Recommendations due next week from the US long-range operations (LROPS) regulatory working group are expected to include a relaxation of long- range limitations for twins, but upgraded cargo-hold fire-suppression certification rules, which will affect some quads. LROPS rules define equipment and operational standards for long-range operations over ocean or inhospitable wilderness such as the Arctic and northern Siberia.
The US Federal Aviation Administration Aviation Rulemaking Advisory Committee is scheduled to unveil its LROPS recommendations in Washington DC on 16 December. They will form the basis for a proposed ruling in the third quarter of next year.
Recommendations are likely to require additional cargo compartment fire-fighting capabilities in older four-engined aircraft like the Boeing 747. Boeing vice-president of regulatory affairs Capt Chet Ekstrand says this would mean extending fire-suppression time from 330min to 354min on the longest routes. Airbus says its A340s meet the anticipated requirements.
The changes, if endorsed, allow suitably equipped aircraft to qualify for LROPS regardless of engine numbers, enabling Boeing's longer-range 777s to operate without restrictions. The aircraft is cleared to fly up to 207min from a suitable diversion in certain cases, but would be effectively cleared for between 240min and 260min under revised regulations.
According to Airbus members of the LROPS working group, however, requirements are expected to contain at least one rule unique to twin-engine operators: those flying LROPS routes will have to prove that they can evacuate passengers safely at remote diversion airfields, which can accommodate passengers until they can be recovered.
Source: Flight International
