This section of the FEDERAL REGISTER

contains notices to the public of the proposed

issuance of rules and regulations. The

purpose of these notices is to give interested

persons an opportunity to participate in the

rule making prior to the adoption of the final

rules.

Proposed Rules Federal Register

61926

Vol. 62, No. 224

Thursday, November 20, 1997

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Aviation Administration

14 CFR Part 23

[Docket No. 143CE, Notice No. SC–23–ACE–

93]

Special Conditions; EXTRA

Flugzeugbau GmbH EA–400 Airplane

Design

AGENCY: Federal Aviation

Administration (FAA), DOT.

ACTION: Notice of Proposed Special

Conditions.

SUMMARY: This document proposes

special conditions for the EXTRA

Flugzeugbau GmbH EA–400 airplane

design. These designs will have novel

and unusual design features when

compared to the state of technology

anticipated in the applicable

airworthiness standards. These design

features include performance

characteristics for which the applicable

regulations do not contain adequate or

appropriate airworthiness standards.

This document contains the additional

airworthiness standards that the

Administrator considers necessary to

establish a level of safety equivalent to

that provided by the current

airworthiness standards.

DATES: Comments must be received on

or before December 22, 1997.

ADDRESSES: Comments on this proposal

may be mailed in duplicate to: Federal

Aviation Administration, Regional

Counsel, ACE–7, Attention: Rules

Docket Clerk, Docket No. 143CE, Room

1558, 601 East 12th Street, Kansas City,

Missouri 64106. All comments must be

marked: Docket No. 143CE. Comments

may be inspected weekdays, except

Federal holidays, between 7:30 a.m. and

4:00 p.m., at the Rules Docket location.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Kenneth W. Payauys, Aerospace

Engineer, Standards Office (ACE–110),

Small Airplane Directorate, Aircraft

Certification Service, Federal Aviation

Administration, 601 East 12th Street,

Kansas City, Missouri 64106; telephone

(816) 426–5688.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Comments Invited

Interested persons are invited to

participate in the making of these

special conditions by submitting written

data, views, or arguments.

Communications should identify the

regulatory docket or notice number and

be submitted in duplicate to the address

given above. All communications

received on or before the closing date

for comments given above will be

considered by the Administrator before

taking further rulemaking action on this

proposal. Commenters wishing the FAA

to acknowledge receipt of their

comments submitted in response to this

notice must include a self-addressed,

stamped postcard on which the

following statement is made:

‘‘Comments to Docket No. 143CE.’’ The

postcard will be date stamped and

returned to the addressee. The proposals

contained in this notice may be changed

in light of the comments received. All

comments received will be available for

examination by interested parties, both

before and after the closing date for

comments, at the Rules Docket. A report

summarizing each substantive public

contact with FAA personnel concerned

with this rulemaking will be filed in the

docket.

Background

On April 6, 1993, the EXTRA

Flugzeugbau GmbH, Schwarze Heide

21, D–46569 Hu ̈nxe, Germany, made

application for normal category type

certification of the Model EA–400

airplane design. The EA–400 design is

a two-place (side-by-side), all composite

material, cantilevered high-wing,

retractable gear, unpressurized, single

reciprocating engine, airplane with a

maximum design weight of 3,974

pounds (1800 kilograms). It is intended

for 14 CFR Part 91 operation as a dayVFR normal category airplane.

Type Certification Basis

The type certification basis of the

EXTRA Flugzeugbau GmbH EA–400

airplane design is the following: 14 CFR

Part 23, effective February 1, 1965,

through amendment 23–45, effective

August 6, 1993; 14 CFR Part 36,

effective December 1, 1969, through

amendment 36–21 effective December

28, 1995; exemptions, if any; equivalent

level of safety findings, if any; and the

special conditions adopted by this

rulemaking action.

