### UNITED STATES OF AMERICA DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION RENTON , WASHINGTON 98057-3356

In the matte r of th e petition of 

### E xemption No

. 17064

L-3 Communications Integrated Systems, L

. P

. Regu l atory Docket No. FAA-2016-0328
f or an exemptio n from § 25.8 1 3(e) ofT itl e 14 , Code ofFed e ral Regulatio n s



### GRANT OF EXE MPTION 

### By letter dated January 2 8 , 20 16 , Mr. L oyd R

. Ham ilton , ODA

- 750154-SW Adm inistr ato r , L

- 3 Co mmunications I ntegrated Systems , L.P., 760 1 Ma e hr Road , P.O. B ox 1 54580 , Waco , Texas , 76715

- 4580 , p e tition e d the Fede r al Av i a ti o n Adm ini s tration (FA A) fo r an e xe mp t io n fr o m sect ion 25.813(e) of T itl e 14 , Co de of Federal Regulations ( 14 C FR). Th e proposed exemp tion. if gra nted , w ould permit re lief fr om§ 25.813 ( e) to penn it the installation of inte ri or d oo rs bet wee n passe n ger compartment s. Spec ific a ll y , th e p etiti on req u ests removing th e requ ire m e nt in exe mp tion no. 10686 that doors installed acro ss th e m a in aisle must open an d close in a transverse direction. Th e proposed exempt ion is s p ec ifi cally for th e in s ta ll a ti o n of executi ve int e ri ors on Boein g M ode l 747-8 a irplane s d es ig n ated as " private u se , n ot for hire , not for co mm on carriag e . , . The petit io ne r reque s t s re lief from the fo ll owin g r eg u lation: 

### Secti on 25.813( e) at Am endm ent 25-46

- Requires that no d oo r ma y be installed in an y par ti t io n between passe n ge r compartm e n t s . 

### T he petitioner supports their request with th e following information. T hi s sec tion quot es, in pe rt in e nt part , th e re levant in fo rm a tion f rom th e pe ti t io ner 's request , with minor ed it s for c lar ity . Th e co mplete petition i s ava il a bl e at the D epa rtm ent of Tr a n spo rtation 's Fe deral Do cket Manageme nt Sys t em , on th e In ternet at ht tp :// regulation s.r!ov, in Docket No

. FAA

- 2 016

- 0328. 

### Discussion L

- 3 Co mmuni catio n s I ntegrated Systems ha s been contracted by cus to m ers for interior completions of VV IP / Govemment/Head-of-State busine ss interiors in more than oneBo e ing Model 747-8 airplane. The FAA has accepte d L-3 's STC app l ication on one program and has authorized L

- 3 OD A -750 154

- SW to conduct the program under Proj ec t N umber P-1 2-001. The certification basis for the B oei ng 747

- 8 i s 14 CFR 25, Amendment 25-1 thro u g h 25-120 wi th reversions, later ame ndm e nt s , Exemptions, and S p ec ia l C onditi o n s as s ho w n in FAA T y pe Certificate Data Sheet A20WE. 14 CFR 25 govern s T ype D esign certification require ments for transport catego ry ai rp lanes. The pr imary intent of the CF R , as app li e d to T r ansport Airc raft , i s i nte nded for US commercial or common - carria ge applications. These regu lation s are to ensure that a irc raft manufactur ers provide the app ropriate desi gn features to meet t he standards necessary to protect the trave l i ng US public. These requirements defin e the norma l publi c inte r est and safety leve l and provid e r eg ulatory guidelines to meet them. When the indiv i dual aircraft i s to be used in private serv ice (e.g

. , not for US hire or common carr iage), it is approp riate to take into cons ideration th e s pec ific needs of a d i ffe rent population of more expe rienced u se r s and the o p erations specific to tho se users. H i s tor ically , the F AA has made adjustments to specific requirement s based upon s p eci fi c d esign and op e rat iona l facto rs. As s tat ed above , numerous exemptions and other r eg u latory chang es have been g ranted to mee t specific aircraft designs and app li cation s. In li ke m anner , L-3 proposes to use mit igat in g desig n re q u i reme nts and o p erati o n al li mitati o n s to ju s tify s imilar exemptions to 7 47

- 8 aircraft mod i fied for VVJP/Government/Head-of-State, n o t

- for

- hir e, not-f o r-c o mmon-carri age se rvice

. 

