Rule2023-10593
Special Conditions: Dassault Aviation Model Falcon 6X Airplane; Electronic Flight-Control System and Control Surface Position Awareness
Primary source
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Published
May 19, 2023
Effective
May 19, 2023
Issuing agencies
Transportation DepartmentFederal Aviation Administration
Abstract
These special conditions are issued for the Dassault Aviation (Dassault) Model Falcon 6X airplane. This airplane will have a novel or unusual design feature when compared to the state of technology envisioned in the airworthiness standards for transport category airplanes. This design feature is an electronic flight-control system requiring flight-control surface position awareness. The applicable airworthiness regulations do not contain adequate or appropriate safety standards for this design feature. These special conditions contain the additional safety standards that the Administrator considers necessary to establish a level of safety equivalent to that established by the existing airworthiness standards.
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 88 Issue 97 (Friday, May 19, 2023)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 97 (Friday, May 19, 2023)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 32090-32092]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2023-10593]
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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Federal Aviation Administration
14 CFR Part 25
[Docket No. FAA-2020-1042; Special Conditions No. 25-804-SC]
Special Conditions: Dassault Aviation Model Falcon 6X Airplane;
Electronic Flight-Control System and Control Surface Position Awareness
AGENCY: Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), DOT.
ACTION: Final special conditions; request for comments.
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SUMMARY: These special conditions are issued for the Dassault Aviation
(Dassault) Model Falcon 6X airplane. This airplane will have a novel or
unusual design feature when compared to the state of technology
envisioned in the airworthiness standards for transport category
airplanes. This design feature is an electronic flight-control system
requiring flight-control surface position awareness. The applicable
airworthiness regulations do not contain adequate or appropriate safety
standards for this design feature. These special conditions contain the
additional safety standards that the Administrator considers necessary
to establish a level of safety equivalent to that established by the
existing airworthiness standards.
DATES: This action is effective on Dassault on May 19, 2023. Send
comments on or before July 3, 2023.
ADDRESSES: Send comments identified by Docket No. FAA-2020-1042 using
any of the following methods:
<bullet> Federal eRegulations Portal: Go to <a href="https://www.regulations.gov/">https://www.regulations.gov/</a> and follow the online instructions for sending
your comments electronically.
<bullet> Mail: Send comments to Docket Operations, M-30, U.S.
Department of Transportation (DOT), 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE, Room
W12-140, West Building Ground Floor, Washington, DC 20590-0001.
<bullet> Hand Delivery or Courier: Take comments to Docket
Operations in Room W12-140 of the West Building Ground Floor at 1200
New Jersey Avenue SE, Washington, DC, between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday
through Friday, except Federal holidays.
<bullet> Fax: Fax comments to Docket Operations at 202-493-2251.
Privacy: Except for Confidential Business Information (CBI) as
described in the following paragraph, and other information as
described in title 14, Code of Federal Regulations (14 CFR) 11.35, the
FAA will post all comments received without change to https://
[[Page 32091]]
www.regulations.gov/, including any personal information you provide.
The FAA will also post a report summarizing each substantive verbal
contact received about these special conditions.
Confidential Business Information: Confidential Business
Information (CBI) is commercial or financial information that is both
customarily and actually treated as private by its owner. Under the
Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) (5 U.S.C. 552), CBI is exempt from
public disclosure. If your comments responsive to these special
conditions contain commercial or financial information that is
customarily treated as private, that you actually treat as private, and
that is relevant or responsive to these special conditions, it is
important that you clearly designate the submitted comments as CBI.
Please mark each page of your submission containing CBI as ``PROPIN.''
The FAA will treat such marked submissions as confidential under the
FOIA, and the indicated comments will not be placed in the public
docket of this Notice. Send submissions containing CBI to Troy Brown,
Performance and Environment Section, AIR-625, Technical Innovation
Policy Branch, Policy and Innovation Division, Aircraft Certification
Service, Federal Aviation Administration, 1801 S. Airport Rd., Wichita,
KS 67209-2190; telephone and fax 405-666-1050; email
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#760204190f58175814041901183610171758111900"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="b4c0c6dbcd9ad59ad6c6dbc3daf4d2d5d59ad3dbc2">[email protected]</span></a>. Comments the FAA receives, which are not
specifically designated as CBI, will be placed in the public docket for
this rulemaking.
Docket: Background documents or comments received may be read at
<a href="https://www.regulations.gov/">https://www.regulations.gov/</a> at any time. Follow the online
instructions for accessing the docket or go to Docket Operations in
Room W12-140 of the West Building Ground Floor at 1200 New Jersey
Avenue SE, Washington, DC, between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through
Friday, except Federal holidays.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Troy Brown, Performance and
Environment Section, AIR-625, Technical Innovation Policy Branch,
Policy and Innovation Division, Aircraft Certification Service, Federal
Aviation Administration, 1801 S Airport Rd., Wichita, KS 67209-2190;
telephone and fax 405-666-1050; email <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#3b4f495442155a155949544c557b5d5a5a155c544d"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="f185839e88df90df93839e869fb1979090df969e87">[email protected]</span></a>.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The substance of these special conditions
has been published in the Federal Register for public comment in
several prior instances with no substantive comments received.
Therefore, the FAA finds, pursuant to Sec. 11.38(b), that new comments
are unlikely, and notice and comment prior to this publication are
unnecessary.
