Federal Register / Vol. 66, No. 36 / Thursday, February 22, 2001 / Notices 11197

NW., entrance to the building. Visitors

who arrive without prior notification

and without a photo ID will not be

admitted.

Dated: February 12, 2001.

W. Kendall Myers,

Executive Director, Advisory Committee for

Study of Eastern Europe and the Independent

States of the Former Soviet Union, U.S.

Department of State.

[FR Doc. 01–4395 Filed 2–21–01; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4710–32–P

OFFICE OF THE UNITED STATES

TRADE REPRESENTATIVE

Notice of Meeting of the Industry

Sector Advisory Committee on

Services for Trade Policy Matters

(ISAC–13)

AGENCY: Office of the United States

Trade Representative.

ACTION: Notice of meeting.

SUMMARY: The Industry Sector Advisory

Committee on Services will hold a

meeting on February 27, 2001, from 9

a.m. to 12 noon. The meeting will be

opened to the public from 9 a.m. to 9:45

a.m. and closed to the pubic from 9:45

a.m. to 12 noon.

DATES: The meeting is scheduled for

February 27, 2001, unless otherwise

notified.

ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held at

the Department of Commerce,

Conference Room 6057, located at 14th

Street between Pennsylvania and

Constitution Avenues, NW.,

Washington, DC.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Karen Holderman (202) 482–0345,

Department of Commerce, 14th Street

and Constitution Avenue, NW.,

Washington, DC 20230 (principal

contact), or myself on (202) 395–6120.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: During the

opened portion of the meeting the

following topics will be discussed:

• Services Contribution to the United

States Economy

• Services Statistics

Christina Sevilla,

Acting Assistant United States Trade

Representative for Intergovernmental Affairs

and Public Liaison.

[FR Doc. 01–4388 Filed 2–21–01; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3190–01–P

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Aviation Administration

[Policy Statement Number ANM–01–01]

FAA Policy on Use of the ‘‘Aircraft

Materials Fire Test Handbook’’

AGENCY: Federal Aviation

Administration, DOT.

ACTION: Notice of policy statement;

request for comments.

SUMMARY: This notice announces an

FAA policy applicable to the use of

Report DOT/FAA/AR–00/42, ‘‘Aircraft

Materials Fire Test Handbook.’’ This

notice advises the public that the FAA

considers the material flammability tests

described in the latest version of that

document to be the preferred acceptable

test methods for showing compliance

with the relevant regulations. This

notice is necessary to advise the public

of FAA policy and give all interested

persons an opportunity to present their

views on the policy statement.

DATES: Send all comments on this

policy statement on or before March 26,

2001.

ADDRESSES: Send all comments on this

policy statement to the individual

identified under FOR FURTHER

INFORMATION CONTACT.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jeff

Gardlin, Federal Aviation

Administration, Transport Airplane

Directorate, Airframe/Cabin Safety

Branch, ANM–115, 1601 Lind Avenue

SW., Renton, WA 98055–4056;

telephone (425) 227–2136; fax (425)

227–1320; e-mail: jeff.gardlin@faa.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Comments Invited

You may comment on this policy

statement by sending any written data,

views, or arguments as you may desire.

You should identify the Policy

Statement Number ANM–01–01 on your

comments, and submit your comments,

in duplicate, to the address indicated

above. The Transport Airplane

Directorate (Transport Standards Staff)

will consider all communications

received on or before the closing date

for comments.

Discussion

The Original Version of the Handbook

In September 1990, the FAA

published Report DOT/FAA/CT–99/15,

‘‘Aircraft Materials Fire Test Handbook’’

(referred to throughout this notice as

‘‘the Handbook’’). The Boeing Company,

with the assistance of the former

McDonnell Douglas Aircraft Company,

developed the Handbook under contract

to the FAA.

The 1990 version of the Handbook

consisted of chapters outlining in detail

the various material flammability tests

that Boeing and McDonnell Douglas had

used to show compliance with the FAA

material flammability regulations. Those

specific regulations in Title 14, Code of

Federal Regulations (CFR), part 25, are:

§ 25.853 (‘‘Compartment interiors’’),

§ 25.855 (‘‘Cargo and baggage

compartments’’),

§ 25.857 (‘‘Cargo compartment

classification’’),

§ 25.858 (‘‘Cargo compartment fire

detection systems’’), and

§ 25.869 (‘‘Fire protection: systems’’).

