[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 212 (Monday, November 3, 1997)]
[Notices]
[Pages 59382-59383]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-29016]
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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Federal Aviation Administration
Aviation Rulemaking Advisory Committee; Training and
Qualifications Issues--New Task
AGENCY: Federal Aviation Administration, (FAA), DOT.
ACTION: Notice of new task assignments for the Aviation Rulemaking
Advisory Committee (ARAC).
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SUMMARY: Notice is given of new tasks assigned to and accepted by the
Aviation Rulemaking Advisory Committee (ARAC). This notice informs the
public of the activities of ARAC.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Tom Toula, Federal Aviation Administration, Flight Standards Service,
AFS-210, 800 Independence Avenue, SW., Washington, DC 20591; phone
(202) 267-3729; fax (202) 267-5229.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background
The FAA has established an Aviation Rulemaking Advisory Committee
to provide advice and recommendations to the FAA Administrator, through
the Associate Administrator for Regulation and Certification, on the
full range of the FAA's rulemaking activities with respect to aviation-
related issues. This includes obtaining advice and recommendations on
the FAA's commitment to harmonize its Federal Aviation Regulations
(FAR) and practices with its trading partners in Europe and Canada.
One area ARAC deals with is training and qualifications issues.
These issues involve training and qualification of air carrier
crewmembers and other air transport employees.
The Tasks
This notice is to inform the public that the FAA has asked ARAC to
provide advice and recommendation on the following harmonization tasks:
Task 1. Determine the benefits of licensing harmonization.
Task 2. Define criteria for Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)
conversion of Joint Aviation Authorities (JAA) issued licenses, and for
JAA conversion of FAA issued licenses. Consider only the Airline
Transport Pilot license, except where that license might convert to
only a Commercial pilot license. Include a review of type and class
ratings and instructor ratings and qualifications, as and if necessary.
Task 3. Develop a recommendation, with justification, on whether
the product (i.e., a specific level of license or certificate) should
be harmonized, or the process (i.e., the curriculum, prerequisite
experience, length of training, etc.) should be harmonized.
(a) If recommending that the product should be harmonized, develop
a matrix of essential requirements for the FAA and JAA to impose on
license holders of the other in order to convert licenses.
(b) If recommending that the process should be harmonized, develop
a matrix of specific differences and how those differences should be
equalized.
(c) Make specific recommendations about which FAA regulations or
Joint Aviation Requirements should be changed to achieve the
recommended actions. Any recommendations requiring changes to Title 14
of the Code of Federal Regulations must be forwarded to the FAA for
consideration of rulemaking priority, resource allocation, and
additional tasking to ARAC to develop rulemaking, as appropriate.
Task 4. Review the current standards of 14 CFR sections 61.75 and
61.77 as part of the overall task. In light of this review, recommend
appropriate guidance material that could later be incorporated into
advisory material or an appendix to 14 CFR part 61 that contains the
criteria developed in task 3 (a) or (b) above.
The FAA expects ARAC to complete these tasks within 12 months and
submit a report through ARAC to the FAA and to the JAA.
ARAC Acceptance of Tasks
ARAC has accepted the tasks and has chosen to establish a new
Licensing Harmonization Working Group. The working group will serve as
staff to
[[Page 59383]]
ARAC to assist ARAC in the analysis of the assigned task. Working group
recommendations must be reviewed and approved by ARAC. If ARAC accepts
the working group's recommendations, it forwards them to the FAA as
ARAC recommendations.
Working Group Activity
As is the case with all harmonization working groups, meetings of
the Licensing Harmonization Working Group will be held alternatively
between the United States and Europe. Tentatively, the next two
meetings will be held in Washington, DC, in January 1998 and in
Hoofddorp, The Netherlands, in February 1998.
The Licensing Harmonization Working Group is expected to comply
with the procedures adopted by ARAC. As part of the procedures, the
working group is expected to:
1. Recommend to ARAC a work plan for completion of the tasks,
including the rationale supporting such a plan, for consideration at
the meeting of ARAC to consider Training and Qualifications Issues held
following publication of this notice.
2. Give a detailed conceptual presentation to ARAC of the proposed
recommendations, prior to proceeding with the work stated in item 3
below.
3. Provide a status report at each meeting of ARAC held to consider
Training and Qualifications Issues.
Participation in the Working Group
The Licensing Harmonization Working Group is composed of experts
having an interest in the assigned task. A working group member need
not be a representative of a member of the full committee.
An individual who has expertise in the subject matter and wishes to
become a member of the working group should write to the person listed
under the caption FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT expressing that
desire, describing his or her interest in the tasks, and stating the
expertise he or she would bring to the working group. The request will
be reviewed by the assistant chair, the assistant executive director,
and the working group chair, and the individual will be advised whether
or not the request can be accommodated. Requests to participate on the
Licensing Harmonization Working Group should be submitted no later than
November 28, 1997. To the extent possible, the composition of the
working group will be balanced among the aviation interests selected to
participate.
The Secretary of Transportation has determined that the formation
and use of ARAC are necessary and in the public interest in connection
with the performance of duties imposed on the FAA by law.
Meetings of ARAC will be open to the public. Meetings of the
Licensing Harmonization Working Group will not be open to the public,
except to the extent that individuals with an interest and expertise
are selected to participate. No public announcement of working group
meetings will be made.
Issued in Washington, DC, on October 29, 1997.
Thomas K. Toula,
Assistant Executive Director for Training and Qualifications Issues,
Aviation Rulemaking Advisory Committee.
[FR Doc. 97-29016 Filed 10-31-97; 8:45 am]
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