[Federal Register: May 23, 2003 (Volume 68, Number 100)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Page 28181-28182]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr23my03-31]
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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Federal Aviation Administration
14 CFR Part 91
[Docket No. FAA-2003-15230]
Call for Information on Supersonic Aircraft Noise
AGENCY: Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), DOT.
ACTION: Request for information and notice of workshop.
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SUMMARY: The FAA is soliciting technical information from other Federal
agencies, industries, universities, and other interested parties on the
mitigation of sonic boom from supersonic aircraft. The FAA is trying to
determine whether there is sufficient new data supported by flight over
land. This document solicits information on the latest research and
development activities directed at mitigating sonic boom. The FAA may
use this information of future rulemaking actions.
DATES: Send your comments on or before September 30, 2003.
ADDRESSES: Address your comments to the Docket Management System, U.S.
Department of Transportation, Room Plaza 401, 400 Seventh Street, SW.,
Washington, DC 20590-0001. You must identify the docket number FAA-
2003-15230 at the beginning of your comments, and you should submit two
copies of your comments. If you wish to receive confirmation that FAA
received your comments, include a self-addressed, stamped postcard.
You may also submit comments through the Internet to http://dms.dot.gov.
You may review the public docket containing comments to
this notice in person in the Docket Office between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m.,
Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays. The Dockets Office is
on the plaza level of the NASSIF Building at the Department of
Transportation at the above address. Also, you may review public
dockets on the Internet at http://dms.dot.gov.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Laurette Fisher, Office of Environment
and Energy (AEE-100), Federal Aviation Administration, 800 Independence
Avenue, SW., Washington, DC 20591; telephone (202) 267-3561; facsimile
(202) 267-5594.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Comments Invited
The FAA invites interested persons to participate in this effort by
submitting written comments, data, or views. We also invite comments
relating to the economic, environmental, energy, or federalism impacts
that might result if this effort resulted in amending FAA sonic boom
regulations.
We will file in the docket all comments we receive, and the docket
is available for public inspection before and after the comment closing
date. If you wish to review the docket in person, go to the address in
the ADDRESSes section of this preamble between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m.,
Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays. You may also review the
docket using the Internet at the web address in the ADDRESSES section.
Background
The FAA uses the term sonic boom to refer to a high-pressure air
disturbance directed toward the ground by an aircraft flying
supersonically and creating noise unacceptable to the public.
Supersonic flight over land by civil aircraft is prohibited in the
United States.
Supersonic Aircraft Regulations
The current regulations applicable to supersonic aircraft are found
in 14 CFR part 36, Subpart D, ``Noise Limits for Supersonic Transport
Category Airplanes,'' and 14 CFR part 91, Subpart I, ``Operating Noise
Limits.'' The noise certification levels for the Concorde airplane are
in part 36. This regulation requires that the noise levels of the
airplane must be reduced to the lowest levels that are economically
reasonable, technologically practicable, and appropriate for a Concorde
type design.
Part 91 prohibits civil aircraft operation at greater than Mach 1
over the United States. Part 91 also imposes flight limitations to
ensure that civil supersonic flight entering or leaving the United
States will not cause a sonic boom to reach the surface within the
United States.
In 1990, the FAA proposed to amend the type certification noise
standards and noise operating rules for future-generation civil
supersonic airplanes. After analyzing the comments received on the
Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM), the FAA determined that further
investigation and research was necessary before a final rule could be
developed. Accordingly, the FAA withdrew the proposed rule and instead
issued a policy on noise issues involving the development of future
generation civil supersonic transport airplanes.
With respect to future civil supersonic airplanes, specific noise
standards have not yet been established. The FAA anticipates that any
future proposed standards for civil supersonic airplanes would require
that an airplane have no greater noise impact on a community than a
civil subsonic airplane certified to Stage 3 noise levels.
