Federal Register / Vol. 63, No. 84 / Friday, May 1, 1998 / Notices 24205

Netherlands/

Scandinavia/Switzerland Cargo Rate

Revalidation/Amendment

Telex Amendment to Mail Vote

(TW946)

Intended effective date: October 1,

1998

r1—002

r2—554f

r3—584ff

Docket Number: OST–98–3779

Date Filed: April 22, 1998

Parties: Members of the International

Air Transport Association

Subject:

PAC/Reso/397 dated March 23, 1998

Reso 850a (Saudi Arabia)

Intended effective date: May 16, 1998

Docket Number: OST–98–3784

Date Filed: April 24, 1998

Parties: Members of the International

Air Transport Association

Subject:

PTC1/PTC12 Telex Mail Vote 936

Special Construction Rules—Reso

024j

(Within TC1 and Europe-Africa)

Intended effective date: May 15, 1998

Paulette V. Twine,

Federal Register Liaison.

[FR Doc. 98–11646 Filed 4–30–98; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4910–62–P

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Notice of Applications for Certificates

of Public Convenience and Necessity

and Foreign Air Carrier Permits Filed

Under Subpart Q During the Week

Ending April 24, 1998

The following Applications for

Certificates of Public Convenience and

Necessity and Foreign Air Carrier

Permits were filed under Subpart Q of

the Department of Transportation’s

Procedural Regulations (See 14 CFR

302.1701 et seq.). The due date for

Answers, Conforming Applications, or

Motions to Modify Scope are set forth

below for each application. Following

the Answer period DOT may process the

application by expedited procedures.

Such procedures may consist of the

adoption of a show-cause order, a

tentative order, or in appropriate cases

a final order without further

proceedings.

Docket Number: OST–98–3767.

Date Filed: April 24, 1998.

Due Date for Answers, Conforming

Applications, or Motions to Modify

Scope: May 22, 1998.

Description: Application of Western

Pacific Airlines, Inc., pursuant to 49

U.S.C. Section 41105, requests authority

to transfer its certificate of public

convenience and necessity to Blue Line

Holding Corp. (‘‘Blue Line’’), the

assignee of Star Air Trading Corp.

(‘‘Star’’).

Paulette V. Twine,

Federal Register Liaison.

[FR Doc. 98–11645 Filed 4–30–98; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4910–62–P

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Aviation Administration

Correcting Unsafe Conditions That

May Develop in Foreign-Manufactured

Aircraft

AGENCY: Federal Aviation

Administration, DOT.

ACTION: Notice of policy statement.

SUMMARY: This notice announces the

FAA’s policy with respect to foreign

mandatory continuing airworthiness

information, when no aircraft of the

affected design are currently in

operation in the U.S.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Linda S. Walker, Aircraft Engineering

Division, AIR–120, Aircraft Certification

Service, FAA, 800 Independence

Avenue, S.W., Washington, D.C. 20591,

telephone (202) 267–9592.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Discussion

Safety of civil aircraft is assured by a

number of means. First the design of

such aircraft must meet the safety

standards prescribed in parts 21 through

31 of the Federal Aviation Regulation

(FAR). Compliance of a particular

design (i.e. a particular model) with

those standards is evidenced by the

issuance of a document known as a type

certificate. The drawings and other data

which describe that design are known as

the type design. A related document is

the type certificate data sheet which

prescribes the conditions and

limitations under which the design

meets those standards. Second, each

individual aircraft must be shown to

conform to that design and be in

condition for safe operation. That an

aircraft conforms to the approved design

and is in condition for safe operation are

evidenced by issuance of another

document for that particular aircraft

known as an airworthiness certificate.

Once an individual aircraft receives an

airworthiness certificate and goes into

service, it must be properly maintained

so that it remains in a condition for safe

operation.

Notwithstanding compliance with the

above requirements, an unsafe condition

may be discovered during the lifetime of

the aircraft. If an unsafe condition is

discovered, and the unsafe condition is

likely to exist or develop in other

aircraft of the same design, the FAA

requires the operator of each affected

aircraft to take action to correct that

unsafe condition. The required

corrective action is specified in a

regulation known as an airworthiness

directive. Depending on the nature of

the unsafe condition, the required

corrective action may include a

modification of the aircraft, replacement

of certain components, periodic

inspections or imposition of additional

operating limits.

In the case of aircraft imported from

other countries, the FAA relies to a

certain extent on findings made on its

behalf by the airworthiness authority of

the state of design (i.e., the country

having jurisdiction over the

organization responsible for the type

design). Under the provisions of Annex

8 to the Convention on International

Civil Aviation (‘‘Airworthiness of

Aircraft’’) and bilateral agreements

(bilateral airworthiness agreements and

bilateral aviation safety agreements), the

airworthiness authority of the state of

design certifies to the FAA that a design

complies with the applicable standards.

Based largely on that certification, the

FAA issues a type certificate for that

design. In addition, the airworthiness

authority certifies to the FAA that an

individual aircraft being imported into

the U.S. conforms to that design and is

in condition for safe operation. Based on

that certification, the FAA issues a U.S.

airworthiness certificate for that aircraft.

Under the provisions of Annex 8 and

the bilateral agreements, the

airworthiness authority of the country of

manufacture must also advise the FAA

of all mandatory continuing

airworthiness information (MCAI), i.e.

the foreign equivalent to FAA

airworthiness directives. The FAA

assesses that information and

determines whether to issue

airworthiness directives to require the

necessary corrective actions.

In some instances, a type certificate is

issued by the FAA for a foreign design

long before an individual aircraft of that

design is imported into the U.S.

Similarly, there are instances in which

no aircraft of a specific design currently

has a U.S. airworthiness certificate

because all that were imported have

since been exported, damaged beyond

repair or scrapped. Based on experience

gained with aircraft of the same design

operating in other countries, the

airworthiness authority of the state of

design frequently advises the FAA, in

the meantime, of a number of

mandatory airworthiness modifications

and special inspections. Even when