Stage: Final Publications

Regulatory Agency Final Publications

ED Decision 2021/004/R CS-ADR-DSN — Issue 5 | Runway safety

CS-ADR-DSN — Issue 5 | Runway safety

The objective of this Decision is to update the certification specifications (CSs) and guidance material (GM) for aerodrome design (CS-ADR-DSN) in line with the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) developments and other technical improvements, and to maintain a high and uniform level of safety in terms of aerodrome design.

The European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) publishes Issue 5 of CS-ADR-DSN as a result of the outcome of the public consultation of NPA 2018-14 ‘Runway Safety’ which, amongst others, proposed a limited number of amendments to CS-ADR-DSN which were published, for information purposes, along with Opinion No 03/2019.

The amendments concern the addition of new definitions, in accordance with the Standards and Recommended Practices (SARPs) of ICAO Annex 14 ‘Aerodromes’ Volume I (Amendment 13-B), but also the amendment of definitions in order to ensure consistency with Commission Regulation (EU) No 139/2014, as amended by Commission Regulation (EU) 2018/401.

Moreover, they reflect the introduction of new provisions in Commission Regulation (EU) Νο 139/2014, as well as amendments to the relevant acceptable means of compliance (AMC) and GM, which necessitate the amendment of the relevant CSs and GM in CS-ADR-DSN for safety reasons (e.g. treatment of markings on closed runways and taxiways, presence of mobile objects on precision runway strips).

In addition, the amendments introduce an additional case where, for runway-safety-related reasons, stopway lights should be provided, addressing also the switch-over time for the secondary power supply of such lights. Finally, they reflect the need to gather all maintenance-related operational provisions in a single regulatory text, in order to facilitate their use by the end users.

Therefore, the limited number of changes will help to ensure further alignment with the ICAO Annex 14 provisions, enhance safety where necessary, and improve readability and usability of the regulatory material.

FAA Notice N_8900.580 TSpec B005, Special Rule Curricula, and Continuation TSpecs B105 and B106

This notice introduces and provides guidance on the issuance of
training specification (TSpec) B005 and continuation TSpecs B105 and B106. These TSpecs
authorize a Title 14 of the Code of Federal Regulations (14 CFR) part 142 certified training
center to deliver curricula, curriculum segments, and portions of curriculum segments developed
to meet specific training, testing, and checking requirements applicable to 14 CFR part 135
certificate holders. These curricula meet the requirement of part 135, § 135.341(d) as published
curricula.

FAA Notice N_8900.581 OpSpec A131, Contract Training—Standardized Curricula

This notice introduces and provides guidance on the issuance of
operations specification (OpSpec) A131. This OpSpec is used to authorize a Title 14 of the Code
of Federal Regulations (14 CFR) part 135 certificate holder to use standardized curricula under
contract or agreement with 14 CFR part 142 training centers authorized to offer these curricula to
part 135 certificate holders in the part 142 training center’s training specifications (TSpecs). The
training curricula are developed to meet the specific training, testing, or checking requirements
of part 135. Once issued to the certificate holder, the OpSpec identifies the training curricula,
curriculum segments, and portions of curriculum segments that the certificate holder has vetted
and is authorized to use. The training curricula authorized in OpSpec A131 become part of the
certificate holder’s approved training program.

FAA Order VS_8000.375 Aviation Safety Voluntary Safety Reporting Program

Aviation Safety (AVS) sets, oversees, and enforces safety standards for all parts of the aviation
industry, impacting every facet of domestic and international civil aviation safety. AVS is
responsible for the certification, production approval, and continued airworthiness of aircraft as
well as the certification of pilots, mechanics, and others in safety-related positions. In AVS,
everyone has the same goal in mind – safety. Voluntary Safety Reporting Programs (VSRPs) are
a key component of the Safety Management System (SMS) that AVS embraces for its own
organization as well as the industry we oversee.
In an effective, voluntary safety-reporting environment, everyone in AVS shares an open,
trusting culture characterized by a commitment to compliance, self-correction, and voluntary
disclosure. In this environment, we operate with a safety-first mindset that enables greater
autonomy across AVS. This culture increases awareness of aviation-safety-related issues and
concerns, voluntary adoption of best practices, and mutual trust in the safe handling and
appropriate use of raw data and information. The integration of data across the enterprise
enhances safety and enables improved insight and well-designed tools and processes to facilitate
data analysis and sharing of findings. Mitigation initiatives that come out of the AVS VSRP are
developed using risk-based, data-driven decisions and coordinated to ensure alignment and
integration with other activities across the FAA.
In a truly healthy safety culture, multiple reporting mechanisms work in parallel to address safety
concerns. As such, the AVS VSRP works in parallel with existing FAA and AVS reporting tools,
such as the FAA Hotline, AVS Safety Recommendations Program, Quality Management System,
etc.
As AVS employees participate in our VSRP, they should know that they help improve our
awareness and understanding of aviation safety issues.