At the time of its original publication,

the Handbook contained test methods

that represented acceptable, but not

necessarily the only, methods to show

compliance with those regulations. In

addition, the Handbook contained other

chapters with general information on

flammability testing of aircraft material,

such as where in the regulations to find

requirements, the location of

international contacts, and a list of

various fire test laboratories.

Modifications to Test Methods in the

Handbook

Since the original publication of the

Handbook, the FAA has relied on the

International Aircraft Materials Fire Test

Working Group (IAMFTWG) to review

the test methods and advise on areas

needing possible revision. The

IAMFTWG consists of experts in the

materials and fire testing specialties

who help refine and support the

development of test methods used in

aviation. The members of the

IAMFTWG include representatives from

the airlines, airframe manufacturers,

material suppliers, and regulatory

authorities, among others. A

representative from the FAA’s Technical

Center chairs this group. The IAMFTWG

is a participative technical peer group

that contributes to FAA research, but its

activities are not regulatory in nature.

Before any modifications to the test

methods described in the Handbook

have been incorporated, the IAMFTWG

has provided data supporting such

modifications, and the FAA has

reviewed and accepted the data. In

addition, the FAA’s Transport Airplane

Directorate (Transport Standards Staff)

has determined whether the modified

test methods complied with the

applicable regulations.

The following is an example of why

and how this procedure has been used

in the past to modify and improve test

methods.

11198 Federal Register / Vol. 66, No. 36 / Thursday, February 22, 2001 / Notices

Example of Why and How a Test

Method is Modified

Several IAMFTWG representatives

from test laboratories reported problems

with testing some new, very fireresistant panels in the rate-of-heatrelease testing apparatus. The test

apparatus used three pilot flames,

located above the sample material, to

ignite any combustible gas by-products

emitted by the sample during testing.

The problem with this test arose when

gases emanating from the samples were

extinguishing the upper pilot flames in

the test chamber, thus voiding the tests.

Consequently, materials that might

improve fire safety could not be

approved for use because the fire

retardant mechanism that improved

their flammability also extinguished the

pilot flames in the required test method.

After an extensive test program,

certain modifications were made to the

upper pilot burner in the test apparatus

to improve the test:

• The number of pilot flames was

increased from 3 to 13, with one outside

the flame plume.

• The size of the pilot flames was

decreased to minimize the possible

heating effect of the increased number

of pilots.

Testing showed that this new pilot

configuration solved the problem. That

is, when a pilot flame would extinguish,

it was immediately re-ignited by an

adjacent flame without compromising

the results of the test. Subsequent

testing showed that there was no

difference in test results between the 3-

and 13-hole pilot configurations for

materials that do not extinguish the

pilot flames. Thus, the Transport

Airplane Directorate (Transport

Standards Staff) determined that the use

of the 13-hole pilot burner would

produce results equivalent to the 3-hole

burner and, therefore, was an acceptable

method to show compliance with the

applicable regulations.

Discussion of the Latest Revised

Handbook

The FAA has made public the various

accepted modifications to the original

test methods (outlined in the 1990

version of the Handbook) through drafts

of a revised Handbook that have been

continually updated. The recently

published revised Handbook, dated

April 2000, documents these changes to

the test methods.

There are four types of chapters in

this latest revised version of the

Handbook:

1. Required test methods, nonpropulsion related (Chapters 1–10, and

15);

2. Required test methods, propulsion

related (Chapters 11–14);

3. Non-required test methods

(Chapters 18–22); and

4. General information (Appendix A

through G).

The required test methods (nonpropulsion), as described in Chapters 1

through 10 and Chapter 15, are

acceptable methods for showing

compliance with, or provide an

equivalent level of safety to, the

required regulations as outlined in the

chapter.

The required test methods

(propulsion), as described in Chapters

11 through 14, are not addressed in this

policy statement.

The non-required test methods

described in Chapters 18 through 22 are

included in the Handbook for use as test

standards in applications where there

currently are no requirements. Since

these test methods are not required, no

process is required for their

modification. Therefore, the FAA will

update these chapters as needed in the

electronic version of the Handbook

located at http://www.fire.tc.faa.gov/

index.html?handbook.stm&1.