U.S. Civil Programs
There have been two recent supersonic aircraft technology
development programs sponsored by the U.S. government. They are the
High Speed Civil Transport (HSCT) program sponsored by the National
Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), and the Quiet Supersonic
Platform (QSP) program sponsored by the Defense Advanced Research
Project Agency (DARPA). These programs included both military and civil
aircraft.
In the late 1980's, NASA initiated a partnership with Boeing and
McDonnell Douglas to develop the technology for a commercial supersonic
transport. This activity was called the High Speed Civil Transport
(HSCT) program. In 1999, the HSCT program was terminated. Boeing cited
the high cost of developing a supersonic airplane, along with
anticipated more stringent federal regulations regarding noise and
emissions as the reason for terminating the program. NASA's research
and technology (R&T) effort on HSCT was also terminated. In 2000, NASA
requested that the National Research Council (NRC) conduct a study to
identify breakthrough technologies for overcoming key barriers to the
development of an environmentally acceptable and economically viable
commercial supersonic aircraft. The study, ``Commercial Supersonic
Technology, The Way Ahead,'' concluded that no insurmountable obstacles
exist to viable commercial supersonic aircraft. The study further
concluded that while NASA should have its eye on supersonic commercial
transport, it remains appropriate to conduct research on sonic boom
even when related to smaller supersonic business jets.
The DARPA's QSP program, which began in 2000, was a congressionally
mandated effort to develop technologies that could mitigate the impact
of sonic boom to 0.3 pounds per square feet over-pressure propagated to
the ground. This is significantly less then the 2.0 pounds per square
feet created by the
[[Page 28182]]
Concorde that is restricted from flying at supersonic speeds over land.
The QSP Program initially included both military and civil aircraft. In
2003, the QSP Program is scheduled to conduct a flight demonstration to
investigate sonic boom signature shaping and propagation.
In 2001, the NASA Langley Research Center was directed by Congress
to expand on the civil part of DARPA's QSP Program. This program is
ongoing.
In addition, at least one U.S. manufacturer has an ongoing
technology effort, the goal of which is the development of supersonic
civil aircraft that are deemed environmentally acceptable for
supersonic operations over land.
Request for Information
The FAA is requesting information regarding current commercial
supersonic aircraft development and associated sonic boom reduction
technology. The FAA may use the information received to initiate
rulemaking that addresses new supersonic technologies and related noise
effects.
The FAA is requesting information in the following general topics
of technical information. Please submit any information or comments to
the Docket Management System using the docket number given in the
``ADDRESSES'' paragraph above.
(1) A summary of advancements made since the 1999 High Speed Civil
Transport (HSCT) program;
(2) Understanding the effects of sonic boom to aid in the
establishment of sonic boom impact criteria;
(3) The technical challenges in making the noise created by sonic
boom acceptable;
(4) The sonic boom prediction models available to support future
noise impact studies; and
(5) Whether supersonic aircraft can function within the present
commercial airport infrastructure and what airport accessibility issues
need to be addressed.
The FAA encourages all interested parties to participate in this
opportunity to offer the latest information on supersonic aircraft
noise and technologies. The FAA will evaluate the information received
to aid in the consideration of future rulemaking.
In addition, the FAA is planning to conduct a technical workshop in
the next six months to allow subject matter experts to discuss their
research data and findings. The FAA will publish a notice in the
Federal Register announcing the date and place of the workshop.
Information on this project will be up-dated and made available on
an FAA Web site located at http.//www.aee.faa.gov/noise/sst.html.
All comments submitted in response to this notice and information
presented at the workshop will be filed in the docket. The docket is
available for public inspection at any time. Anyone submitting
information is cautioned that it will not be considered proprietary
unless properly marked and separately submitted. Information presented
in a workshop setting is not considered proprietary.
Issued in Washington DC on May 13, 2003.
Carl Burleson,
Director of Environment and Energy.
[FR Doc. 03-13038 Filed 5-22-03; 8:45 am]
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