65306 Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 238 / Thursday, December 11, 1997 / Notices

1 SORTA simultaneously filed a motion to

dismiss the notice of exemption. The entire Board

to the above specified address.

Comments received on the proposed

technical standard order may be

examined, before and after the comment

closing date, in Room 815, FAA

Headquarters Building (FOB–10A), 800

Independence Avenue, SW.,

Washington, DC 20591, weekdays

except Federal holidays, between 8:30

a.m. and 4:30 p.m. All communications

received on or before the closing date

for comments specified above will be

considered by the Director of the

Aircraft Certification Service before

issuing the final TSO.

Background

This TSO is proposed for a new

system of airborne equipment

designated TAS. TAS is an airborne

traffic advisory system that interrogates

ATC transponders in nearby aircraft and

uses computer processing to identify

and advise the crew of potential and

predicted collision threats. The system

is designed to protect a volume of

airspace around the TAS equipped

aircraft by assisting pilots in the visual

acquisition of intruder traffic. TAS is

similar to TCAS I with changes in the

power output and display requirements

that make it more encomical, and

therefore more appealing, to the General

Aviation community. There are two

classes of TAS equipment:

Class A. Traffic Display and Aural

Alerting

Class A systems provide a flight deck

traffic display that indicates the relative

position and altitude of ATC

transponder-equipped aircraft. Class A

systems will provide appropriate aural

and visual advisories to assist the

flightcrew in visually acquiring the

threat aircraft when TAS predicts a

penetration of the protected airspace.

TAS assist the flightcrew in visually

acquiring the intruding aircraft. Traffic

advisories indicate the relative positions

of intruding aircraft that meet certain

range and altitude criteria and are

approximately 30 seconds from the

closest point of approach. Traffic

advisories can be generated for aircraft

with operative Mode S, Mode C or Mode

A (non-altitude reporting) transponders.

The aural alert message ‘‘TrafficTraffic,’’ spoken once, shall be used to

inform the crew of a Traffic Advisory

(TA). The TAS equipment is viewed as

a supplement to the pilot who, with the

aid of the ATC system, has the primary

responsibility for avoiding mid-air

collisions. The TAS system provides no

indication of aircraft without operative

transponders.

Class B. Aural Alerting and

Annunciation Only

Class B systems do not include a

cockpit traffic display. Class B systems

will provide appropriate aural

advisories and visual annunciations to

assist the flightcrew in visually

acquiring the threat aircraft when TAS

predicts a penetration of the protected

airspace. Traffic advisories indicate the

relative positions of intruding aircraft

that meet certain range and altitude

criteria and are approximately 30

seconds from the closest point of

approach. They assist the flightcrew in

visually acquiring the intruding aircraft.

The aural alert message ‘‘TrafficTraffic,’’ spoken once, shall be used to

inform the crew of a Traffic Advisory

(TA). This aural alert message will be

accompanied by a discrete visual

annunciation indicating that a TA is

currently active. This annunciation will

remain as long as the TA is active and

will extinguish when no TAs are active.

TAs will, upon crew command, generate

an aural message defining the relative

position of ATC transponder-equipped

aircraft. Traffic advisories can be

generated for aircraft with operative

Mode S, Mode C, or Mode A (nonaltitude reporting) transponders. The

TAS equipment is viewed as a

supplement to the pilot who, with the

aid of the ATC system, has the primary

responsibility for avoiding mid-air

collisions. The TAS system provides no

indication of aircraft without operative

transponders. RTCA Document No. DO–

160C sets forth the environmental

standards for the Traffic Advisory

System. RTCA Document DO–178B sets

forth the minimum performance

requirements for software for the Traffic

Advisory System and requires that each

article be marked with the appropriate

software level. Because the proposed

TSO calls for 2 classes of equipment, the

TSO also requires that each article be

marked as equipment Class A or Class

B, as applicable.

The minimum performance standards

for this Traffic Advisory System TSO

differ slightly from those standards in

RTCA DO–197 (TCAS 1). This TSO was

developed specifically, but not

exclusively for the general aviation

market. The Traffic Advisory System

has a lower radiated power output than

TCAS 1 and gives an alert as to the

presence of intruder aircraft. However,

TCAS 1 has resolution alert that gives

the pilot directional commands when

intruder aircraft are present. These

differences make the Traffic Advisory

System more economical for the general

aviation community. The exceptions to

RTCA DO–197A are detailed in the

Appendix 1 of this TSO. In order to

comply with TSA–C147, the applicant

must also meet the performance

standards set forth in RTCA Document

No. DO–197A, with the stated

exceptions in Appendix 1.

How To Obtain Copies

A copy of the proposed TSO–C147

may be obtained via Internet (http://

www.faa.gov/avr/air/100home.htm) or

on request from the office listed under

‘‘For Further Information Contact.’’

Copies of RTCA, Inc. Document No.

DO–197A, ‘‘Minimum Operational

Performance Standards for An Active

Traffic Alert and Collision Avoidance

System I (ACTIVE TCAS 1),’’ dated

September 12, 1994. RTCA Document

No. 160D, ‘‘Environmental Conditions

and Test Procedures for Airborne

Equipment,’’ dated July 29, 1997; and

RTCA Document No. DO–178B,

‘‘Software Considerations in Airborne

Systems and Equipment Certification,’’

dated 1, 1992, may be purchased from

the RTCA Inc., 1140 Connecticut

Avenue, NW., Suite 1020, Washington,

DC 20036.

Issued in Washington, DC, on December 5,

1997.

Henri P. Branting,

Acting Manager, Aircraft Engineering

Division, Aircraft Certification Service.