The general information chapters

(Appendices A through G) provide

assistance to applicants and test

laboratories as a general guide to the

certification process. These chapters are

not all-inclusive and can be viewed

simply as a starting point. The FAA will

update the information in these chapters

as needed in the electronic version of

the handbook.

Preferred Test Methods

As of the date of this policy statement,

the FAA considers the following test

methods described in Chapters 1

through 10 and Chapter 15 of the

‘‘Aircraft Materials Fire Test

Handbook,’’ dated April 2000, the

preferred test methods to show

compliance with, or demonstrate an

equivalent level of safety to, the

applicable material flammability

regulations:

Chapter 1—the 60-second and 12-

second Vertical Bunsen Burner Test

specified in § 25.853, § 25.858, and

Appendix F of part 25.

Chapter 2—the 30-second 45-degree

Bunsen Burner Test specified in

§ 25.857 and Appendix F of part 25.

Chapter 3—the 15-second horizontal

Bunsen Burner Test specified in

§ 25.853 and Appendix F of part 25.

Chapter 4—the 30-second 60-degree

Bunsen Burner Wire Test specified in

§ 25.869 and Appendix F of part 25.

Chapter 5—the Rate of Heat Release

Test specified in § 25.853 and Appendix

F of part 25.

Chapter 6—the Smoke Test for Cabin

Materials specified in § 25.853 and

Appendix F of part 25.

Chapter 7—the Oil Burner Test for

Seat Cushions specified in § 25.853.

Chapter 8—the Oil Burner Test for

Cargo Liners specified in § 25.855 and

Appendix F of part 25.

Chapter 9—the Radiant Heat Test for

Evacuation Slides, Ramps, and Rafts

specified in Technical Standard Order

(TSO)–C69C (‘‘Emergency Evacuation

Slides, Ramps, Ramp/Slides, and Slide/

Rafts’’).

Chapter 10—the Fire Containment

Test of Waste Stowage Compartments to

demonstrate compliance with § 25.853.

Chapter 15—the Oil Burner Test for

Repaired Cargo Compartment Liners to

demonstrate continued compliance with

§ 25.855.

Although these test methods cannot—

and do not—supersede any method

specified by and described in the

regulations, they represent an

acceptable means of compliance with

the relevant regulation and, in some

cases, a preferred option over the

specified method.

Section 25.853 includes a provision

for use of ‘‘other approved equivalent

methods,’’ when referring to the test

procedures described in Appendix F of

part 25. The FAA has accepted the test

methods described in Chapters 1

through 10 and Chapter 15 of the

Handbook as providing an equivalent

level of safety to the test methods

specified in Appendix F of part 25. In

addition, these test methods are more

repeatable, more reproducible, and

easier to conduct.

The FAA encourages applicants to use

the test methods outlined in Chapters 1

through 10 and Chapter 15 of the

Handbook. However, the FAA will

consider other alternative methods that

demonstrate an equivalent level of

safety on a case-by-case basis along with

the necessary supportive data.

Process for Modifying the Preferred Test

Methods

New materials and technology may

make it necessary to modify the various

test methods from time to time in order

to address newly identified testing

anomalies. In these cases, the FAA

requires assurance that such changes do

not affect the intended pass/fail criteria

of the test (that is, the level of safety

provided), but do provide an increase in

repeatability, reproducibility, or ease of

test conduct.

Changes or modifications to any test

method outlined in Chapters 1 through

10 and Chapter 15 will be addressed

first through the IAMFTWG. The

IAMFTWG will evaluate all suggested

Federal Register / Vol. 66, No. 36 / Thursday, February 22, 2001 / Notices 11199

changes, modifications, and supportive

data. Only changes that do not adversely

affect the intended safety level of the

test method (pass/fail level) will be

considered.

Fire safety experts within the FAA

will first approve the modified test

methods before forwarding them to the

Transport Airplane Directorate

(Transport Standards Staff) for a

determination of equivalent level of

safety. Only if such a determination is

made will the changes or modifications

be incorporated into the electronic

version of the Handbook (accessible at

http://www.fire.tc.faa.gov/

index.html?handbook.stm&1).

