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U .S. DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION ORDER FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION 6000.6C National Policy Effective date: 02/07/2022 SUBJ: Interagency Facility Ground Inspection Guidance 1. Purpose of This Order. This order prescribes Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) guidance for ground inspection and ground certification of military or United States (U.S.) Coast Guard-owned and maintained facilities used in the National Airspace System (NAS).
2. Audience. All division levels within Technical Operations Services, Air Traffic Organization (ATO), and the Flight Standards (FS) Service in FAA Headquarters; to division level at the FAA Academy and the Office of Facility Management at the Mike Monroney Aeronautical Center; to division level in the ATO Service Areas and the FS Divisions; and to all ATO and FS field offices.
3. Where Can I Find This Order? You can find an electronic copy of this order on the Directives Management System website: https://employees.faa.gov/tools_resources/orders_notices / . Or, go to the MyFAA Employee website, select “Tools and Resources,” and then select “Orders and Notices.” You can also find this order and its background information through TechNet at https://technet.faa.gov/6000.6 / .
4. What This Order Cancels. This order cancels and replaces Order 6000.6B, Interagency Ground Inspection Guidance, dated August 5, 2005.
5. Explanation of Policy Changes. This revision updates organizational references to align with the ATO.
6. Scope. This order applies to all types of military or U.S. Coast Guard owned and maintained facilities now used, or planned for use, in the NAS. This order does not apply to FAA- maintained facilities.
7. Guidance.
a. The military organization or U.S. Coast Guard is accountable for ground certification and ensuring that their facilities are maintained and managed in a manner that ensures continual compliance with flight inspection tolerances outlined in the latest edition of FAA Order 8200.1, United States Standard Flight Inspection Manual.
b. All military and U.S. Coast Guard facilities used in the NAS are subject to flight inspection on a continual basis. Use of a facility in the NAS requires a successful flight Distribution: Electronic Initiated By: AJW-1 8 3 02/07/2022 6000.6C inspection. However, even a successful flight inspection may have associated flight restrictions documented against that subject facility.
c. The military and U.S. Coast Guard are responsible for the performance of the facilities they own or maintain in the NAS. Therefore, in accordance with Order 6000.15, General Maintenance of NAS Facilities, the FAA is not required to perform the ground inspection or ground certification of military or U.S. Coast Guard facilities that are currently used, or planned for use, in the NAS.
d. The military organization or U.S. Coast Guard is responsible for oversight of associated contractor-maintained facilities.
8. Responsibilities.
a. Each military organization or U.S. Coast Guard is responsible for ensuring that their facilities are maintained and managed by established procedures, manuals, applicable technical orders, instruction books, and/or other directives and agreements that permit a facility’s use in the NAS.
b. Flight Program Operations (AJF) will provide clarification and resolution with regard to military or U.S. Coast Guard facilities that are not operating within applicable standards and tolerances. Flight Procedures and Airspace Branch, AFS-420, will provide policy support to AJF when requested. The resolution must be based on a determination of the facility performance level needed to support the NAS element(s) affected fully.
c. The Air Traffic Service Areas must: (1) Arrange for the use of selected military or U.S. Coast Guard facilities through direct negotiation with the appropriate military authority. This may be negotiated at the FAA Headquarters level.
(2) Follow established guidelines to ensure proper facility Notices to Air Missions (NOTAM) procedures and actions are accomplished when required.
d. The regional FS divisions must: (1) Coordinate with Technical Operations Services, System Operations Services, for the development of civil approaches based on military or U.S. Coast Guard facilities.
(2) Notify Technical Operations Services, National Flight Procedures Office (NFPO), of intent to suspend or cancel any published civil procedures based on a military or U.S. Coast Guard facility.
(3) Request the NFPO to revise any published civil procedures not supported by a military or U.S. Coast Guard facility.
02/07/2022 6000.6C (4) Coordinate with the appropriate military or U.S. Coast Guard authority and Flight Program Operations Control Center for a special flight inspection if the regional FS division deems that a facility does not support a published procedure.
9. Procedures. You must adhere to the following procedures for selected military or U.S. Coast Guard owned and maintained facilities in the NAS: a. Cognizant military or U.S. Coast Guard authority is responsible for ensuring that contractor-maintained facilities sustain continual compliance with flight inspection tolerances outlined in FAA Order 8200.1.
b. The Technical Operations Service Areas must report and coordinate information with the appropriate organizations and entities if the status of a military or U.S. Coast Guard facility changes.
c. The regional FS divisions must: (1) Ensure continued compliance through informal communications relative to facility status and/or required NOTAM actions.
(2) Notify Technical Operations, System Operations Services, after military or U.S.
Coast Guard certification equivalent has been obtained, so that facility performance can be evaluated to verify support of civil flight procedures. System Operations Services must forward the determination to the appropriate organizations and entities.
(3) Disapprove the use of the facility for instrument flight rules operations in the area where out-of-tolerance conditions exist in the event that the facility cannot support civil flight procedures. The FAA may withdraw authorization for use in the NAS if such action is warranted in the interest of safety.
(4) Withdraw or deny, as appropriate, special procedural use if military or U.S. Coast Guard certification equivalent cannot be obtained in areas where special procedural use by civil aircraft is currently authorized or proposed.
10. Distribution. The order will be distributed electronically.
11. Background. The FAA has established partnerships with other government agencies for the shared use of their facilities in accommodating the increasing demand on the NAS. This order provides guidance, responsibilities, and procedures for FAA organizations with regard to the use of military and U.S. Coast Guard facilities in the NAS.
Steve Dickson Administrator