Federal Register / Vol. 78, No. 79 / Wednesday, April 24, 2013 / Notices 24289 

DOT–OST–2012–204 and DOT–OST– 

2012–205 and addressed to U.S. 

Department of Transportation, Docket 

Operations, (M–30, Room W12–140), 

1200 New Jersey Avenue SE., West 

Building Group Floor, Washington, DC 

20590, and should be served upon the 

parties listed in Attachment A to the 

order. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Catherine J. O’Toole, Air Carrier Fitness 

Division (X–56, Room W86–469), U.S. 

Department of Transportation, 1200 

New Jersey Avenues SE., Washington, 

DC 20590, (202) 366–9998. 

Dated: April 15, 2013. 

Susan L. Kurland, 

Assistant Secretary for Aviation and 

International Affairs. 

[FR Doc. 2013–09557 Filed 4–23–13; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE M 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Federal Aviation Administration 

[Docket No FAA–2013–0316] 

Aviation Rulemaking Advisory 

Committee (ARAC) Airman Testing 

Standards and Training Working 

Group (ATSTWG) 

AGENCY: Federal Aviation 

Administration (FAA), DOT. 

ACTION: Notice of availability; request 

for comments 

SUMMARY: This notice announces the 

availability of draft Airman Certification 

Standards (ACS) documents developed 

by the ATSTWG for the private pilot 

certificate and the instrument rating. 

These documents are available for 

public review, download, and comment. 

DATES: Send comments on or before 

May 24, 2013. 

ADDRESSES: Send comments identified 

by docket number FAA–2013–0316 

using any of the following methods: 

• Federal eRulemaking 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 9 

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 

dockets, 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: Van 

L. Kerns, Manager, Regulatory Support 

Division, FAA Flight Standards Service, 

AFS 600, FAA Mike Monroney 

Aeronautical Center P.O. Box 25082 

Oklahoma City, OK 73125; telephone 

(405) 954–4431, email 

van.l.kerns@faa.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Background 

The FAA has established Docket No. 

FAA–2013–0316 for the purpose of 

enabling the public to comment on 

several draft documents developed by 

the Airman Testing Standards and 

Training Working Group. The following 

documents have been placed in that 

docket for public review and comment: 

(1) Background Information; IndustryLed Changes to FAA Airman Testing 

Standards and Training 

(2) Draft PRIVATE PILOT— 

AIRPLANE Airman Certification 

Standards; 

(3) Draft Change Tracking Matrix 

referenced to FAA–S–8081–14B, Private 

Pilot Practical Test Standards for 

Airplane (Single Engine Land and 

Single-Engine Sea Areas of Operation); 

Section 1: Private Pilot 

(4) Draft INSTRUMENT RATING— 

Airman Certification Standards; and 

(5) Draft Change Tracking Matrix 

referenced to FAA–S–8081–4E, 

Instrument Rating Practical Test 

Standards for Airplane, Helicopter, and 

Powered Lift 

On August 30, 2012, the ARAC 

Executive Committee accepted the 

FAA’s assignment of a new task arising 

from recommendations of the Airman 

Testing Standards and Training 

Aviation Rulemaking Committee (ARC). 

The ARC recommended ways to ensure 

that the FAA’s airman testing and 

training materials better support 

reduction of fatal general aviation 

accidents. The new task instructed the 

ARAC to integrate aeronautical 

knowledge and flight proficiency 

requirements for the private pilot and 

flight instructor certificates and the 

instrument rating into a single ACS 

document for each type of certificate 

and rating; to develop a detailed 

proposal to realign FAA training 

handbooks with the ACS documents; 

and to propose knowledge test item 

bank questions consistent with the 

integrated ACS documents and the 

principles set forth in the ARC’s 

recommendations. 

The FAA announced the ARAC’s 

acceptance of this task through a 

Federal Register Notice published on 

September 12, 2012 [77 FR 56251]. This 

Notice described the task elements and 

solicited participants for the ATSTWG, 

which subsequently formed and began 

its work in November 2012. 

Consistent with the initial part of this 

tasking, the ATSTWG has developed 

draft ACS documents for the private 

pilot certificate and the instrument 

rating. These documents align the 

aeronautical knowledge testing 

standards with the flight proficiency 

standards set out in the existing 

Practical Test Standards (PTS). In 

addition to supporting the FAA’s effort 

to improve the relevance, reliability, 

validity, and effectiveness of 

aeronautical testing and training 

materials, the draft ACS documents 

support the FAA’s goal of reducing fatal 

general aviation accidents by 

incorporating task-specific risk 

management considerations into each 

Area of Operation. 

The ATSTWG continues the 

necessary work to develop the 

authorized instructor ACS document 

and complete its remaining 

assignments. These include developing 

a detailed proposal to realign and, as 

appropriate, streamline and consolidate 

existing FAA guidance material (e.g., 

handbooks) with each integrated ACS 

document; and to propose 

methodologies to ensure that knowledge 

test item bank questions are consistent 

with both the ACS documents and the 

test question development principles set 

forth in the ARC’s recommendations. 

