02-26583. Proposed Amendment to Class E Airspace; Philadelphia, PA

AGENCY:

Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), DOT.

ACTION:

Notice of proposed rulemaking.

SUMMARY:

This action proposes to amend the Class E airspace area at Philadelphia, PA. The proliferation of airports within a thirty seven mile radius of Philadelphia International Airport with approved Instrument Flight Rules (IFR) operations and the resulting overlap of designated Class E-5 airspace has made this proposal necessary. The proposal would consolidate the Class E-5 airspace designations for twenty six airports and result in the recision of fourteen separate Class E-5 descriptions through separate rulemaking action. The area would be depicted on aeronautical charts for pilot reference.

DATES:

Comments must be received on or before November 25, 2002.

ADDRESSES:

Send comments on the proposal in triplicate to: Manager, Airspace Branch, AEA-520, Docket No. 02-AEA-03, Eastern Region, 1 Aviation Plaza, Jamaica, NY 11434-4809.

The official docket may be examined in the Office of the Regional Counsel, AEA-7, Eastern Region, 1 Aviation Plaza, Jamaica, NY 11434-4809. An informal docket may also be examined during normal business hours in the Airspace Branch, AEA-520, Eastern Region, 1 Aviation Plaza, Jamaica, NY 11434-4809.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Mr. Francis T. Jordan, Jr., Airspace Specialist, Airspace Branch, AEA-520, Eastern Region, 1 Aviation Plaza, Jamaica, NY 11434-4809, telephone: [phone].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Comments Invited

Interested parties are invited to participate in this proposed rulemaking by submitting such written data, views, or arguments as they may desire. Comments that provide the factual basis supporting the views and suggestions presented are particularly helpful in developing reasoned regulatory decisions on the proposal. Comments are specifically invited on the overall regulatory, economic, environmental, and energy-related aspects of the proposal. Communications should identify the airspace docket number and be submitted in triplicate to the address listed above. Commenters wishing the FAA to acknowledge receipt of their comments on this action must submit with those comments a self-addressed, stamped postcard on which the following statement is made: “Comments to Airspace Docket No. 02-AEA-03.” The postcard will be date/time stamped and returned to the commenter. All communications received on or before the closing date for comments will be considered before taking action on the proposed rule. The proposal contained in this action may be changed in light of comments received. All comments submitted will be available for examination in the Rules Docket both before and after the closing date for comments. A report summarizing each substantive public contact with the FAA personnel concerned with this rulemaking will be filed in the docket.

Availability of NPRMs

Any person may obtain a copy of this Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) by submitting a request to the Office of the Regional Counsel, AEA-7, Eastern Region, 1 Aviation Plaza, Jamaica, NY 11434-4809. Communications must identify the docket number of this NPRM. Persons interested in being placed on a mailing list for future NPRMs should also request a copy of Advisory Circular No. 11-2A, which describes the application procedure.

The Proposal

The FAA is considering an amendment to Part 71 of the Federal Aviation Regulations (14 CFR part 71) to amend the Class E airspace area at Philadelphia, PA. The proposal would consolidate the following Class E-5 airspace designations into the Philadelphia, PA designation: Philadelphia International Airport, PA; North Philadelphia Airport, PA; Wings Airfield, PA; Willow Grove NAS, PA; Rhone-Poulenc Rorer Collegeville Heliport, PA; Pennridge Airport, PA; Quakertown Airport, PA; Doylestown Airport, PA; Collegeville/Perkiomen Valley Airport, PA; Pottstown-Limerick Airport, PA; Pottstown Municipal Airport, PA; Brandywine Airport, PA; Toughkennamon/New Garden Airport, PA; Chester County G. O. Carlson Airport, PA; New Castle County Airport, DE; Summit Airpark, DE; Trenton Mercer Airport, NJ; South Jersey Regional Airport, NJ; Flying W Airport, NJ; Cross Keys Airport, NJ; Red Lion Airport, NJ; Camden County Airport, NJ; Hammonton Municipal Airport, NJ; Rudy's Airport, NJ; Kroelinger Airport, NJ; and Millville Municipal Airport, NJ. This action would result in the recision of fourteen Class E-5 designations under a separate docket. The affected airspace would subsequently be incorporated into the Philadelphia, PA description. The airspace will be defined to accommodate the approaches and contain IFR operations to and from those airports. This change would have no impact on aircraft operations since the type of airspace designation is not changing. Furthermore, the IFR approach procedures for the individual airports within the area would not be affected. Class E airspace designations for airspace areas extending upward from 700 feet or more above the surface of the earth are published in Paragraph 6005 of FAA Order 7400.9K, dated August 30, 2002, and effective September 16, 2002, which is incorporated by reference in 14 CFR 71.1. The Class E airspace designation listed in this document would be published subsequently in the Order.