### B as i s for Exem pti o n The a ircraft that a r e th e s ubjects of th i s p e tition are Boeing Model 747-8 s mod i fi e d for non-commerc i al/non-con un on carr iage VVI P / Gov e rnment use!Head-of-State serv ice. Th ey are typicall y in th e service of foreign Head s -of-State friend ly to US int e rests and w ill b e operated und e r 14 CFR 9 1/14 CF R 125 r eg ul a tion s or equiva le nt foreign standard. For this r e a son the privileges of this proposed exemption w ill be exercised outside the United States. The interior configurations typicall y in s talled result in a very small p asse nger popu l ation vis-a-vis for -hi re or common - carriage standards. The se passen gers a r e typically very expe ri e nced tra ve le rs. For thi s reason the crews and passengers who fl y o n this aircraft h ave a s ubstanti a ll y higher familiarity w ith the a ircra f t and its systems th a n those e n visio ned by the wri t e rs o f the o ri ginal CFR. The exe mption proposed here in i s justified based upon th e fo ll owing facts:
• T hi s aircraft i s i ntended for VV I P / Gov e mm e nt / Head-of-Statc u se and is not app ropri ate ly configured for o r int ended

. for u se fo r hire or commo n carri age. • Depending on the in terior layout , these airc raft typically carry a low fract i on of the orig i nally Type Approved passenger load.
• The Peti tio ner proposes mitigating require men ts and conditions that establi sh a cceptab le safety lev e ls for the occ upant s co n s i s te nt with pr ev io u s g ran ts. With these j u stifications in mind , L-3 Communications Int egrated Systems requests relief from and propose s a petition for exemption from the listed regulations.

2

### 14 CFR 25.813(e): Doors Between Pa sse nger Compartments Discussion This discussion cove r s curved pocketing doors that separate pas senger compartments throughout the a ircr aft and do not operate transversely to the longitudinal axis of the airplane. This discussion does not include doors or folding partitions that separate nonpassenger compartments and, therefore , the se doors do not apply to this exemption reques t
. Curved pocketing doors between passenger compartment s will have the following d esig n features:

• independent means to couple (mechanicall y fasten) the wa ll panels to the door to account for cras h loads spec ifi ed in 14 CFR 25.561 or gust l oads, whic he ve r i s mor e cr it ical, using static pull t est as the means of compliance a nd account for deformation of local structure to secure them in the open position
• the door-coupling means must have positive retention in the locked position
• the doo r s will be fra ngibl e to allow egress in the even t that they shou ld become s tu ck in the closed position

• cockpit annunciation of the doors ' positive e ngagem e nt of the door-coupling mean s for taxi , take-of f and landing The design provides a s ingle point of coup lin g for each section of the door. The coup lin g mechanism can be released by pulling on the mechanism key and docs not require a tool. Th e mechanism key is spring loaded with a p late that ensures the key r e mains in a locked position and prevents th e pin from disengaging and the door closing. With the pin engaged in the door, the sw it ch is activated to signal to the Flight Deck that the door is locked in an open position. To disengag e the lock , the key mu s t be p ull ed to allow the pin to drop out of the locked posi tion. Th e locking mechanism allow s for the doors to be pinned in an open position for takeoff and landing. The door sections also contain dual l atching mechanisms to retain them in the open position for takeoff and landing , each of which wi ll be capab le of withstand ing the in e rtia loads specified in 14 CF R 25.561. 

