[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 202 (Thursday, October 18, 2012)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 64023-64024]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-25606]
========================================================================
Rules and Regulations
Federal Register
________________________________________________________________________
This section of the FEDERAL REGISTER contains regulatory documents
having general applicability and legal effect, most of which are keyed
to and codified in the Code of Federal Regulations, which is published
under 50 titles pursuant to 44 U.S.C. 1510.
The Code of Federal Regulations is sold by the Superintendent of Documents.
Prices of new books are listed in the first FEDERAL REGISTER issue of each
week.
========================================================================
Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 202 / Thursday, October 18, 2012 /
Rules and Regulations
[[Page 64023]]
DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Federal Aviation Administration
14 CFR Part 25
[Docket No. FAA-2012-1120; Special Conditions No. 25-471-SC]
Special Conditions: Airbus Model A318, A319, A320, and A321
Series Airplanes; Design Roll Maneuver Conditions
AGENCY: Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), DOT.
ACTION: Final special conditions; request for comments.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: These special conditions are issued for the Airbus Model A318,
A319, and A320 series airplanes with modification 160500 and Model A321
series airplanes with modification 160023 (Sharklet). These airplanes
will have novel or unusual design features when compared to the state
of technology envisioned in the airworthiness standards for transport
category airplanes. These design features include electronic flight
controls that affect maneuvering. 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.
DATES: The effective date of these special conditions is October 11,
2012. We must receive your comments by December 3, 2012.
ADDRESSES: Send comments identified by docket number FAA-2012-1120
using any of the following methods:
Federal eRegulations Portal: Go to http://www.regulations.gov/ and follow the online instructions for sending
your comments electronically.
Mail: Send comments to Docket Operations, M-30, U.S.
Department of Transportation (DOT), 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE., Room
W12-140, West Building Ground Floor, Washington, DC 20590-0001.
Hand Delivery or Courier: Take comments to Docket
Operations in Room W12-140 of the West Building Ground Floor at 1200
New Jersey Avenue SE., Washington, DC, between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m.,
Monday through Friday, except federal holidays.
Fax: Fax comments to Docket Operations at 202-493-2251.
Privacy: The FAA will post all comments it receives, without
change, to http://www.regulations.gov/, including any personal
information the commenter provides. Using the search function of the
docket Web site, anyone can find and read the electronic form of all
comments received into any FAA docket, including the name of the
individual sending the comment (or signing the comment for an
association, business, labor union, etc.). DOT's complete Privacy Act
Statement can be found in the Federal Register published on April 11,
2000 (65 FR 19477-19478), as well as at http://DocketsInfo.dot.gov/.
Docket: Background documents or comments received may be read at
http://www.regulations.gov/ at any time. Follow the online instructions
for accessing the docket or go to the Docket Operations in Room W12-140
of the West Building Ground Floor at 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE.,
Washington, DC, between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday,
except federal holidays.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Todd Martin, FAA, Airframe/Cabin
Safety Branch, ANM-115, Transport Airplane Directorate, Aircraft
Certification Service, 1601 Lind Avenue SW., Renton, Washington 98057-
3356; telephone 425-227-1178; facsimile 425-227-1232.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The FAA has determined that notice of, and
opportunity for prior public comment on, these special conditions are
impracticable because these procedures would significantly delay
issuance of the design approval and thus delivery of the affected
aircraft. In addition, the substance of these special conditions has
been subject to the public comment process in several prior instances
with no substantive comments received. The FAA therefore finds that
good cause exists for making these special conditions effective upon
issuance.
Comments Invited
We invite interested people to take part in this rulemaking by
sending written comments, data, or views. The most helpful comments
reference a specific portion of the special conditions, explain the
reason for any recommended change, and include supporting data.
We will consider all comments we receive by the closing date for
comments. We may change these special conditions based on the comments
we receive.
Background
On April 8, 2010, Airbus applied for a change to Type Certificate
No. A28NM to include modification 160500 on Airbus Model A318, A319,
and A320 series airplanes and modification 160023 on Model A321 series
airplanes for the installation of a ``Sharklet,'' a large wingtip
device. The Model A318, A319, A320, and A321 series airplanes are short
to medium-range, twin turbofan, transport category airplanes with a
maximum seating capacity of 136 to 220 passengers, a maximum takeoff
weight of 130,071 to 205,027 pounds, and a maximum operating altitude
of 39,800 feet.
FAA issued special conditions 25-ANM-23, effective December 15,
1988, originally applicable to Airbus Model A320 series airplanes and
later to the Model A318, A319, and A321 series airplanes. Those special
conditions included requirements for design roll maneuver conditions.
The FAA has determined that new special conditions are needed for the
Airbus Model A318, A319, and A320 series airplanes with modification
160500 and Model A321 series airplanes with modification 160023
(Sharklet) and later derivatives because the existing special
conditions have evolved over the years and need to be updated for this
derivative program.
Type Certification Basis
Under the provisions of Title 14, Code of Federal Regulation (14
CFR) 21.101, Airbus must show that the Model A318, A319, A320, and A321
series airplanes, as changed, continue to meet the applicable
provisions of the regulations incorporated by reference in Type
Certificate No. A28NM or the applicable
[[Page 64024]]
regulations in effect on the date of application for the change. The
regulations incorporated by reference in the type certificate are
commonly referred to as the ``original type certification basis.'' The
regulations incorporated by reference in Type Certificate No. A28NM are
14 CFR part 25, as amended by Amendments 25-1 through 25-56, and
special conditions 25-ANM-23. In addition, the certification basis
includes certain special conditions, exemptions, or later amended
sections of the applicable part that are not relevant to these special
conditions.