Use of the Test Methods

The FAA will consider the test

methods in Chapters 1 through 10 and

Chapter 15 of the electronic version of

the Handbook to be the most current

methods. However, the test methods

described in the version of the

Handbook dated April 2000, will remain

acceptable for showing compliance. The

test methods described in the

regulations, of course, will also remain

acceptable methods of compliance.

The test methods described in the

Handbook are intended to be adopted in

total, if they are used. That is, use of one

section of a test method from the

Handbook and another section of the

test method from Appendix F of part 25

for example, is not covered by this

policy statement. If an applicant

proposes to use sections from more than

one version of a test method to show

compliance, the applicant first must

obtain approval from the cognizant FAA

Aircraft Certification Office. The

applicant’s requests should be

coordinated with the Transport

Airplane Directorate (Transport

Standards Staff).

Effect of General Statement of Policy

The general policy stated in this

document is not intended to establish a

binding norm; it does not constitute a

new regulation and the FAA would not

apply or rely upon it as a regulation.

The FAA Aircraft Certification Offices

(ACO) that certify transport category

airplanes should generally attempt to

follow this policy, when appropriate.

However, in determining compliance

with certification standards, each ACO

has the discretion not to apply these

guidelines where it determines that they

are inappropriate. Applicants should

expect that the certificating officials will

consider this information when making

findings of compliance relevant to new

certificate actions. Applicants also may

consider the material contained in this

policy statement as supplemental to that

currently contained in Report DOT/

FAA/AR–00/12, ‘‘Aircraft Materials Fire

Test Handbook,’’ dated April 2000,

when developing a means of

compliance with the relevant

certification standards.

In addition, as with all typical

advisory material, this statement of

policy identifies one means, but not the

only means, of compliance.

Application of Policy Statement

The FAA considers this policy

statement an issue for which public

comment is appropriate and, therefore,

requests comment on it. However, it is

the FAA’s intention to immediately

apply this policy. Resolution of any

public comments received will

determine how the policy is applied in

the long term for future projects.

Issued in Renton, Washington, on February

14, 2001.

Ali Bahrami,

Acting Manager, Transport Airplane

Directorate, Aircraft Certification Service.

[FR Doc. 01–4377 Filed 2–21–01; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4910–13–U

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Surface Transportation Board

[STB Finance Docket No. 33670]

The Indiana Rail Road Company—

Operation Exemption—Monon Rail

Preservation Corporation

The Indiana Rail Road Company

(INRD), a Class III rail carrier, has filed

a verified notice of exemption under 49

CFR 1150.41 to operate the property of

the Monon Rail Preservation

Corporation, consisting of a line

between milepost Q217.67, at Hunters,

and milepost Q213.41, at Ellettsville, a

distance of 4.26 miles in Monroe

County, IN.

Because INRD’s projected annual

revenues will exceed $5 million, INRD

has certified to the Board on December

26, 2000, that the required notice of the

transaction was posted at the workplace

of the employees on the affected line on

December 20, 2000. See 49 CFR

1150.42(e). According to INRD’s

certification, the employees on the

affected line are not represented by a

labor organization and therefore no

notice to labor organizations was

required. INRD stated in its verified

notice that the transaction will become

effective on the date of the Board’s

approval of INRD’s operation of the line.

The earliest the transaction can be

consummated is February 24, 2001 (60

days after INRD’s certification to the

Board that it had complied with the

Board’s rule at 49 CFR 1150.42(e)).

If the notice contains false or

misleading information, the exemption

is void ab initio. Petitions to revoke the

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

may be filed at any time. The filing of

a petition to revoke does not

automatically stay the transaction.

An original and 10 copies of all

pleadings, referring to STB Finance

Docket No. 33670, must be filed with

the Surface Transportation Board, Office

of the Secretary, Case Control Unit, 1925

K Street, NW., Washington, DC 20423–

0001. In addition, a copy of each

pleading must be served on John

Broadley, Esq., John H. Broadley &

Associates, 1054 31st Street, NW., Suite

200, Washington, DC 20007.

Board decisions and notices are

available on our website at http://

www.stb.dot.gov.

By the Board, David M. Konschnik,

Director, Office of Proceedings.

Decided: February 14, 2001.

Vernon A. Williams,

Secretary.

[FR Doc. 01–4390 Filed 2–21–01; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4915–00–P