Federal Register / Vol. 69, No. 204 / Friday, October 22, 2004 / Proposed Rules 62007

(9) B200T

Note 1: The actions of AD 96–09–13 are 

required for the Beech Models B200 and 

B200C airplanes.

What Is the Unsafe Condition Presented in 

This AD? 

(d) The actions specified in this AD are 

intended to minimize the potential hazards 

associated with operating these airplanes in 

severe icing conditions by providing more 

clearly defined procedures and limitations. 

What Must I Do to Address This Problem? 

(e) Within 30 days after November 4, 1998 

(the effective date of AD 98–20–38), do the 

requirements of paragraphs (e)(1) and (e)(2) 

of this AD, unless already accomplished.

Note 2: Operators should initiate action to 

notify and ensure that flight crewmembers 

are apprised of this change.

(1) Revise the FAA-approved Airplane 

Flight Manual (AFM) by incorporating the 

following into the Limitations Section of the 

AFM. This may be accomplished by inserting 

a copy of this AD in the AFM. 

‘‘WARNING 

Severe icing may result from 

environmental conditions outside of those for 

which the airplane is certificated. Flight in 

freezing rain, freezing drizzle, or mixed icing 

conditions (supercooled liquid water and ice 

crystals) may result in ice build-up on 

protected surfaces exceeding the capability of 

the ice protection system, or may result in ice 

forming aft of the protected surfaces. This ice 

may not be shed using the ice protection 

systems, and may seriously degrade the 

performance and controllability of the 

airplane. 

• During flight, severe icing conditions 

that exceed those for which the airplane is 

certificated shall be determined by the 

following visual cues. If one or more of these 

visual cues exists, immediately request 

priority handling from Air Traffic Control to 

facilitate a route or an altitude change to exit 

the icing conditions. 

• Unusually extensive ice accumulation on 

the airframe and windshield in areas not 

normally observed to collect ice. 

• Accumulation of ice on the upper 

surface of the wing, aft of the protected area. 

• Accumulation of ice on the engine 

nacelles and propeller spinners farther aft 

than normally observed. 

• Since the autopilot, when installed and 

operating, may mask tactile cues that indicate 

adverse changes in handling characteristics, 

use of the autopilot is prohibited when any 

of the visual cues specified above exist, or 

when unusual lateral trim requirements or 

autopilot trim warnings are encountered 

while the airplane is in icing conditions. 

• All wing icing inspection lights must be 

operative prior to flight into known or 

forecast icing conditions at night. [Note: This 

supersedes any relief provided by the Master 

Minimum Equipment List (MMEL).]’’

(2) Revise the FAA-approved AFM by 

incorporating the following into the Normal 

Procedures Section of the AFM. This may be 

accomplished by inserting a copy of this AD 

in the AFM. 

‘‘THE FOLLOWING WEATHER 

CONDITIONS MAY BE CONDUCIVE TO 

SEVERE IN-FLIGHT ICING: 

• Visible rain at temperatures below 0 

degrees Celsius ambient air temperature. 

• Droplets that splash or splatter on impact 

at temperatures below 0 degrees Celsius 

ambient air temperature. 

PROCEDURES FOR EXITING THE SEVERE 

ICING ENVIRONMENT: 

These procedures are applicable to all 

flight phases from takeoff to landing. Monitor 

the ambient air temperature. While severe 

icing may form at temperatures as cold as -18 

degrees Celsius, increased vigilance is 

warranted at temperatures around freezing 

with visible moisture present. If the visual 

cues specified in the Limitations Section of 

the AFM for identifying severe icing 

conditions are observed, accomplish the 

following: 

• Immediately request priority handling 

from Air Traffic Control to facilitate a route 

or an altitude change to exit the severe icing 

conditions in order to avoid extended 

exposure to flight conditions more severe 

than those for which the airplane has been 

certificated. 

• Avoid abrupt and excessive 

maneuvering that may exacerbate control 

difficulties. 

• Do not engage the autopilot. 

• If the autopilot is engaged, hold the 

control wheel firmly and disengage the 

autopilot. 

• If an unusual roll response or 

uncommanded roll control movement is 

observed, reduce the angle-of-attack.

• Do not extend flaps when holding in 

icing conditions. Operation with flaps 

extended can result in a reduced wing angleof-attack, with the possibility of ice forming 

on the upper surface further aft on the wing 

than normal, possibly aft of the protected 

area. 

• If the flaps are extended, do not retract 

them until the airframe is clear of ice. 

• Report these weather conditions to Air 

Traffic Control.’’

(f) As an alternative method of compliance 

to the actions required by paragraph (e)(2) of 

this AD, revise the Abnormal Procedures 

Section or Emergency Procedures Section of 

the AFM instead of the Normal Procedures 

section of the AFM. Insert the information 

presented in paragraph (e)(2) of this AD into 

the applicable AFM section. 

