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[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 122 (Wednesday, June 25, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Pages 36121-36122]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-14791]

[[Page 36121]]

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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Aviation Administration

[Docket No FAA-2013-0316]

Aviation Rulemaking Advisory Committee Airman Certification 
System Working Group

AGENCY: Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), DOT.

ACTION: Notice of Request for Comment.

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SUMMARY: This notice announces the availability of draft Airman 
Certification Standards documents developed by the Airman Certification 
Standards Working Group for the commercial pilot certificate and the 
authorized instructor certificate. The Airman Certification Standards 
documents are designed as the foundation for transitioning to a more 
integrated and systematic approach to airman certification testing and 
training. Given their importance in the ongoing evolution of the FAA's 
airman certification testing and training system, the Airman 
Certification Standards Working Group wishes to make the draft Airman 
Certification Standards for the commercial pilot certificate and the 
revised Airman Certification Standards for the authorized instructor 
certificate available to the public for review and comment. The Airman 
Certification Standards Working Group will use the comments it receives 
to refine its work on this task. These documents are available for 
public review, download, and comment.

DATES: Send comments on or before August 25, 2014.

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 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

    On December 19, 2013, the Aviation Rulemaking Advisory Committee 
(ARAC) accepted the FAA's assignment of a new task arising from 
recommendations of the ARAC Airman Testing Standards and Training 
Working Group (ATSTWG). The ATSTWG recommended specific steps the FAA 
should take to adopt, implement, and manage the integrated Airman 
Certification Standards (ACS) approach to airman certification testing 
and training. The new task instructed the ARAC to establish an Airman 
Certification System Working Group (ACS WG) to provide expert 
assistance and industry views to the FAA's Flight Standards Service on 
the development, modification, and continued alignment of the major 
components of the airman certification system.
    The FAA announced the ARAC's acceptance of this task through a 
Federal Register Notice published on January 29, 2014 [79 FR 4800]. 
This Notice described the task elements and solicited participants for 
the ACS WG, which formed and began its work in March 2014.
    The FAA has specifically tasked the ACS WG to support the FAA's 
goal to enhance aviation safety and reduce the fatal general aviation 
accident rate by providing a means for the aviation industry to provide 
expert assistance and industry views to the FAA's Flight Standards 
Service on the development, modification, and continued alignment of 
the major components of the airman certification system. These include:
    1. The ACS for airman certificates and ratings (i.e. 8081-series 
documents);
    2. Associated training guidance material (e.g., H-series 
handbooks);
    3. Test management (e.g., test question development, test question 
boarding, test composition/test ``mapping,'' and CT-8080-series 
figures); and
    4. Reference materials, to include AFS directives and Aviation 
Safety Inspector guidance; FAA Orders, Advisory Circulars (ACs), and 
other documents pertaining to the airman certification system.
    In accordance with this tasking, the ACS WG has developed draft ACS 
documents that align the aeronautical knowledge testing standards with 
the flight proficiency standards set out in the existing Practical Test 
Standards. 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.
    Following the ACS model outlined by the ARAC ATSTWG, the ACS WG has 
completed its initial work on the ACS for the commercial pilot 
certificate. The ACS WG has also refined the ATSTWG-developed ACS for 
the authorized instructor certificate. At the request of the ACS WG, 
and in accordance with practices outlined by the ATSTWG for the private 
pilot certificate and instrument rating ACS documents, the ACS WG is 
making these documents available for public comment through docket 
number FAA-2013-0316. The ACS WG will use the comments it receives to 
refine its work toward completing FAA-assigned tasks.
    The ACS WG notes that while the draft authorized instructor ACS 
follows the overall conceptual framework developed for the private 
pilot ACS, the instrument rating ACS, and the newly-developed 
commercial pilot ACS, its construction reflects fundamental differences 
between the family of pilot certificates/ratings and the instructor 
certificate. The core of the authorized instructor ACS addresses 
practical application of the instructional concepts and techniques 
presented in the traditional Fundamentals of Instructing (FOI). The 
authorized instructor ACS

[[Page 36122]]

uses appendices to define the acceptable standards for knowledge, 
skill, and risk management in the aeronautical proficiency tasks unique 
to a particular instructor certificate or rating.
    The ACS WG also wishes to emphasize that the authorized instructor 
ACS is not intended to be a stand-alone document. Rather, it is 
intended to be used in conjunction with the pilot certificate level or 
rating ACS for which the instructor-applicant seeks authorization to 
provide instruction. Therefore, in addition to mastery of the knowledge 
and skills defined in the authorized instructor ACS, the instructor-
applicant must demonstrate instructional competence for Tasks in the 
ACS for the appropriate certificate level or rating, to include 
analyzing and correcting common learner errors.

    Issued in Washington, DC, under the authority set forth in 49 
U.S.C. 106(f) on June 19, 2014.
Brenda D. Courtney,
Acting, Designated Federal Officer, Aviation Rulemaking Advisory 
Committee.
[FR Doc. 2014-14791 Filed 6-24-14; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-13-P
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