2023-22492

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 21 • [Docket No. FAA-2023-0623] AGENCY: Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), Department of Transportation (DOT). ACTION: Notification of policy. SUMMARY: The FAA announces the policy for the type certification of Very Light Airplanes (VLA) as a special class of aircraft under the Federal Aviation Regulations. DATES: This policy is effective October 11, 2023. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Hieu Nguyen, Product Policy Management, AIR-62B, Policy and Standards Division, Aircraft Certification Service, Federal Aviation Administration; telephone 816-329-4123; email hieu.nguyen@faa.gov. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Background The FAA issued a notice of proposed policy, which published in the Federal Register on August 9, 2023 (88 FR 53815). The FAA received comments from two commenters. The comments are available to view in Docket No. FAA-2023-0623 at www.regulations.gov. Discussion of Comments The FAA received one comment from an individual that was unrelated to the notice and outside the scope of the proposed policy. The other comment was a request from the General Aviation Manufacturers Association asking for a 30-day extension to the comment period. However, the FAA did not extend the comment period. The FAA chose a 30-day comment period because it balances the need to have a final policy available for applicants with the need for interested persons to have time to comment on the proposed policy. The FAA determined that a 30-day comment period provided adequate time for interested persons to submit comments and that it would not be in the public interest to extend the comment period. Authority Citation The authority citations for these airworthiness criteria are as follows: Authority: 49 U.S.C. 106(g), 40113, 44701, 44702, 44704. Policy The FAA will continue to allow type certification of VLA as a special class of aircraft under 14 CFR 21.17(b) using CS-VLA or JAR-VLA requirements, while also allowing eligibility for certification as a normal category airplane in accordance with part 23 using accepted means of compliance. The FAA accepts CS-VLA and JAR-VLA airworthiness criteria as providing an equivalent level of safety under § 21.17(b) special class type certification of VLA airplanes. The FAA will consider proposals for airplane designs that differ from the VLA limits defined in AC 21.17-3 for type certification as a special class of aircraft under § 21.17(b), provided the VLA were certificated to the JAR-VLA or CS-VLA requirements plus additional airworthiness criteria the FAA finds appropriate and applicable for the proposed design. Additional design requirements may include but are not limited to the airworthiness criteria identified in the following paragraphs. Other additional airworthiness criteria may be required to address specific design proposals. Advanced Avionic Displays If the airplane has advanced avionic displays installed, the following requirements from 14 CFR part 23 apply: • 14 CFR 23.1307 at amendment 23-49, Miscellaneous Equipment. • 14 CFR 23.1311 at amendment 23-62, Electronic Display Instrument Systems. • 14 CFR 23.1321 at amendment 23-49, Arrangement and Visibility…

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