(g) The owner/operator holding at least a 

private pilot certificate as authorized by 

section 43.7 of the Federal Aviation 

Regulations (14 CFR 43.7) may incorporate 

the AFM revisions required by this AD. Enter 

this information into the aircraft records 

showing compliance with this AD following 

section 43.9 of the Federal Aviation 

Regulations (14 CFR 43.9). 

May I Request an Alternative Method of 

Compliance? 

(h) You may request a different method of 

compliance or a different compliance time 

for this AD by following the procedures in 14 

CFR 39.19. Unless FAA authorizes otherwise, 

send your request to your principal 

inspector. The principal inspector may add 

comments and will send your request to the 

Manager, Standards Office, Small Airplane 

Directorate, FAA. For information on any 

already approved alternative methods of 

compliance, contact Mr. Paul Pellicano, 

Aerospace Engineer (Icing Specialist), 

Atlanta Aircraft Certification Office, FAA, 

One Crown Center, 1895 Phoenix Boulevard, 

Suite 450, Atlanta, Georgia 30349; telephone: 

(770) 703–6064; facsimile: (770) 703–6097. 

May I Get Copies of the Documents 

Referenced in This AD? 

(i) You may view the AD docket at the 

Docket Management Facility; US Department 

of Transportation, 400 Seventh Street, SW., 

Nassif Building, Room PL–401, Washington, 

DC, or on the Internet at

http://dms.dot.gov.

Issued in Kansas City, Missouri, on 

October 15, 2004. 

Dorenda D. Baker, 

Manager, Small Airplane Directorate, Aircraft 

Certification Service.

[FR Doc. 04–23728 Filed 10–21–04; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4910–13–P

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Highway Administration 

23 CFR Part 655 

[FHWA Docket No. FHWA–2003–15149] 

RIN 2125–AE98 

National Standards for Traffic Control 

Devices; the Manual on Uniform Traffic 

Control Devices for Streets and 

Highways; Maintaining Traffic Sign 

Retroreflectivity

AGENCY: Federal Highway 

Administration (FHWA), DOT.

ACTION: Propsed rule; extension of 

comment period. 

SUMMARY: The FHWA is extending the 

comment period for a notice of 

proposed amendments (NPA) to the 

Manual on Uniform Traffic Control 

Devices (MUTCD); request for 

comments on maintaining traffic sign 

retroreflectivity, which was published 

on July 30, 2004, at 69 FR 45623. The 

original comment period is set to close 

on October 28, 2004. The extension is 

based on concern expressed by the 

National Committee on Uniform Traffic 

Control Devices, (NCUTCD) and the 

American Association of State Highway 

and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) 

that the October 28 closing date does 

not provide sufficient time for 

discussion of the issues in committee 

and a subsequent comprehensive 

response to the docket. The FHWA 

recognizes that others interested in 

commenting may have similar time 

constraints and agrees that the comment 

62008 Federal Register / Vol. 69, No. 204 / Friday, October 22, 2004 / Proposed Rules 

period should be extended. Therefore, 

the closing date for comments is 

changed to February 1, 2005, which will 

provide the NCUTCD, the AASHTO, 

and others interested in commenting 

additional time to discuss, evaluate, and 

submit responses to the docket.

DATES: Submit comments on or before 

February 1, 2005.

ADDRESSES: Mail or hand deliver 

comments to the U.S. Department of 

Transportation, Dockets Management 

Facility, Room PL–401, 400 Seventh 

Street, SW., Washington, DC 20590, or 

submit electronically at http://

dmses.dot.gov/submit or fax comments 

to (202) 493–2251. All comments should 

include the docket number that appears 

in the heading of this document. 

Alternatively, comments may be 

submitted via the Federal eRulemaking 

Portal at http://www.regulations.gov

(follow the on-line instructions for 

submitted comments). All comments 

received will be available for 

examination and copying at the above 

address from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., e.t., 

Monday through Friday, except Federal 

holidays. Those desiring notification of 

receipt of comments must include a selfaddressed, stamped postcard or may 

print the acknowledgment page that 

appears after submitting comments 

electronically. Anyone is able to search 

the electronic form of all comments 

received into any of our dockets by the 

name of the individual submitting the 

comment (or signing the comment, if 

submitted on behalf of an association, 

business, labor union, etc.). Persons 

making comments may review DOT’s 

complete Privacy Act Statement in the 

Federal Register published on April 11, 

2000 (Volume 65, Number 70, Pages 

19477–78) or may visit http://

dms.dot.gov.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. 

Peter J. Hatzi, Office of Safety Design 

(HSA–10), (202) 366–8036, or Raymond 

Cuprill, Office of the Chief Counsel 

(202) 366–0791, Federal Highway 

Administration, 400 Seventh Street, 

SW., Washington, DC 20590–0001. 