### Occ upant Safety Co n s ideration s The risk for occupants due to the u se of doors between passenger compartments shou ld be considered acceptable for the following reasons:
• Any curved pocketing door between passenger compat1mcnts will have an independent means to couple (mec hanically fasten) the wa ll panels to the door to account for crash loads spec ifi e d in 14 CFR 25.561 or g u s t loads , whichever i s mor e critical, using static pull test as th e means of compliance and account for defonnation of l ocal structure to sec ure them in the open po s ition , • The means to couple (mec hani ca ll y fasten) the wall panels to the door will have positive retention in the locked position,
• Doors to compartment s that are unoccupied during Taxi /Takeoff/Landing operat ions will be closed. D oor position wi ll be indicated in the cockpit whe n the door is in the wrong position for take-off and landing and cockpit annunciation



### 3wi ll be given of the positive e ngagement of the curved pocket door coup lin g means fo r taxi , take-off and landing
• A ll doors between passenger compartmen t s will be frangib le , • T he airplane wi ll be ope rated under 14 CFR 9 1 114 CF R 125 or foreign equivalent and will not be operated for hire or offered for common carriage , • T h e airplane f1ight manual (AFM) w ill p r ovide procedures and li mitations to ensure that th e doors are in the proper position fo r takeoff and landin g . Requested Relief L-3 Communicati ons requests re l ie f from§ 25.813(e) , and th e requirem ents and li mitations specified in exemption no. I 0686, to permit the installation of curved interior doors between pa sse nger compartments

. Public Interest As in the cases of num e rous a lready established Exemptions , granting th i s exe mption wou ld be clearly in the public i nterest of the peopl e of the United States of America for the follow in g r easons: l. Giv e n th e pro l iferat ion of VV IP /Government use/Head-of-State Configured Transport Category A i rp lanes , and ant i c ip ated i n the near future , approval of these exemptions w i ll enable the Un ited States manufacturers o fTransport Category A irplanes to effective ly compete i n this expand i ng m arket. 2. Additiona l sa les ofUnited States VV IP / Government use /H ead-of-S tate Config ured interiors outside of the tradi t iona l airline market wi ll se r ve to in c rease manufactur er's profitability a nd that of their s upplying/supportin g companies. 3

. Stability a nd improved financial performance of these United S t a te s compan ies gives greaterjob stability to the workers e mplo yed by the compan ies , causing a stabilizing influence to the greater United States economy , due to the consumer pending act ivities associated w i th stable workers

. 4. Improved linancial performance of United S tat es owned and ope rated corporations , and increased workforce stability translates into continued and impro ved local, s tate , and federal tax revenue w hi ch in turn adds t o the stab i lity of the total Un it ed States economy. 5. Improved financial performance allows Un it ed States corporations to continue to in vest in Resea rch and Deve lop ment , allow in g the Un i ted States to maintain or improve it s competiti ve po s iti on in the world economy. 6. A large numb e r of thes e types of airplanes will probabl y b e so ld to foreign cl ie nt s, improving th e Un ited States balance of trade. 7. This grant supports positiv e relations with th e Heads-of-State of foreign countri es operating US-b uilt aircraft.

48 . Fo re ig n Hea d s - of- Sta te o p e ra ti n g U S-manuf ac tur e d aircraft s t r e n g thens the preemin e nt g lo bal po si tion of th e Unit e d S ta tes a ir c raft m a nu fac turin g, co mpl et io n , and reg ul a tory indus tr y . 9. Th ese aircraft w ill be o p e ra ted u nde r 14 C FR 91 or 1 4 CFR 125 or its fo re ig n e q u iva le n t. T hese a irc raft w ill n o t be o p erated fo r hire o r offered fo r co mm o n c a

rriage, th e r efo re th e re i s n o safety imp act o n th e U S fl y in g p ubli c . l 0. Th e exe m p ti o n re qu es t , i f g ra nted, allo ws t he F /\ A t o e xp e nd reso urc e s on th i s s ubject o n ly thi s o n e tim e, not f o r eac h int e ri or a rrang e me ut , c u 1

d tl u::n:: all er l u con c e n trate resou rces on the FAA's hi g h est p r ioriti e s, inclu d ing Con tin u in g Op era t iona l Safety. 