The FAA has determined that this proposed regulation only involves an established body of technical regulations for which frequent and routine amendments are necessary to keep them operationally current. Therefore, this proposed regulation—(1) is not a “significant regulatory action” under Executive Order 12866; (2) is not a “significant rule” under DOT Regulatory Policies and Procedures (44 FR 11034; February 26, 1979); and (3) does not warrant preparation of a regulatory evaluation as the anticipated impact is so minimal. Since this is a routine matter that would only affect air traffic procedures and air navigation, it is certified that this proposed rule would not have significant economic impact on a substantial number of small entities under the criteria of the Regulatory Flexibility Act.

List of Subjects in 14 CFR Part 71

• Airspace
• Incorporation by reference
• Navigation (air)

The Proposed Amendment

In consideration of the foregoing, the Federal Aviation Administration proposes to amend 14 CFR Part 71 as follows:

PART 71—[AMENDED]

1. The authority citation for 14 CFR part 71 continues to read as follows:

Authority: 49 U.S.C. 106(g), 40103, 40113, 40120; E.O. 10854; 24 FR 9565, 3 CFR, 1959-1963 Comp., p. 389.

§ 71.1

[Amended]

2. The incorporation by reference in 14 CFR 71.1 of Federal Aviation Administration Order 7400.9K, Airspace Designations and Reporting Points, dated August 30, 2002, and effective September 16, 2002, is proposed to be amended as follows:

Paragraph 6005 Class E airspace areas extending upward from 700 feet or more above the surface of the earth.

* * * * *

AEA PA E5 Philadelphia, PA [Revised]

Philadelphia International Airport

(Lat. 39°52′19″ N., long. 75°14′28″ W.)

Chester County G. O. Carlson Airport, PA

(Lat. 39°58′44″ N., long. 75°51′56″ W.)

New Castle County Airport, DE

(Lat. 39°40′43″ N., long. 75°36′24″ W.)

Summit Airpark, DE

(Lat. 39°31′13″ N., long. 75°43′14″ W.)

Millville Municipal Airport, NJ

(Lat. 39°22′05″ N., long. 75°04′25″ W.)

That airspace extending upward from 700 feet above the surface within a 31-mile radius of Philadelphia International Airport extending clockwise from a 225° bearing to a 307° bearing from the airport and within a 37-mile radius of Philadelphia International Airport extending from a 307° bearing to a 053° bearing from the airport and within a 33-mile radius of Philadelphia International Airport extending from a 053° bearing to a 173° bearing from the airport and within a 10-mile radius of Philadelphia International Airport extending from a 173° bearing from the airport and within a 7-mile radius of Chester County G. O. Carlson Airport and within a 6.7-mile radius of New Castle County Airport and within a 8-mile radius of Summit Airpark and within a 6.5-mile radius of Millville Municipal Airport, excluding the airspace that coincides with the Wrightstown, NJ; Pittstown, NJ; Princeton, NJ; Reading, PA; and Allentown, PA Class E airspace areas.

* * * * *

Issued in Jamaica, New York, on October 9, 2002.

John G. McCartney,

Acting Assistant Manager, Air Traffic Division, Eastern Region.