Comments Invited
The FAA invites interested people to take part in this rulemaking
by sending written comments, data, or views. The most helpful comments
reference a specific portion of the special conditions, explain the
reason for any recommended change, and include supporting data.
The FAA will consider all comments received by the closing date for
comments. The FAA may change these special conditions based on the
comments received.
Background
On July 1, 2012, Dassault Aviation applied for a type certificate
for their new Model Falcon 5X airplane. However, Dassault has decided
not to release an airplane under the model designation Falcon 5X,
instead choosing to change that model designation to Falcon 6X.
In February of 2018, due to engine supplier issues, Dassault
extended the type certificate application date for their Model Falcon
5X airplane under new Model Falcon 6X. This airplane is a twin-engine
business jet with seating for 19 passengers, and has a maximum takeoff
weight of 77,460 pounds.
Type Certification Basis
Under the provisions of title 14, Code of Federal Regulations (14
CFR) 21.17, Dassault must show that the Model Falcon 6X airplane meets
the applicable provisions of part 25, as amended by amendments 25-1
through 25-146.
If the Administrator finds that the applicable airworthiness
regulations (e.g., 14 CFR part 25) do not contain adequate or
appropriate safety standards for the Dassault Model Falcon 6X airplane
because of a novel or unusual design feature, special conditions are
prescribed under the provisions of Sec. 21.16.
Special conditions are initially applicable to the model for which
they are issued. Should the type certificate for that model be amended
later to include any other model that incorporates the same novel or
unusual design feature, these special conditions would also apply to
the other model under Sec. 21.101.
In addition to the applicable airworthiness regulations and special
conditions, the Dassault Model Falcon 6X airplane must comply with the
fuel-vent and exhaust-emission requirements of 14 CFR part 34, and the
noise-certification requirements of 14 CFR part 36.
The FAA issues special conditions, as defined in 14 CFR 11.19, in
accordance with Sec. 11.38, and they become part of the type
certification basis under Sec. 21.17(a)(2).
Novel or Unusual Design Features
The Dassault Model Falcon 6X airplane will incorporate the
following novel or unusual design feature: An electronic flight-control
system (EFCS) and no direct coupling from the flight deck controller to
the control surface.
Discussion
As a result of the EFCS and lack of direct coupling from the flight
deck controller to the control surface, the pilot is not aware of the
actual control surface position. Some unusual flight conditions,
arising from atmospheric conditions and/or airplane or engine failures,
may result in full or nearly full surface deflection. Unless the
flightcrew is made aware of excessive deflection or impending control
surface limiting, piloted or auto-flight system control of the airplane
might be inadvertently continued in such a manner to cause loss of
control or other unsafe stability or performance characteristics. The
airworthiness standards do not contain adequate or appropriate safety
standards for the conditions that result from the EFCS and lack of
direct coupling from the flight deck controller to the control surface.
To establish a level of safety equivalent to that established in
the regulations, these special conditions are established. These
special conditions require that the flightcrew receive suitable flight-
control position annunciation when a condition exists in which nearly
full surface authority (not crew commanded) is being utilized.
Suitability of such an alerting must take into account that some pilot-
demanded maneuvers (e.g., rapid roll) are necessarily associated with
intended full performance, which may saturate the surface. Therefore,
simple alerting systems, which would function in either intended or
unexpected control-limiting situations, must be properly balanced
between necessary crew awareness and unwanted nuisance factors. A
monitoring system that might compare airplane motion, surface
deflection, and pilot demand could be helpful in reducing nuisance
alerting.
Additionally, these special conditions address flight control
system mode annunciation. Suitable mode annunciation must be provided
to the flightcrew for events that significantly change the operating
mode of the system but do not merit the classic ``failure warning.''
[[Page 32092]]
These special conditions contain the additional safety standards
that the Administrator considers necessary to establish a level of
safety equivalent to that established by the existing airworthiness
standards.
Applicability
As discussed above, these special conditions are applicable to the
Dassault Model Falcon 6X airplane. Should Dassault apply at a later
date for a change to the type certificate to include another model
incorporating the same novel or unusual design feature, these special
conditions would apply to that model as well.
Conclusion
This action affects only a certain novel or unusual design feature
on one model of airplane. It is not a rule of general applicability.
List of Subjects in 14 CFR Part 25
Aircraft, Aviation safety, Reporting and recordkeeping
requirements.
Authority Citation
The authority citation for these special conditions is as follows:
Authority: 49 U.S.C. 106(f), 106(g), 40113, 44701, 44702, 44704.
The Special Conditions
Accordingly, pursuant to the authority delegated to me by the
Administrator, the following special conditions are issued as part of
the type certification basis for the Dassault Aviation Model Falcon 6X
airplane.
In addition to compliance with Sec. Sec. 25.143, 25.671, 25.672,
and 25.1322, the following special conditions apply:
1. The system design must ensure that the flightcrew is made
suitably aware whenever the primary control means nears the limit of
control authority.
Note: the term ``suitably aware'' indicates annunciations
provided to the flightcrew are appropriately balanced between
nuisance and that necessary for crew awareness.
2. If the flight-control system has multiple modes of operation,
the system must alert the flight crew when the airplane enters any mode
that significantly changes or degrades the normal handling or
operational characteristics of the airplane.
Issued in Kansas City, Missouri, on May 10, 2023.
Patrick R. Mullen,
Manager, Technical Innovation Policy Branch, Policy and Innovation
Division, Aircraft Certification Service.
[FR Doc. 2023-10593 Filed 5-18-23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-13-P
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