### F u t ur e Use a nd A pplic a tion o f th e Ex emption Thi s Exe mpt i on i s in te n d ed for u se o n curren t and f u ture 747

- 8 in te r ior pro g ram s b y L

- 3 Co mmun ic at i o n s a nd it s s ub s id iaries. Use and ap pli cab i li ty o f th e Exe m p t io n w ill b e controll ed i n th e Pro j ect S p eci fi c Ce rtifi ca t io n pl an ni ng s ub mitte d to t h e ap p licabl e FAA Ce rtifi c a t ion Offi ce. I n acco rdance w ith 14 C FR 11

. 81 ( h ) , we req u e s t to exe rc i se the pri v il ege of thi s exe mpt io n out s id e th e U ni ted S t a tes s i n c e the oper ato r o f th e fir st airp la n e i s l ocat ed in a fo r e i g n country. Publi c 

### C omm en t In accordan ce with 14 C FR 11.87 , L-3 req uests tha t the p e r io d for p u b li c co mm e nt be wa i ved

. 

### F e de ral R eg is te r publi c a t io n A s u mmary of th e pet iti on was p ubli shed i n th e Fe deral Regis t er o n May I 1 , 20 1 6 (8 1 FR 293 1 9). No comm e nt s we re rece ived. 

### T h e FAA ' s a n a lys i s The FAA h as iss u e d num e ro u s exemp t io n s fo r insta ll ati o n of in te r ior doors o n a irp l anes t h a t a re opera te d fo r p ri v at e u se o n ly . W e h ave been co n s i stent w ith th e req uir e m e n t th a t th e d oors in sta ll ed across the ma in cab in a i sle m u st ope n a n d cl ose in a tra n sve r se d irect io n . Thi s i s consis te n t also with Spec ia l Fede ral Av iatio n R eg ul atio n (S FA R) 1 0 9 parag rap h 1 O(d), w h ich requi r es , " D oors insta ll ed ac r oss a lo n gitudi n al aisle m u st tr ans late la terall y to open and close, e . g . , pocke t doo rs . " T h at i s , th e direc ti on of m o ti o n o f th e doo r m us t b e at a ri g ht a n g le t o th e lo n g itudin a l ax i s of th e a irp la n e . Th i s was i n c luded in th e FAA a n a lys i s in exe mp t io n no . 1 0686. In a forward-c rash event , the major load i ng force is in the forwa rd d i rection a long the long i tudinal axis of the airplane. When the di rect ion of motion of the doo r is at a r ight angle to the longitudinal axis of the airplane , this forward

- cr ash loading condition does not tend to close the door. For the configu r ations th e petitione r p r oposes, a forward

- c rash load i ng cond i tion would te n d to c lose th e e n t ire door o r o n e h a l f of th e doo r o p e n in g for th e d oo r s across th e m a in -cab in ais l e. T he FAA considers thi s an impo rtant co n s id e r at io n d u e to the possibility that, d ur i n g a crash event , the doors could become unlatched as the result of fuselage deformations or structural fai lures.

5The petition e r has p roposed a nd incorporated add itional compensating features fo r the d oor des ign that are in addi ti o n t o those required by previous exemptions and the operatin g regu lations for the ai r plane. The compensating features added to the petitioner's proposed des i gn restores the level of safety provided b y the ex i sting exempti on co ndition s and limitations. Curved pocke t doors must h ave an independent means to couple (mech anica ll y faste n ) th e door to the wall pane l , and th at coup lin g means mu st acco unt fo r c rash loads spec i fied in § 25.561 , or g u s t loads, an d the door s mu s t h ave p osi ti ve re tention in th e locke d po s ition. The FAA finds this petitio n to be in the pub li c interest as it provides the level of safety the F AA requi res f o r the se " private use only " airplanes with c urved inte r ior doors in sta ll ed across the main cabin

. 

