US air operator associations are concerned that they cannot meet the deadline for a Federal Aviation Administration airworthiness directive (AD) requiring replacement of some aircraft insulation with materials that have higher flame resistance, writes David Learmount.
So far the FAA has failed to respond to accusations that the AD demands more than envisaged in the notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM), or to requests by organisations including the National Air Transport Association (NATA) for a six-month extension of the deadline.
NATA, which represents air taxi and charter aircraft operators, says the NPRM concentrated on the need to replace certain types of thermal/acoustic insulation, but the AD is much broader in its demands, encompassing “every insulating material in the fuselage of every Part 25 aircraft, both old and new, to include hard components, wiring bundles, tape, hook and loop fasteners [Velcro] and every piece of installed equipment with insulation.”
The warning that all this was in the rulemaking pipeline, says NATA, was not revealed until the release of an FAA advisory circular on 24 June, with applicability effective from 2 September, requiring the work to be carried out at an aircraft’s next major maintenance session.
NATA says it has written to FAA administrator MarionBlakey calling for an immediate 180-day extension to “regulations that have the potential to ground in-service Part 25 aircraft undergoing maintenance”. The FAA says it is preparing a statement on the issue.
Source: Flight International