Discussion

Special conditions may be issued and

amended, as necessary, as part of the

type certification basis if the

Administrator finds that the

airworthiness standards designated

under 14 CFR Part 21, § 21.17(a)(1) do

not contain adequate or appropriate

safety standards because of novel or

unusual design features of an airplane.

Special conditions, as appropriate, are

issued under 14 CFR Part 11, § 11.49

after public notice, as required by

§§ 11.28 and 11.29, and become a part

of the type certification basis, as

provided by 14 CFR Part 21,

§ 21.17(a)(2).

The proposed type design of the

EXTRA Flugzeugbau GmbH EA–400

airplane incorporates certain novel and

unusual design features for which the

airworthiness regulations do not contain

adequate or appropriate safety

standards. These features include

certain performance characteristics

necessary for this type of airplane

design that were not foreseen by the

existing regulations.

This special condition addresses the

flight safety of the EA–400 in case of an

engine compartment fire with resulting

heat conduction through the enginemounts to composite structure joints

beyond the firewall. The type certificate

applicant shall demonstrate that the

airplane structure design, especially the

engine-mount attachments to the

structure beyond the firewall, is able to

retain the engine while withstanding the

following:

1. An engine compartment fire, the

loss of the most highly loaded

composite joint, and heating of the next

most highly loaded composite joint from

those that remain;

2. Maximum continuous power for 5

minutes; and

3. Combined airplane flight maneuver

and gust limit loads for at least 15

minutes.

Note: The engine-mount attachments at the

firewall are not the same as the engine-toengine-mount attachments, which contain

vibration dampers.

List of Subjects in 14 CFR Part 23

Aircraft, Aviation safety, Signs and

symbols.
Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 224 / Thursday, November 20, 1997 / Proposed Rules 61927

Citation

The authority citation for these

special conditions is as follows:

Authority: 49 U.S.C. 106(g); 40113, 44701,

44702, and 44704; 14 CFR 21.16 and 21.17;

and 14 CFR 11.28 and 11.29(b).

The Proposed Special Conditions

Accordingly, pursuant to the

authority delegated to me by the

Administrator, the Federal Aviation

Administration proposes the following

special conditions as part of the type

certification basis for the EXTRA

Flugzeugbau GmbH EA–400 airplane

design.

Heat Capability of Engine Mount and

Fuselage Connection Joint

(a) Modify the airworthiness

standards given in 14 CFR part 23,

POWERPLANT FIRE PROTECTION,

Nacelle areas behind firewalls

(§ 23.1182), by making the most critical

composite engine-mount attachment

ineffective (assumed destroyed by heat).

Then, for 15 minutes, apply an

additional flame test of 500°C (932°F) to

the next most structurally critical

engine-mount of those remaining. The

flame shall encompass the whole

engine-mount structural attach fitting.

Conductive heat will affect the metallic

and composite joint structural capability

beyond the firewall. Test the joint

structural capability with these

simultaneous limit load conditions

(under these conditions, the engine

shall remain attached to the airplane):

(1) The combined thrust, torque and

gyroscopic loads resulting from the

engine and propeller at maximum

continuous power for the first 5

minutes, and

(2) The airplane normal inertial limit

loads that result from the following:

(i) A maneuver load factor equal to

that obtained from a constant altitude

30° bank, combined with

(ii) The positive and negative vertical

design gust load factors that occur at the

design maneuvering speed and the

minimum flying weight, and

(iii) A factor-of-safety equal to one.

Issued in Kansas City, Missouri on

November 6, 1997.

Mary Ellen A. Schutt,

Acting Manager, Small Airplane Directorate,

Aircraft Certification Service.

[FR Doc. 97–30496 Filed 11–19–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4910–13–P

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Aviation Administration

14 CFR Part 71

[Airspace Docket No. 97–AWP–10]

Proposed Amendment of Class E

Airspace; Tracy, CA

AGENCY: Federal Aviation

Administration (FAA), DOT.

