According to a Notice of Policy Change published today, the FAA will be limiting its distribution of airworthiness directives and special airworthiness information bulletins via U.S. Mail. The policy change is part of the FAA’s transition to “full electronic distribution of AD’s and SAIB’s.”
Under the new policy: (1) the FAA will no longer mail AD corrections (corrections that don’t receive a new amendment number and AD number) to affected owners and operators (they will continue to be published in the Federal Register and on the FAA’s website); (2) ADs applicable to a certain engine model will only be mailed to the owners and operators who have registered their engine, not to the registered aircraft owners and operators referenced in the AD; (3) the FAA will only mail the regulatory text, or “body”, of ADs to registered owners and operators(the balance of the information will still be available via the Federal Register or FAA website); (4) the FAA will continue to mail or fax EADs to affected owners and operators, but will no longer mail the final rule version; and (5) the FAA will no longer mail SAIBs to individual owners, operators, or repair stations(these will be available via a new e-mail subscription service which can be accessed here.
Comments to this planned policy change must be submitted by September 8, 2006. You can also obtain further information regarding this planned change by contacting Mary Ellen Anderson, Federal Aviation Administration, Aircraft Certification Service, Aircraft Engineering Division, Delegation and Airworthiness Programs Branch, AIR-140, 6500 S. MacArthur Blvd., Oklahoma City, Oklahoma 73125; phone: (405) 954-7071; fax: (405) 954-2209.