The ACS documents are designed as 

the foundation for transitioning to a 

more integrated and systematic 

approach to airman certification testing 


tkelley on DSK3SPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
24290 Federal Register / Vol. 78, No. 79 / Wednesday, April 24, 2013 / Notices 

and training. To accomplish this 

objective and achieve its overall safety 

goals, the ACS documents support the 

safety management system (SMS) 

framework. SMS methodology provides 

a systematic approach to achieving 

acceptable levels of safety risk. The 

ATSTWG is constructing ACS, 

associated guidance, and test item bank 

question components of the airman 

certification system around the four 

functional components of SMS: 

• Safety Policy that demonstrates 

FAA senior management commitment to 

continually improve safety through 

enhancements to the airman 

certification testing and training system; 

specifically, better integration of the 

aeronautical knowledge, flight 

proficiency, and risk management 

components of the airman certification 

system; 

• Safety Risk Management processes 

that create a structured means of safety 

risk management decision making to 

identify, assess, and determine 

acceptable level of risk associated with 

regulatory changes, safety 

recommendations, or other factors 

requiring modification of airman testing 

and training materials; 

• Safety Assurance processes which 

allow increased confidence on the part 

of industry and FAA stakeholders in 

risk controls through a continual review 

of FAA products and the systematic, 

prompt and appropriate incorporation 

of changes arising from new regulations, 

data analysis, and safety 

recommendations; and 

• Safety Promotion framework to 

support a positive safety culture in the 

form of training and ongoing 

engagement with both external 

stakeholders (e.g., the aviation training 

industry) and FAA policy divisions. 

Given the foundational nature of the 

ACS documents and their importance in 

the ongoing evolution of the FAA’s 

airman certification testing and training 

system, the ATSTWG wishes to make 

draft ACS documents for the private 

pilot certificate and the instrument 

rating available to the public for review 

and comment. The ATSTWG will use 

the comments it receives to refine and 

inform its continuing work on this 

project. Future drafts developed by the 

ATSTWG may also be published for this 

purpose. 

Issued in Washington, DC on April 19, 

2013. 

Brenda D. Courtney, 

Alternate Designated Federal Officer, 

Aviation Rulemaking Advisory Committee. 

[FR Doc. 2013–09684 Filed 4–23–13; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4910–13–P 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Federal Aviation Administration 

Furlough Implementation 

AGENCY: Federal Aviation 

Administration (FAA), DOT. 

ACTION: Notice. 

SUMMARY: This action gives notice to the 

American public and aviation industry 

of the FAA’s Aviation Safety Office’s 

(AVS) furlough implementation. Under 

the Balanced Budget and Emergency 

Deficit Control Act of 1985, as amended 

by the Budget Control Act of 2011 and 

the American Taxpayer Relief Act of 

2012, across-the-board budget cuts 

require the FAA to implement 

furloughs. AVS and its Services/Offices 

will implement the required 11 days of 

furlough beginning April 21, 2013 and 

continuing through September 30, 2013. 

AVS will continue to focus resources on 

those initiatives that would have the 

highest safety and economic value for 

the American public and aviation 

industry. The furlough days vary, with 

each office scheduling those days in 

accordance with mission requirements, 

workload considerations, and applicable 

collective bargaining agreements. For 

specific information, please see the FAA 

Web site at http://www.faa.gov/about/ 

office_org/headquarters_offices/avs/ 

operations_sequestration. 

DATES: The furlough will take place 

beginning April 21 through September 

30, 2013. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: For 

specific information, please see the FAA 

Web site at http://www.faa.gov/about/ 

office_org/headquarters_offices/avs/ 

operations_sequestration. 

Issued in Washington, DC, on April 22, 

2013. 

Lirio Liu, 

Director, Office of Rulemaking. 

[FR Doc. 2013–09775 Filed 4–22–13; 11:15 am] 

BILLING CODE 4910–13–P 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Federal Aviation Administration 

[Summary Notice No. PE–2013–17] 

Petition for Exemption; Summary of 

Petition Received 

AGENCY: Federal Aviation 

Administration (FAA), DOT. 

ACTION: Notice of petition for exemption 

received. 

SUMMARY: This notice contains a 

summary of a petition seeking relief 

from specified requirements of 14 CFR. 

The purpose of this notice is to improve 

the public’s awareness of, and 

participation in, this aspect of FAA’s 

regulatory activities. Neither publication 

of this notice nor the inclusion or 

omission of information in the summary 

is intended to affect the legal status of 

the petition or its final disposition. 

DATES: Comments on this petition must 

identify the petition docket number and 

must be received on or before May 14, 

2013. 

ADDRESSES: You may send comments 

identified by Docket Number FAA– 

2013–0156 using any of the following 

methods: 

• Government-wide rulemaking Web 

site: Go to http://www.regulations.gov 

and follow the instructions for sending 

your comments electronically. 

• Mail: Send comments to the Docket 

Management Facility; U.S. Department 

of Transportation, 1200 New Jersey 

Avenue SE., West Building Ground 

Floor, Room W12–140, Washington, DC 

20590. 

• Fax: Fax comments to the Docket 

Management Facility at 202–493–2251. 

• Hand Delivery: Bring comments to 

the Docket Management Facility 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. 

Privacy: We will post all comments 

we receive, without change, to http:// 

www.regulations.gov, including any 

personal information you provide. 

Using the search function of our docket 

Web site, anyone can find and read the 

comments received into any of our 

dockets, including the name of the 

individual sending the comment (or 

signing the comment for an association, 

business, labor union, etc.). You may 

review DOT’s complete Privacy Act 

Statement in the Federal Register 

published on April 11, 2000 (65 FR 

19477–78). 

Docket: To read background 

documents or comments received, go to 

http://www.regulations.gov at any time 

or to the Docket Management Facility 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: Mr. 

Mark B. James, Aerospace Engineer, 

Standards Office (ACE–111), Small 

Airplane Directorate, Aircraft 

Certification Service, FAA; telephone 

number (816) 329–4137, fax number 

(816) 329–4090, email at 

mark.james@faa.gov. Andrea Copeland, 

ARM–208, Office of Rulemaking, FAA, 


tkelley on DSK3SPTVN1PROD with NOTICES