2018-03958. Proposed Amendment of Class E Airspace; Flint, MI, and Proposed Establishment of Class E Airspace; Owosso, MI  

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    AGENCY:

    Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), DOT.

    ACTION:

    Notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM).

    SUMMARY:

    This action proposes to amend Class E airspace extending upward from 700 feet above the surface at Bishop International Airport, Flint, MI, and establish separate Class E airspace extending upward from 700 feet above the surface at Owosso Community Airport, Owosso, MI. The FAA is proposing this action due to the closure of the Athelone Williams Memorial Airport, Davison, MI, which is included in the Flint, MI, airspace description, and the cancellation of the instrument approach procedures at the Genesys Regional Medical Center, Grand Blanc, MI, also included in the Flint, MI, airspace description, and to update the Bishop International Airport airspace and the Owosso Community Airport airspace to comply with FAA Order 7400.2L, Procedures for Handling Airspace Matters. The geographic coordinates of the Bishop International Airport and Prices Airport, Linden, MI, would also be updated to coincide with the FAA's aeronautical database.

    DATES:

    Comments must be received on or before April 16, 2018.

    ADDRESSES:

    Send comments on this proposal to the U.S. Department of Transportation, Docket Operations, West Building Ground Floor, Room W12-140, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE, Washington, DC 20590; telephone (202) 366-9826, or (800) 647-5527. You must identify FAA Docket No. FAA-2018-0020; Airspace Docket No. 17-AGL-28, at the beginning of your comments. You may also submit comments through the internet at http://www.regulations.gov. You may review the public docket containing the proposal, any comments received, and any final disposition in person in the Dockets Office between 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday, except federal holidays.

    FAA Order 7400.11B, Airspace Designations and Reporting Points, and subsequent amendments can be viewed online at http://www.faa.gov/​air_​traffic/​publications/​. For further information, you can contact the Airspace Policy Group, Federal Aviation Administration, 800 Independence Avenue SW, Washington, DC 20591; telephone: (202) 267-8783. The Order is also available for inspection at the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA). For information on the availability of FAA Order 7400.11A at NARA, call (202) 741-6030, or go to https://www.archives.gov/​federal-register/​cfr/​ibr-locations.html.

    FAA Order 7400.11, Airspace Designations and Reporting Points, is published yearly and effective on September 15.

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    FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

    Jeffrey Claypool, Federal Aviation Administration, Operations Support Group, Central Service Center, 10101 Hillwood Parkway, Fort Worth, TX 76177; telephone (817) 222-5711.

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    SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

    Authority for This Rulemaking

    The FAA's authority to issue rules regarding aviation safety is found in Title 49 of the United States Code. Subtitle I, Section 106 describes the authority of the FAA Administrator. Subtitle VII, Aviation Programs, describes in more detail the scope of the agency's authority. This rulemaking is promulgated under the authority described in Subtitle VII, Part A, Subpart I, Section 40103. Under that section, the FAA is charged with prescribing regulations to assign the use of airspace necessary to ensure the safety of aircraft and the efficient use of airspace. This regulation is within the scope of that authority as it would amend Class E airspace extending upward from 700 feet above the surface at Bishop International Airport, Flint, MI, and establish separate Class E airspace extending upward from 700 feet above the surface at Owosso Community Airport, Owosso, MI, to support instrument flight rules (IFR) operations at these airports, and remove Class E airspace extending upward from 700 feet above the surface that is no longer required at Athelone Williams Memorial Airport and Genesys Regional Medical Center.

    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, aeronautical, economic, environmental, and energy-related aspects of the proposal. Communications should identify both docket numbers and be submitted in triplicate to the address listed above. Commenters wishing the FAA to acknowledge receipt of their comments on this notice must submit with those comments a self-addressed, stamped postcard on which the following statement is made: “Comments to Docket No. FAA-2018-0020; Airspace Docket No. 17-AGL-28.” The postcard will be date/time stamped and returned to the commenter.

    All communications received before the specified closing date for comments will be considered before taking action on the proposed rule. The proposal contained in this notice may be changed in light of the comments received. A report summarizing each substantive public contact with FAA personnel concerned with this rulemaking will be filed in the docket.

    Availability of NPRMs

    An electronic copy of this document may be downloaded through the internet at http://www.regulations.gov. Recently published rulemaking documents can also be accessed through the FAA's web page at h ttp://www.faa.gov/​air_​traffic/​publications/​airspace_​amendments/​.

    You may review the public docket containing the proposal, any comments received, and any final disposition in person in the Dockets Office (see the ADDRESSES section for the address and Start Printed Page 8639phone number) between 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday, except federal holidays. An informal docket may also be examined during normal business hours at the Federal Aviation Administration, Air Traffic Organization, Central Service Center, Operations Support Group, 10101 Hillwood Parkway, Fort Worth, TX 76177.

    Availability and Summary of Documents for Incorporation by Reference

    This document proposes to amend FAA Order 7400.11B, Airspace Designations and Reporting Points, dated August 3, 2017, and effective September 15, 2017. FAA Order 7400.11B is publicly available as listed in the ADDRESSES section of this document. FAA Order 7400.11B lists Class A, B, C, D, and E airspace areas, air traffic service routes, and reporting points.

