Operations manuals; Technical product documentation (ICS code(s): 01.110); Documents in administration, commerce and industry (ICS code(s): 01.140.30); Aircraft and space vehicles in general (ICS code(s): 49.020); On-board equipment and instruments (ICS code(s): 49.090)

Updating Manual Requirements To Accommodate Technology

Notice of proposed rulemaking - The FAA proposes to update its manual requirements to reflect industry use of electronic and paper manuals. The amendments would apply to fractional ownership operations; domestic, flag, and supplemental operations; rules governing the operations of U.S.-registered civil airplanes which have a seating configuration of 20 or more passengers or a maximum payload capacity of 6,000 pounds or more when common carriage is not involved; and commuter and on-demand operations. The proposed action would require manuals accessed in paper format to display the date of last revision on each page, and require manuals accessed in electronic format to display the date of last revision in a manner in which a person can immediately ascertain it. This action would also revise the requirement for program managers or certificate holders to carry appropriate parts of the manual aboard airplanes during operations. This proposed rule would instead require program managers or certificate holders ensure the appropriate parts of the manual are accessible to flight, ground, and maintenance personnel when such personnel are performing their assigned duties. Lastly, the proposed rule would update outdated language that refers to accessing information in manuals kept in microfiche. The FAA proposes to remove this outdated language and simply require that all manual information and instructions be displayed clearly and be retrievable in the English language.