[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 242 (Wednesday, December 17, 1997)] [Notices] [Pages 66171-66172] From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov] [FR Doc No: 97-32883] ======================================================================= ----------------------------------------------------------------------- DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION Federal Aviation Administration Aviation Rulemaking Advisory Committee; Training and Qualifications Issues--Revised Task AGENCY: Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), DOT. ACTION: Notice of revised task assignments for the Aviation Rulemaking Advisory Committee (ARAC). ----------------------------------------------------------------------- SUMMARY: Notice is given of revised tasks assigned to and accepted by the Aviation Rulemaking Advisory Committee (ARAC). This notice informs the public of the activities of ARAC. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Tom Toula, Federal Aviation Administration, Flight Standards Service, AFS-210, 800 Independence Avenue, SW., Washington, DC 20591; phone (202) 267-3729; fax (202) 267-5229. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Background The FAA has established an Aviation Rulemaking Advisory Committee to provide advice and recommendations to the FAA Administrator, through the Associate Administrator for Regulation and Certification, on the full range of the FAA's rulemaking activities with respect to aviation- related issues. This includes obtaining advice and recommendations on the FAA's commitment to harmonize its Federal Aviation Regulations (FAR) and practices with its trading partners in Europe and Canada. One area ARAC deals with is training and qualifications issues. These issues involve training and qualification of air carrier crewmembers and other air transport employees. The Tasks This notice is to inform the public that the FAA has asked ARAC to provide advice and recommendation on the following revised harmonization tasks. The original tasks were published in the Federal Register on November 3, 1997 (62 FR 59382). Task 1. Determine the benefits of licensing harmonization. Task 2. Define criteria for Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) conversion of Joint Aviation Authorities (JAA) issued licenses, and for JAA conversion of FAA issued licenses. Consider only the Airline Transport Pilot (ATP) license, except where that license might convert to only a Commercial pilot license. Task 3. Develop a recommendation, with justification, on whether the product (i.e., a specific level of license or certificate) should be harmonized, or the process (i.e., the curriculum, prerequisite experience, length of training, etc.) should be harmonized. (a) If recommending that the product should be harmonized, develop a matrix of essential requirements for the FAA and JAA to impose on license holders of the other in order to convert licenses. (b) If recommending that the process should be harmonized, develop a matrix of specific differences and how those differences should be equalized. (c) Make specific recommendations about which FAA regulations or Joint Aviation Requirements should be changed to achieve the recommended actions. Any recommendations requiring changes to Title 14 of Code of Federal Regulations must be forwarded to the FAA for consideration of rulemaking priority, resource allocation, and additional tasking to ARAC to develop rulemaking, as appropriate. Task 4. Review the current standards of 14 CFR sections 61.75 and 61.77 as part of the overall task. In light of this review, recommend appropriate guidance material that could later be incorporated into advisory material or an appendix to 14 CFR part 61 that [[Page 66172]] contains the criteria developed in task 3 (a) or (b) above. The FAA expects ARAC to complete these tasks within 12 months and submit a report through ARAC to the FAA and to the JAA. ARAC Acceptance of Tasks ARAC has accepted the tasks and has chosen to establish a new Licensing Harmonization Working Group. The working group will serve as staff to ARAC to assist ARAC in the analysis of the assigned task. Working group recommendations must be reviewed and approved by ARAC. If ARAC accepts the working group's recommendations, it forwards them to the FAA as ARAC recommendations. Working Group Activity As is the case with all harmonization working groups, meetings of the Licensing Harmonization Working Group will be held alternately between the United States and Europe. Tentatively, the next two meetings will be held in Washington, DC, in January 1998 and in Hoofddorp, The Netherlands, in February 1998. The Licensing Harmonization Working Group is expected to comply with the procedures adopted by ARAC. As part of the procedures, the working group is expected to: 1. Recommend to ARAC a work plan for completion of the tasks, including the rationale supporting such a plan, for consideration at the meeting of ARAC to consider Training and Qualifications Issues held following publication of this notice. 2. Give a detailed conceptual presentation to ARAC of the proposed recommendations, prior to proceeding with the work stated in item 3 below. 3. Provide a status report at each meeting of ARAC held to consider Training and Qualifications Issues. Participation in the Working Group The Licensing Harmonization Working Group is composed of experts having an interest in the assigned task. A working group member need not be a representative of a member of the full committee. The Secretary of Transportation has determined that the formation and use of ARAC are necessary and in the public interest in connection with the performance of duties imposed on the FAA by law. Meetings of ARAC will be open to the public. Meetings of the Licensing Harmonization Working Group will not be open to the public, except to the extent that individuals with an interest and expertise are selected to participate. No public announcement of working group meetings will be made. Issued in Washington, DC, on December 12, 1997. Thomas K. Toula, Assistant Executive Director for Training and Qualifications Issues, Aviation Rulemaking Advisory Committee. [FR Doc. 97-32883 Filed 12-16-97; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 4910-13-M