[Federal Register Volume 74, Number 178 (Wednesday, September 16, 2009)]
[Notices]
[Pages 47642-47643]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E9-22339]
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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Federal Aviation Administration
Issuance of Final Report of the 2008 Amateur-Built Aircraft
Aviation Rulemaking Committee.
AGENCY: Federal Aviation Administration, DOT.
SUMMARY: This notice announces the issuance of the final report of the
2008 Amateur-Built Aircraft Aviation Rulemaking Committee (2008 ARC).
The report provides the 2008 ARC's recommendations regarding the
disposition of (1) public comments received on the proposed changes to
Order 8130.2F and AC 20-27G; (2) the definition of ``fabrication'' as
it differs from ``assembly'' within the scope of Title 14, Code of
Federal Regulations (14 CFR) part 21, Certification Procedures for
Products and Parts, Sec. 21.191(g), Operating amateur-built aircraft;
and (3) a process to minimize the impact of the proposed policy on
amateur-built kits evaluated by the FAA before February 15, 2008.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Frank P. Paskiewicz, Manager,
Production and Airworthiness Division, Aircraft Certification Service,
AIR-200, Federal Aviation Administration, 950 L'Enfant Plaza, SW., 5th
Floor, Suite 500, Washington, DC 20024; telephone number: (202) 385-
6346. A copy of the final report may be obtained by accessing the FAA's
Web site at http://www.faa.gov/aircraft/gen_av/ultralights/amateur_built/media/ARC_FINAL_2008_report.pdf.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background
On February 14, 2008, the 2006 Amateur-Built Aircraft Aviation
Rulemaking Committee (ARC) published its Final Report. This report
found that FAA directives setting policy for amateur-built aircraft
``do not adequately address the issue of commercial assistance,''
determined that the ``aircraft kit evaluation process is not
standardized,'' and cited the need for additional training for
inspectors to ``fully understand the FAA's expectations when
determining an aircraft's eligibility for an amateur-built
certificate.'' Based on the ARC's report, the FAA published a notice in
the Federal Register on February 15, 2008,\1\ temporarily suspending
amateur-built aircraft kit evaluations. The FAA decided that its
directives governing the amateur-built aircraft sector required review
and revision.
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\1\ Notice of Temporary Suspension of Amateur-Built Aircraft Kit
Evaluations Previously Conducted by the Federal Aviation
Administration, Aircraft Certification Service (73 FR 8926, February
15, 2008).
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Subsequently, the FAA published a notice in the Federal Register on
July 15, 2008, announcing proposed changes to, and seeking public
comments on (1) FAA Order 8130.2F, Airworthiness Certification of
Aircraft and Related Products, Chapter 4, Special Airworthiness
Certification, Section 9, Experimental Amateur-Built Airworthiness
Certifications; and (2) AC 20-27G, Certification and Operation of
Amateur-Built Aircraft.\2\ The original comment period opened on July
15, 2008, and closed on August 15, 2008.
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\2\ Notification of Policy Revisions, and Requests for Comments
on the Percentage of Fabrication and Assembly that Must Be Completed
by an Amateur Builder to Obtain an Experimental Airworthiness
Certificate for an Amateur-Built Aircraft (73 FR 40652, July 15,
2008).
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Upon request, the FAA extended the comment period to September 30,
2008,\3\ and then reopened the comment period from October 31, 2008,
through December 15, 2008.\4\
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\3\ See Notification of Policy Revisions, and Requests for
Comments on the Percentage of Fabrication and Assembly That Must Be
Completed by an Amateur Builder to Obtain an Experimental
Airworthiness Certificate for an Amateur-Built Aircraft; Extension
of Comment Period (73 FR 43278, July 24, 2008).
\4\ The FAA reopened the comment period because the proposed
Order 8130.2F and AC 20-27G had been inadvertently removed from the
FAA Web site during the comment period. (See 73 FR 65007, October
31, 2008.)
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On November 4, 2008, the Amateur-Built ARC was rechartered with
Order 1110.143A, Amateur-Built Aircraft Aviation Rulemaking Committee
to advise the FAA on issues concerning disposition of the public
comments, the enhanced definition of the term ``fabrication'' and
grandfathering of FAA-listed amateur-built aircraft kits.
The 2008 ARC met in Washington, DC on January 27 through 29, 2009,
to consider the items listed above; the ARC also--
Reevaluated the 20/20/11 requirement; \5\
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\5\ 20/20/11 was an FAA proposal requiring an amateur builder to
fabricate a minimum 20 percent of an aircraft and assemble a minimum
of 20 percent of the aircraft.
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Evaluated an updated FAA Form 8000-38, Fabrication/
Assembly Operation Checklist;
Discussed the creation of a National Kit Evaluation Team,
consisting of FAA
[[Page 47643]]
Aviation Safety Inspectors, to establish a standardized aircraft kit
evaluation process; and
Discussed the conversion of type-certificated aircraft
into amateur-built aircraft.
The FAA will take the 2008 ARC's recommendations into consideration
in the formulation of the final revisions to FAA Order 8130.2F, and AC
20-27G.
Dated: September 11, 2009.
Frank P. Paskiewicz,
Manager, Production and Airworthiness Division.
[FR Doc. E9-22339 Filed 9-15-09; 8:45 am]
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