Avionics News January 2018 - 14
F R O M R I C P E R I A EA V I C E P R ES I D E N T O F G OV E R N M E N T & I N D U ST RY A F FA I RS The Aircraft Electronics Association's international membership continues to grow. Currently, the AEA represents avionics businesses in more than 40 countries throughout the world. To better serve the needs of the AEA's international membership, the "International News and Regulatory Updates" section of Avionics News offers a greater focus on international regulatory activity, international industry news and an international "Frequently Asked Questions" column to help promote standardization. If you have comments about this section, send emails to avionicsnews@aea.net. UNITED STATES News & Regulatory Updates Meaning of the terms "acceptable to" and "accepted by" for use by aviation safety inspectors On Nov. 28, 2017, the Federal Aviation Administration published FAA Notice: N 8900.444. This notice explains the terms "acceptable to" and "accepted by." The following is extracted from the Notice N 8900.444: Acceptable To. The terms "acceptable to the administrator" and "acceptable to the FAA" appear numerous times in the FAA's regulations. If an item is required to be acceptable to the FAA, the FAA's active review and acceptance prior to use is not normally required. However, in exercising its oversight responsibilities, the FAA may make case‑specific determinations as to a particular item's acceptability. A person or certificate holder should be able to reference some standard or publication as the basis for the acceptability of the intended application, procedure, method, etc. The standard or publication used should be an accepted industry practice previously found acceptable by the FAA, or, at a minimum, the person using it should be able to articulate a clear and reasonable basis for the action taken being an acceptable practice or procedure. This could include, but is not limited to, a practice or procedure contained 14 avionics news * january 2018 in an FAA‑issued advisory circular or other published guidance, information contained in the original equipment manufacturer's published procedures for performing a maintenance task, or relevant information from an ASTM International standard. However, if a regulation requires that a submission to the FAA must be acceptable to the FAA as a precondition for the FAA to act, the FAA may exercise discretion as to whether the determination must be made before or after the FAA acts. For example, operations specifications, which contain authorizations, typically necessitate an item be acceptable to the FAA before the FAA issues the authorization. Note: A person should be able to demonstrate, if called upon to do so, that the method, technique, practice, etc., would in fact be acceptable to the FAA. For example, it would not be an acceptable practice for a maintenance provider to torque bolts by "feel" when Title 14 of the Code of Federal Regulations Part 43, § 43.13(a) states that each person performing aircraft maintenance must use "methods, techniques, and practices acceptable to the administrator." Instead, an acceptable industry practice is to use a properly calibrated torque wrench to ensure the required torque values are achieved. The practice of failing to use a torque wrench and hoping for the best would be a practice the FAA would not find acceptable. Accepted By. The terms "accepted by the FAA" or "accepted by the administrator" appear infrequently in the FAA's regulations. Where the term is used, it means that the item at issue must be submitted to the FAA for review and acceptance prior to use. By whatever means
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