade) tip weight separated from a blade during flight causing vibration. This unsafe condition led to the determination that additional blades could be affected and should be added to the applicability. The actions specified by this AD are intended to prevent loss of the blade tip weight, loss of a blade, and subsequent loss of control of the helicopter.