Office hours are from 7:45 a.m. to 4:15 

p.m., e.t., Monday through Friday, 

except Federal holidays.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Electronic Access and Filing 

Interested parties may submit or 

retrieve comments online through the 

Document Management System (DMS) 

at: http://dmses.dot.gov/submit.

Acceptable formats include: MS Word 

(versions 95 to 97), MS Word for Mac 

(versions 6 to 8), Rich Text File (RTF), 

American Standard Code Information 

Interchange (ASCII) (TXT), Portable 

Document Format (PDF), and 

WordPerfect (versions 7 to 8). The DMS 

is available 24 hours each day, 365 days 

each year. Electronic submission, 

retrieval help and guidelines are 

available under the help section of the 

website. 

An electronic copy of this document 

may be downloaded using a computer, 

modem and suitable communications 

software from the Government Printing 

Office’s Electronic Bulletin Board 

Service at (202) 512–1661. Internet users 

may reach the Office of the Federal 

Register’s home page at http://

www.archives.gov and the Government 

Printing Office’s Web page at: http://

www.access.gpo.gov/nara.

Background 

The FHWA has conducted extensive 

research on the minimum levels of sign 

retroreflectivity. This research led to the 

development of proposed minimum 

maintained levels of traffic sign 

retroreflectivity, and a complement of 

maintenance methods for implementing 

the levels. On July 30, 2004, the FHWA 

published in the Federal Register a 

notice of proposed amendments (NPA) 

proposing changes to the MUTCD to 

include methods to maintain traffic sign 

retroreflectivity. The proposed 

maintenance methods would establish a 

basis for improving nighttime visibility 

of traffic signs to promote safety, 

enhance traffic operations, and facilitate 

comfort and convenience for all drivers. 

The existing MUTCD requires that 

traffic signs be illuminated or 

retroreflective. However, until recently, 

little information was available about 

the levels of retroreflectivity necessary 

to meet the needs of drivers and thereby 

define the useful life of signs. The NPA 

for maintaining traffic sign 

retroreflectivity is proposing guidance 

for evaluating and maintaining traffic 

sign retroreflectivity to address the 

needs of drivers. The methods proposed 

would allow agencies options for 

evaluating and managing their signs. 

The NPA proposes a seven-year 

compliance period for regulatory, 

warning, and post mounted guide signs 

and a 10-year compliance period for 

overhead guide signs and street name 

signs. 

The original comment period for the 

NPA closes on October 28, 2004. The 

NCUTCD and the AASHTO have 

expressed concern that this closing date 

does not provide sufficient time to 

review and discuss the proposed 

changes; and then, develop and submit 

complete responses to the docket. To 

allow time for these organizations and 

others to submit comprehensive 

comments, the closing date is changed 

from October 28, 2004, to February 1, 

2005.

Authority: 23 U.S.C. 101(a), 104, 105, 

109(d), 114(a), 135, 217, 307, 315, and 402(a); 

sec. 406(a), Pub. L. 102–388, 106 Stat. 1520, 

1564, 23 CFR 1.32 and 49 CFR 1.48(b).)

Issued on: October 18, 2004. 

Mary E. Peters, 

Federal Highway Administrator.

[FR Doc. 04–23674 Filed 10–21–04; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4910–22–P

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

34 CFR Part 225 

RIN 1855–AA02 

Credit Enhancement for Charter 

School Facilities Program

AGENCY: Office of Innovation and 

Improvement, Department of Education.

ACTION: Notice of proposed rulemaking.

SUMMARY: The Secretary issues these 

proposed regulations to administer the 

Credit Enhancement for Charter School 

Facilities program and its predecessor, 

the Charter School Facilities Financing 

Demonstration Grant program. Under 

this program, the Department provides 

competitive grants to entities that are 

non-profit or public or are consortia of 

these entities to demonstrate innovative 

credit enhancement strategies to assist 

charter schools in acquiring, 

constructing, and renovating facilities 

through loans, bonds, other debt 

instruments, or leases.

DATES: We must receive your comments 

on or before November 22, 2004.

ADDRESSES: Address all comments about 

these proposed regulations to Jim 

Houser, U.S. Department of Education, 

400 Maryland Avenue, SW., 

Washington, DC 20202–6140. If you 

prefer to send comments through the 

Internet, use the following address: 

comments@ed.gov. You must include 

the term ‘‘credit enhancement’’ in the 

subject line of your electronic message. 

If you want to comment on the 

information collection requirements, 

you must send your comments to the 

Office of Management and Budget at the 

address listed in the Paperwork 

Reduction Act section of this preamble. 

You may also send a copy of these 

comments to the Department 

representative named in this section.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Valarie Perkins or Jim Houser, U.S. 

Department of Education, 400 Maryland 

Avenue, SW., Washington, DC 20202–

6140. Telephone: (202) 260–1924 or via 

Internet, at: charter.facilities@ed.gov. If