John Christiansen 1908 Russell Street Bellmore, N.Y. 11710 February 13, 2012 To Wh om It May Concern: I am writing to request an exemption from 14 CFR § 121.311(b) to the extent required for Wi lliam Christiansen to be able to use an FAA Approved Child Rest raint System even though he exceeds the weight limits for the CRS. In addition, if m y petition is granted, I request that any air carrier or commercial operator operating under part 121 while Wi lliam is aboard its aircraft is granted an exemption from 14 C FR § 121.311(b)(2)(iii)(B) to the extent necessary to allow Wi lliam to exceed the specified weight limit for an FAA
- approved child restraint s ys tem during use of that child restraint system aboard an aircraft. I believe the pertinent section from 14 CFR p art 121 from which we seek relief is Section 121.311 Seats, safety belts, and shoulder harnesses. My son's physical condition is as follows: Wi lliam had been diagnosed with Infantile Spasms seizure disorder at 10 months of age. Wi lliam is presently 7 1⁄2 ye ars old, weighs approximately 54 pounds, is 40” tall, and continues to suffer from Myo clonic and T onic seizures daily (3

– 7 incidents per day). W illiam is also legally blind due to Cortical Visual Impairment. Due to his high
- tone, W illiam has had rec onstructive surgery ( osteotom y ) on both hip joints , and is prone to dislocation of the shoulder joints due to hy poplasia . Due to his early onset of his seizure disorder, Wi lliam never surpassed his developmental mi lestones and is unable to walk, talk, crawl, sit upright or stand unsupported. He is completely dependant upon parental care for his daily living, including but not limited to eating, bathing, cleaning and mo bility. As a result of his physical condition, he needs the support and security provi ded by an FAA Approved Child Restraint, but because of his weight is incapable of compliance with the regulation. I understand that the regulation is written to create a high level of safety for each individual passenger by ensuring that they are securely restrained in their seats during all phases of flight. The regulation also ensures that an individual does not cause harm to other passengers on the airplane by being thrown into them during turbulent or emergency conditions. I propose that Wi lliam be al lowed to occupy an FAA Approved Child Restraint (CARES, manufactured by Am Safe Corporation), even though he exceeds the manufacturer’s weight limits. This ensures a high level of safety for Wi lliam and a high level of safety for the other passengers and cr ew on the airplane. In fact, in Wi lliam 's case, safety is greatly enhanced by the extra support and security that the FAA Approved Restraint System will provide during the entire flight. Enhancing safety for Wi lliam is in the public interest. In addition, the public interest is also served by the fact that the use of this FAA Approved Child Restraint System allows him to use commercial air transportation. W ithout the support and security of the FAA Approved Child Restraint System, he would be unable to fly commercially.I also believe that, with certain limitations established by the FAA in a grant to this petition, there can be

an equivalent level of safety to that provided by the affected regulation. The CARES restraint has been certified by the manufact urer for use by children 22
- 44 pounds. However, the components of the CARES restraint are the same as those used in restraints for adults on aircraft and would maintain their integrity if used by someone who weighed several hundred pounds. I believe that the limit of 44 pounds was established because, with the additional weight of the child attached to the seatback, the seatback would move forward more quickly in an accident scenario and this mi ght cause a higher HIC load for the person seated in the seat behind the passenger using the CARES restraint (because the seatback moving forward more quickly would mean that it would not be there to attenuate the energy from the impact of the person seated behind the person using the CARES restraint). In order to achieve an equivalent level of safety as that provided by the affected regulation, I propose that the FAA establish a limitation in a grant to this petition that Wi lliam only sits in a passenger seat with no passenger seated behind her. Therefore, no unsafe condition would exist for a passenger seated behind Wi lliam while he is using the CARES restraint. I also propose that all operations under this exemption be conducted with at least one of Wi lliam parents or a caregiver accompanying him or her. In additi on, I propose that Wi lliam ’s parent or caregiver must carry a copy of this exemption. I also request that the processing of this petition not be delayed for publication and comment in the Federal Register. W e want to travel 2/20/12

– 2/26/12 to fulfill hi s Make
- A
-Wi sh wish trip . If you take the time to put this in the Federal Register, it will delay the process and we may not be able to travel in this timeframe. If it is necessary to put a summary in the Federal Register, I submit the following: This is a request for an exemption from FAR 121.311 (b) to the extent required for a child to use an FAA Approved Child Restraint System on an aircraft, even though the child exceeds the weight limits for the CRS. Due to physical challenges, without the support an d security of this FAA Approved Child Restraint System, this child would be unable to fly. W e request that this child be allowed to occupy an FAA Approved Child Restraint (CARES, manufactured by AMSAFE INC.), even though he exceeds the ma nufacturer’s weigh t limits of 44 pounds. In this case, the safety of this child is greatly enhanced by the extra support and security that the FAA Approved Restraint System will provide for him during the flight.