If the Administrator finds that the applicable airworthiness
regulations (i.e., 14 CFR part 25) do not contain adequate or
appropriate safety standards for the Model A318, A319, A320, and A321
series airplanes because of a novel or unusual design feature, special
conditions are prescribed under the provisions of Sec. 21.16.
Special conditions are initially applicable to the model for which
they are issued. Should the type certificate for that model be amended
later to include any other model that incorporates the same novel or
unusual design feature, or should any other model already included on
the same type certificate be modified to incorporate the same novel or
unusual design feature, the special conditions would also apply to the
other model.
In addition to the applicable airworthiness regulations and special
conditions, the Model A318, A319, A320, and A321 series airplanes must
comply with the fuel vent and exhaust emission requirements of 14 CFR
part 34 and the noise certification requirements of 14 CFR part 36.
The FAA issues special conditions, as defined in 14 CFR 11.19, in
accordance with Sec. 11.38, and they become part of the type-
certification basis under Sec. 21.101.
Novel or Unusual Design Features
The Airbus Model A318, A319, and A320 series airplanes with
modification 160500 and Model A321 series airplanes with modification
160023 (Sharklet) will incorporate the following novel or unusual
design feature: Electronic flight controls that affect maneuvering.
The current design roll maneuver requirement in 14 CFR part 25 is
inadequate for addressing an aircraft with electronic flight controls
that affect maneuvering. Special conditions are needed to adjust the
current roll maneuver requirement in Sec. 25.349(a) to take into
account the effects of an electronic flight control system.
Discussion
Current part 25 airworthiness regulations account for control laws
for which aileron deflection is proportional to control stick
deflection. They do not address any nonlinearities or other effects on
aileron actuation that may be caused by electronic flight controls.
Since this type of system may affect flight loads, and therefore the
structural capability of the airplane, specific regulations are needed
to address these effects.
These proposed special conditions differ from current requirements
in that they require that the roll maneuver be performed by actuation
of the cockpit roll control as opposed to the aileron itself. Also, the
proposed special conditions require an additional load condition at
VA, in which the cockpit roll control is returned to neutral
following the initial roll input.
Applicability
As discussed above, these special conditions are applicable to the
Airbus Model A318, A319, A320 series airplanes with modification 160500
and Model A321 series airplanes with modification 160023 (Sharklet).
Should Airbus apply at a later date for a change to the type
certificate to include another model incorporating the same novel or
unusual design feature, the special conditions would apply to that
model as well.
Conclusion
This action affects only certain novel or unusual design features
on the model series of airplanes listed above. It is not a rule of
general applicability.
The substance of these special conditions has been subjected to the
notice and comment period in several prior instances and has been
derived without substantive change from those previously issued. It is
unlikely that prior public comment would result in a significant change
from the substance contained herein. Therefore, because a delay would
significantly affect the certification of the airplane, which is
imminent, the FAA has determined that prior public notice and comment
are unnecessary and impracticable, and good cause exists for adopting
these special conditions upon issuance. The FAA is requesting comments
to allow interested persons to submit views that may not have been
submitted in response to the prior opportunities for comment described
above.
List of Subjects in 14 CFR Part 25
Aircraft, Aviation safety, Reporting and recordkeeping
requirements.
The authority citation for these special conditions is as follows:
Authority: 49 U.S.C. 106(g), 40113, 44701, 44702, 44704.
The Special Conditions
Accordingly, pursuant to the authority delegated to me by the
Administrator, the following special conditions are issued as part of
the type certification basis for Airbus Model A318, A319, and A320
series airplanes with modification 160500 and Model A321 with
modification 160023 (Sharklet) series airplanes.
Design Roll Maneuver Conditions. The following conditions, speeds,
and cockpit roll control motions (except as the motions may be limited
by pilot effort) must be considered in combination with an airplane
load factor of zero and of two-thirds of the positive maneuvering
factor used in design. In determining the resulting control surface
deflections, the torsional flexibility of the wing must be considered
in accordance with Sec. 25.301(b):
1. Conditions corresponding to steady rolling velocities must be
investigated. In addition, conditions corresponding to maximum angular
acceleration must be investigated for airplanes with engines or other
weight concentrations outboard of the fuselage. For the angular
acceleration conditions, zero rolling velocity may be assumed in the
absence of a rational time history investigation of the maneuver.
2. At VA, sudden movement of the cockpit roll control up
to the limit is assumed. The position of the cockpit roll control must
be maintained until a steady roll rate is achieved and then must be
returned suddenly to the neutral position.
3. At VC, the cockpit roll control must be moved
suddenly and maintained so as to achieve a roll rate not less than that
obtained in paragraph 2.
4. At VD, the cockpit roll control must be moved
suddenly and maintained so as to achieve a roll rate not less than one
third of that obtained in paragraph 2.
Issued in Renton, Washington, on October 11, 2012.
Ali Bahrami,
Manager, Transport Airplane Directorate, Aircraft Certification
Service.
[FR Doc. 2012-25606 Filed 10-17-12; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-13-P