[FR Doc. 97–32451 Filed 12–10–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4910–13–M

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Surface Transportation Board

[STB Finance Docket No. 33524]

Southwest Ohio Regional Transit

Authority—Acquisition Exemption—

Certain Assets of the Indiana & Ohio

Railway Company

Southwest Ohio Regional Transit

Authority (SORTA), a noncarrier, has

filed a verified notice of exemption

under 49 CFR part 1150, subpart D—

Exempt Transactions to acquire an

approximately 9.84-mile line of railroad

known as the Blue Ash Line from the

Indiana & Ohio Railway Company (I&O).

The Blue Ash Line is located northeast

of Cincinnati, between milepost 49.6,

north of McCullough Yard, and milepost

39.76, near Fields-Ertel Road, in

Hamilton County, OH. SORTA will not

acquire the right to operate any rail

freight service on the Blue Ash Line;

I&O will retain the exclusive right and

obligation to provide rail freight service

on the Blue Ash Line. 1 SORTA will
Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 238 / Thursday, December 11, 1997 / Notices 65307

will address the jurisdictional issue raised by the

motion to dismiss in a subsequent decision.

acquire certain physical assets to allow

construction and operation of a

passenger rail transit system. The notice

states that the transaction would be

consummated no sooner than the

December 1, 1997 effective date of the

exemption. The accompanying motion

to dismiss indicates that the transaction

is expected to be consummated by

December 31, 1997.

This notice is filed under 49 CFR

1150.31. If the notice contains false or

misleading information, the exemption

is void ab initio. A petition to revoke the

exemption under 49 U.S.C. 10502(d)

may be filed at any time. The filing of

a petition to revoke will not

automatically stay the transaction. An

original and 10 copies of all pleadings,

referring to Finance Docket No. 33524,

must be filed with the Surface

Transportation Board, Office of the

Secretary, Case Control Branch, 1925 K

Street, N.W., Washington, DC 20423–

0001. In addition, a copy of each

pleading must be served on Kevin M.

Sheys, Oppenheimer Wolff & Donnelly,

1020 Nineteenth Street, N.W. Suite 400,

Washington, DC 20036–6105.

Decided: December 3, 1997.

By the Board, David M. Konschnik,

Director, Office of Proceedings.

Vernon A. Williams,

Secretary.

[FR Doc. 97–32268 Filed 12–10–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4915–00–P

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Bureau of Transportation Statistics

Agency Information Collection;

Activity Under OMB Review; Report of

Passengers Denied Confirmed Space,

BTS Form 251

AGENCY: Bureau of Transportation

Statistics (BTS), DOT.

ACTION: Notice.

SUMMARY: In compliance with the

Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, Pub.

L. 104–13, the Bureau of Transportation

Statistics (BTS) invites the general

public, industry and other Federal

Agencies to comment on the continuing

need for and usefulness of DOT

requiring U.S. and foreign air carriers

that operate scheduled passenger

service with over 60-seat aircraft to

submit reports on their oversales

practices. Such carriers must submit the

quarterly Form 251 ‘‘Report of

Passengers Denied Confirmed Space.’’

However, carriers do not report data

from inbound U.S. international flights

because the protection of Part 250

‘‘Oversales’’ do not apply to these

flights. The Department uses Form 251

data to monitor the compliance by U.S

and foreign air carriers to the oversales

provisions of Part 250.

DATES: Written comments should be

submitted by February 9, 1998.

ADDRESSES: Comments should be

directed to: Office of Airline

Information, K–25, Room 4125, Bureau

of Transportation Statistics, Department

of Transportation, 400 Seventh Street,

SW., Washington, DC 20590–0001.

COMMENTS: Comments should identify

the OMB # 2138–0018 and a duplicate

copy should be submitted to the address

listed above. Commenters wishing the

Department to acknowledge receipt of

their comments must submit with those

comments a self-addressed stamped

postcard on which the following

statement is made: Comments on OMB

# 2138–0018. The postcard will be date/

time stamped and returned to the

commenter.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Bernie Stankus, Office of Airline

Information, K–25, Bureau of

Transportation Statistics, 400 Seventh

Street, SW., Washington, DC 20590–

0001, (202) 366–4387.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: OMB

Approval No. 2138–0018.

Title: Report of Passengers Denied

Confirmed Space Part 250.

Form No.: 251.

Type of Review: Extension of a

currently approved requirement.

Respondents: Large U.S. and foreign

passenger air carriers.

Number of Respondents: 140.

Total Annual Burden: 2,438 hours.

Needs and Uses: BTS Form 251 is a

one-page report on the number of

passengers denied boarding voluntarily

or involuntarily, whether the bumped

passengers were provided alternate

transportation and/or compensation,

and the amount of the payment. The

report allows the Department to monitor

the effectiveness of its oversales rule

and take enforcement action when

necessary. The involuntary deniedboarding rate has decreased over the

years from 4.38 per 10,000 passengers in

1980 to 1.16 per 10,000 passengers for

the nine months ended September 1997.

These statistics demonstrate the

effectiveness of the ‘‘volunteer’’

provision, which has reduced the need

for more intrusive regulation.

The rate of denied boarding can be

examined as an air carrier continuing

fitness factor. This rate provides an

insight into a carrier’s policy on treating

overbooked passengers and its

compliance disposition. A rapid

sustained increase in the rate of denied

boarding often is an indicator of

operational difficulty.

Because the rate of denied boarding is

released quarterly, travelers and travel

agents can select carriers with low

bumping incidents when booking a trip.

This information is made available to

the public through the Air Travel

Consumer Report, which the

Department publishes. The report is

sent to newspapers, magazines, and

trade journals.

Timothy E. Carmody,

Director, Office of Airline Information,

Bureau of Transportation Statistics.

[FR Doc. 97–32455 Filed 12–10–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4910–FE–P