ACTION: Notice of proposed rulemaking.

SUMMARY: This notice proposes to

amend the Class E airspace area at

Tracy, CA. The establishment of a

Global Positioning System (GPS)

Standard Instrument Approach

Procedure (SIAP) to Runway (RWY) 11,

a GPS SIAP to RWY 25, and a GPS SIAP

to RWY 29 at Tracy Municipal Airport

has made this proposal necessary.

Additional controlled airspace

extending upward from 700 feet or more

above the surface of the earth is needed

to contain aircraft executing the

approach and departure procedures at

Tracy Municipal Airport. The intended

effect of this proposal is to provide

adequate controlled airspace for

Instrument Flight Rules (IFR) operations

at Tracy Municipal Airport, Tracy, CA.

DATES: Comments must be received on

or before December 29, 1997.

ADDRESSES: Send comments on the

proposal in triplicate to: Federal

Aviation Administration, Attn:

Manager, Airspace Branch, AWP–520,

Docket No. 97–AWP–10, Air Traffic

Division, 15000 Aviation Boulevard,

Lawndale, California, 90261.

The official docket may be examined

in the Office of the Assistant Chief

Counsel, Western Pacific Region,

Federal Aviation Administration, Room

6007, 15000 Aviation Boulevard,

Lawndale, California, 90261.

An informal docket may also be

examined during normal business hours

at the Office of the Manager, Airspace

Branch, Air Traffic Division at the above

address.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Larry Tonish, Airspace Specialist,

Airspace Branch, AWP–520, Air Traffic

Division, Western-Pacific Region,

Federal Aviation Administration, 15000

Aviation Boulevard, Lawndale,

California, 90261, telephone (310) 725–

6531.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Comments Invited

Interested parties are invited to

participate in this proposed rulemaking

by submitting such written data, views,

or arguments as they may desire.

Comments that provide the factual basis

supporting the views and suggestions

presented are particularly helpful in

developing reasoned regulatory

decisions on the proposal. Comments

are specifically invited on the overall

regulatory, aeronautical, economic,

environmental, and energy-related

aspects of the proposal.

Communications should identify the

airspace docket number and be

submitted in triplicate to the address

listed above. Commenters wishing the

FAA to acknowledge receipt of their

comments on the notice must submit

with the comments a self-addressed,

stamped postcard on which the

following statement is made:

‘‘Comments to Airspace Docket No. 97–

AWP–10.’’ The postcard will be date/

time stamped and returned to the

commenter. All communications

received on or before the specified

closing date for comments will be

considered before taking action on the

proposed rule. The proposal contained

in this notice may be changed in light

of comments received. All comments

submitted will be available for

examination in the Airspace Branch, Air

Traffic Division, 15000 Aviation

Boulevard, Lawndale, California 90261,

both before and after the closing date for

comments. A report summarizing each

substantive public contact with FAA

personnel concerned with this

rulemaking will be filed in the docket.

Availability of NPRM

Any person may obtain a copy of this

Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM)

by submitting a request to the Federal

Aviation Administration, Airspace

Branch, 15000 Aviation Boulevard,

Lawndale, California 90261.

Communications must identify the

notice number of this NPRM. Persons

interested in being placed on a mailing

list for future NPRM’s should also

request a copy of Advisory Circular No.

11–2A, which describes the application

procedures.

The Proposal

The FAA is considering an

amendment to 14 CFR part 71 to amend

the Class E airspace area at Tracy, CA.

The establishment of a GPS RWY 11

SIAP, GPS RWY 25 SIAP, and GPS RWY

29 SIAP at Tracy Municipal Airport has

made this proposal necessary.

Additional controlled airspace

extending upward from 700 feet above

the surface is needed to contain aircraft

executing the approach and departures

procedures at Tracy Municipal Airport.

The intended effect of this proposal is

to provide adequate controlled airspace

for aircraft executing the GPS RWY 11