### The 

### FAA's decision In con s iderat io n of the fo r ego ing , I find th at a grant of exemption is in th e pub! ic int erest. Ther efo re, pursua nt to the au th o ri ty contain ed in 49 U.S.C. 40113 and 4470 1 , de lega ted to m e by the Admi n is trator, 1 gran t th e petition of L-3 Comm unicat ions Int egrated Syste m s, L.P. , f o r an exemp ti on from § 25.813(e) to the extent necessary to a ll ow instal lat ion of c u rved interior d oors on pri vate , n ot-fo r-h ir e, not-for -c ommon- ca rri age Boein g 747-8 airplanes. Thi s exem pti o n i s subject to the following con ditions and limit at ions: I. The airp lane may not be offered for co mmon carriage or operated for hire. T he Op erating L i mitations sectio n of the airplane flight manual (AFM) must be r evised to prohibit any ope rat i ons invo l vi ng the carriage of p erso ns or property fo r compensation o r hire. T he ope ra to rs may rece ive r em unera t io n to the extent consistent w ith 14 CFR 9 1 subpart F and 14 CFR 1 25. 2

. A p lacard stati ng " Operati ons in vo lvin g the carriag e of persons or property for compe nsat io n o r hire are prohibite d " mu s t be located in the area of th e ai rwo rthine ss cer t ificate holde r at th e entrance to the fli g h tdeck. 3. Co mpli ance w ith § 25. 813(e) , D oors Betwee n Pa sse n ge r Com partm en t s, w ill be as follows:
a. In li e u of the req uir e m ents of§ 25

. 8 l 3(e), c urved interi o r pocket doors ma y be installed betwee n passenger seats and eme rge ncy ex its , provided the fo ll ow in g requirements a re m et:
1. Each c urve d pocket door between a ny p assenger seat a nd an y exit will ha ve a n independent m ea n s to coup le (mecha nicall y fasten) the wall panels to the door t o accou n t for crash loads s pecified in§ 25

. 561 o r g u st load s, wh ich ever is more cr itic al, using s tat ic pull test as the m eans of comp li ance, and to account for deformation of local structure to secure them in the open position

. The means to coup le th e wall panels to the door will ha ve positive rete ntion in the locked position. n. The d irection of m ot ion of a ny c ur ve d door in stall ed across an aisle mu st be across the direction of motion of the occupant.
111. Eac h door between any e mergenc y exit , and any passenger seat that is occup iab le for taxi , takeoff, and landin g (TT &L ), must ha ve a mean s to

6signa l to the flightcrew, at the flightdeck, that the door is in the open position for TT&L. Also , cockp it annunc iat ion will be g iven of the positive e ngagement of the curved pocket-door coupling means for TT&L. 1v. Approp riate procedures and lim itations must be established in the AFM to e n s ure that any such doo r is in the ope n co nfiguration for TT &L.
v. Each door betwe e n any passenger seat and any exi t mu s t be frangible in e ith er direction. A fra ngibility test w ill be performed on eac h type of inte rcompartment d oor in s t allation i n tht: airplane using a 5'h-percenti le female subject.
V I. Each door between any passenger seat and any ex it must be operable from eithe r s ide , and if a locking mechani s m is installed , it must be capable of be in g unlocked fro m ei th e r s ide without the use of special too ls.
vn. The door secti ons mu st contain dual latching mechani sms to retain them in the open posit ion for t akeof f and land ing , eac h of whic h wi ll be capable of w iths t andi ng the inertia loads specified in§ 25.56 1. b. When the ai rpl a ne is equ ipp ed w ith in terior doors under this exempt ion:
1. Th e AFM must includ e a n appropr iate limitati on th at th e a irplan e mu st be staffed with at lea st th e number of fli ght atte nd a nts required by § 9 1. 533(a) who meet the requirements of§ 91.533(b).
11. The AFM must include appropriate limitations to require a preflight passenger bri efing describing the app ropriate functions to be performed by the passenge rs, and the re leva nt featur es of the airplane, to ensure the safety of the passenge rs and crew.

I ssued in Re n ton , Washington , on 

## AUG 1 1 2016

Paul Bemado Act in g Manage r, Tran sport A irplan e Directo rate Aircraft Certification Se rvice



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