2021-00113

Document Headings Document headings vary by document type but may contain the following: • the agency or agencies that issued and signed a document • the number of the CFR title and the number of each part the document amends, proposes to amend, or is directly related to • the agency docket number / agency internal file number • the RIN which identifies each regulatory action listed in the Unified Agenda of Federal Regulatory and Deregulatory Actions See the Document Drafting Handbook for more details. Department of Transportation Federal Aviation Administration • 14 CFR Part 91 • [Docket No.: FAA-2019-0451; Amdt. No. 91-362] • RIN 2120-AL30 AGENCY: Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), Department of Transportation (DOT). ACTION: Final rule. SUMMARY: In consideration of the continuing development of a new generation of supersonic aircraft, FAA is modernizing the procedure for requesting a special flight authorization to operate in excess of Mach 1 over land in the United States. The renewed interest in development of supersonic airplanes caused FAA to review its application procedures that allow for flight tests of these aircraft. This final rule modifies the criteria for applying for these authorizations and moves the material from an appendix to a regulation to make it easier to find and understand. Outside the context of special flight authorizations under this final rule, the FAA continues generally to prohibit civil supersonic flight over land in the United States. DATES: Effective February 16, 2021. ADDRESSES: For information on where to obtain copies of rulemaking documents and other information related to this final rule, see “How To Obtain Additional Information” in the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section of this document. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For questions concerning this action, contact: Sandy Liu, Office of Environment and Energy, AEE-100, Federal Aviation Administration, 800 Independence Avenue SW, Washington, DC 20591; telephone (240) 267-4748; email sandy.liu@faa.gov. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Authority for This Rulemaking FAA's authority to issue rules on aviation safety is found in Title 49 of the United States Code. Subtitle I, Section 106 describes the authority of the FAA Administrator. Subtitle VII, Aviation Programs, describes in more detail the scope of the agency's authority. This rulemaking is promulgated under the authority described in Subtitle VII, Part A, Subpart III, Section 44715 Controlling aircraft noise and sonic boom. Under that section, FAA is charged with prescribing regulations to measure and abate aircraft noise. This regulation is within the scope of that authority since it provides for certain operations of new supersonic aircraft in approved areas where the environmental impact of the operations has been assessed. I. Overview of Final Rule This rulemaking amends the administrative requirements for a special flight authorization originally published as appendix B to part 91, Authorizations to exceed Mach 1 (§ 91.817), of title 14 of the Code of Federal Regulations (14 CFR). This rulemaking is intended to streamline the application procedure for these special flight authorizations by clarifying the information that is needed for submission and specifying the program office within FAA that processes the applications. This rule sets forth the application criteria in a more user-friendly format. FAA is adopting the rule largely as it was proposed, with some minor changes to the regulatory text, as discussed in Section IV and the accompanying preamble discussion. II. Background In a notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) titled Special Flight Authorizations for Supersonic Aircraft (84 FR 30961, June 28, 2019), FAA proposed to modernize the procedures for requesting special flight authorizations that are needed to accomplish testing and development …

Fonte: Federal Register (federalregister.gov). Texto original em inglês. Conteúdo sanitizado por segurança.