    The Proposal

    The FAA is proposing an amendment to Title 14, Code of Federal Regulations (14 CFR) part 71 by:

    Modifying the Class E airspace designated as a surface area at Bishop International Airport, Flint, MI, by updating the geographic coordinates of the airport to coincide with the FAA's aeronautical database, and replacing the outdated term “Airport/Facility Directory” with the term “Chart Supplement” in the airspace legal description;

    Modifying the Class E airspace area extending upward from 700 feet above the surface to within a 6.9-mile radius (decreased from a 10.5-mile radius) at Bishop International Airport; removing the extension to the north referencing the Flint ILS localizer; adding an extension 2.4 miles each side of the 016° radial of the Flint VORTAC extending from the 6.9-mile radius to 7.9 miles north of the airport; adding an extension 2.4 miles each side of the 179° radial of the Flint VORTAC extending from the 6.9-mile radius to 7.9 miles south of the airport; removing the Owosso Community Airport, Owosso, MI, from the airspace description (a separate Class E airspace area extending upward from 700 feet above the surface would be created for Owosso Community Airport as it no longer adjoins the Flint, MI, Class E airspace area extending upward from 700 feet above the surface with this amendment); removing Athelone Williams Memorial Airport, Davison, MI, from the airspace description; removing the PETLI LOM from the airspace description; removing Genesys Regional Medical Center, Grand Blanc, MI, from the airspace description; updating the geographic coordinates for Bishop International Airport and Prices Airport, Linden, MI, to coincide with the FAA's aeronautical database; and removing exclusionary language contained in the legal description to comply with FAA Order 7400.2L; and

    Establishing Class E airspace area extending upward from 700 feet above the surface to within a 6.4-mile radius of Owosso Community Airport, Owosso, MI.

    Airspace reconfiguration is necessary due to the closure of the Athelone Williams Memorial Airport and the cancellation of the instrument procedures at the Genesys Regional Medical Center, as they no longer require a Class E airspace area extending upward from 700 feet above the surface. This action would enhance safety and the management of IFR operations at these airports.

    Class E airspace designations are published in paragraph 6002 and 6005, respectively, of FAA Order 7400.11B, dated August 3, 2017, and effective September 15, 2017, which is incorporated by reference in 14 CFR 71.1. The Class E airspace designation listed in this document will be published subsequently in the Order.

    Regulatory Notices and Analyses

    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, is non-controversial and unlikely to result in adverse or negative comments. It, therefore: (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 will only affect air traffic procedures and air navigation, it is certified that this proposed rule, when promulgated, would not have a significant economic impact on a substantial number of small entities under the criteria of the Regulatory Flexibility Act.

    Environmental Review

    This proposal will be subject to an environmental analysis in accordance with FAA Order 1050.1F, “Environmental Impacts: Policies and Procedures” prior to any FAA final regulatory action.

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    List of Subjects in 14 CFR Part 71

    • Airspace
    • Incorporation by reference
    • Navigation (air)
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    The Proposed Amendment

    Accordingly, pursuant to the authority delegated to me, the Federal Aviation Administration proposes to amend 14 CFR part 71 as follows:

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    PART 71—DESIGNATION OF CLASS A, B, C, D, AND E AIRSPACE AREAS; AIR TRAFFIC SERVICE ROUTES; AND REPORTING POINTS

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

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

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    [Amended]
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    2. The incorporation by reference in 14 CFR 71.1 of FAA Order 7400.11B, Airspace Designations and Reporting Points, dated August 3, 2017, and effective September 15, 2017, is amended as follows:

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    Paragraph 6002 Class E Surface Area Airspace.

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    AGL MI E2 Flint, MI [Amended]

    Bishop International Airport, MI

    (Lat. 42°57′56″ N, long. 83°44′41″ W)

    That airspace extending upward from the surface within a 5-mile radius of Bishop International Airport. This Class E airspace area is effective during the specific dates and times established in advance by a Notice to Airmen. The effective date and time will thereafter be continuously published in the Chart Supplement.

    Paragraph 6005 Class E Airspace Areas Extending Upward From 700 Feet or More Above the Surface of the Earth.

    * * * * *

    AGL MI E5 Flint, MI [Amended]

    Bishop International Airport, MI

    (Lat. 42°57′56″ N, long. 83°44′42″ W)

    Prices Airport, MI

    (Lat. 42°48′27″ N, long. 83°46′08″ W)

    Flint VORTAC

    (Lat. 42°58′00″ N, long. 83°44′49″ W)

    That airspace extending upward from 700 feet above the surface within a 6.9-mile radius of Bishop International Airport, and within 2.4 miles each side of the 016° radial of the Flint VORTAC extending from the 6.9-mile radius to 7.9 miles north of Bishop International Airport, and within 2.4 miles each side of the 179° radial of the Flint VORTAC extending from the 6.9-mile radius to 7.9 miles south of Bishop International Airport, and within a 6.4-mile radius of Prices Airport.

    * * * * *

    AGL MI E5 Owosso, MI [New]

    Owosso Community Airport, MIStart Printed Page 8640

    (Lat. 42°59′35″ N, long. 84°08′19″ W)

    That airspace extending upward from 700 feet above the surface within a 6.4-mile radius of Owosso Community Airport.

    Start Signature

    Issued in Fort Worth, Texas, on February 21, 2018.

    Christopher L. Southerland,

    Acting Manager, Operations Support Group, ATO Central Service Center.

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    [FR Doc. 2018-03958 Filed 2-27-18; 8:45 am]

    BILLING CODE 4910-13-P

Document Information

Published:
02/28/2018
Department:
Federal Aviation Administration
Entry Type:
Proposed Rule
Action:
Notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM).
Document Number:
2018-03958
Dates:
Comments must be received on or before April 16, 2018.
Pages:
8638-8640 (3 pages)
Docket Numbers:
Docket No. FAA-2018-0020, Airspace Docket No. 17-AGL-28
Topics:
Airspace, Incorporation by reference, Navigation (air)
PDF File:
2018-03958.Pdf
CFR: (1)
14 CFR 71.1