FAA AC 460.15-1 Human Factors Considerations in Commercial Human Space Flight

This Advisory Circular (AC) provides guidance on compliance with Title 14 of the Code of
Federal Regulations (14 CFR) § 460.15, Human Factors. It is intended to assist prospective
applicants in obtaining commercial space authorizations and operating in compliance with
commercial space safety regulations. Section 460.15 requires an operator to take the precautions
necessary to account for human factors that can affect a crew’s ability to perform safety critical
roles.

FAA Advisory Circular for the Type Certification of Powered-Lift AC21.17-4C

Title 14 of the Code of Federal Regulations (14 CFR) part 21 provides procedures for the type certification and airworthiness certification of special classes of aircraft. Special classes of aircraft include gliders and powered gliders, airships, powered-lift, and other kinds of aircraft, which would be eligible for a standard airworthiness certificate but for which no airworthiness standards have as yet been established as a separate part of 14 CFR chapter I, subchapter C. Airworthiness standards for these special classes of aircraft are the portions of the requirements in parts 23, 25, 27, 29, 31, 33, and 35 found by the FAA to be appropriate and applicable to the specific type design and any other airworthiness criteria found by the FAA to provide an equivalent level of safety to the existing standards.

Recent applications for the type certification of powered-lift have proposed passenger seating configurations of six or less, weighing 12,500 pounds or less, and utilizing battery-powered electric engines for propulsion. For each of these projects, the FAA has published the proposed airworthiness criteria, along with an explanation of its equivalency determination, in the Federal Register for public notice and comment. The FAA used its experience with those recent powered-lift applications to develop the criteria in the draft advisory circular “Type Certification—Powered-lift.” This draft advisory circular establishes a more efficient path in designating the type certification basis for certain powered-lift projects, as the FAA will not need to announce the criteria for each project in the Federal Register for notice and comment.

FAA N8900_707 New Master Minimum Equipment List Publication Process

This notice announces an alternative Master Minimum Equipment
List (MMEL) publication process and provides information to aviation safety inspectors (ASI)
responsible for approving minimum equipment lists (MEL) on how to obtain an MMEL
published under this process. This notice contains information that is administrative in nature.