2023-02738. Amendment of Class E Airspace; Altoona, PA

AGENCY:

Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), DOT.

ACTION:

Notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM).

SUMMARY:

This action proposes to amend the Class E airspace at Altoona, PA. The FAA is proposing this action as the result of an airspace review caused by the decommissioning of the Revloc very high frequency omnidirectional range (VOR) navigation aids as part of the VOR Minimum Operating Network (MON) Program. The name of the airport would also be updated to coincide with the FAA's aeronautical database.

DATES:

Comments must be received on or before March 27, 2023.

ADDRESSES:

Send comments on this proposal to the U.S. Department of Transportation, Docket Operations, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE, West Building Ground Floor, Room W12-140, Washington, DC 20590; telephone [phone] or [phone]. You must identify FAA Docket No. FAA-2023-0039; Airspace Docket No. 23-AEA-1 at the beginning of your comments. You may also submit comments through the internet at www.regulations.gov.

FAA Order JO 7400.11G, Airspace Designations and Reporting Points, and subsequent amendments can be viewed online at www.faa.gov/​air_​traffic/​publications/​. For further information, you can contact the Rules and Regulations Group, Federal Aviation Administration, 800 Independence Avenue SW, Washington, DC 20591; telephone: [phone].

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Jeffrey Claypool, Federal Aviation Administration, Operations Support Group, Central Service Center, 10101 Hillwood Parkway, Fort Worth, TX 76177; telephone [phone].

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 the Class E surface airspace and the Class E airspace extending upward from 700 feet above the surface at Altoona/Blair County Airport, Altoona, PA, to support instrument flight rule operations at this airport.

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 (FAA Docket No. FAA-2023-0039; Airspace Docket No. 23-AEA-1) and be submitted in triplicate to the Docket Management Facility (see ADDRESSES section for the address and phone number). You may also submit comment through the internet at www.regulations.gov.

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-2023-0039/Airspace Docket No. 23-AEA-1.” The postcard will be date/time stamped and returned to the commenter.

All communications received on or before the specified closing date will be considered before taking action on the proposed rule. The proposal contained in this action may be changed in light of the comments received. All comments submitted will be available for examination in the public docket both before and after the comment closing date. 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 www.regulations.gov. Recently published rulemaking documents can also be accessed through the FAA's web page at 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 phone 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.

Incorporation by Reference

Class E airspace is published in paragraphs 6002 and 6005 of FAA Order JO 7400.11G, Airspace Designations and Reporting Points, which is incorporated by reference in 14 CFR 71.1 on an annual basis. This document proposes to amend FAA Order JO 7400.11G, Airspace Designations and Reporting Points, dated August 19, 2022, and effective September 15, 2022. These updates would be published subsequently in the next update to FAA Order JO 7400.11. FAA Order JO 7400.11G is publicly available as listed in the ADDRESSES section of this document.

FAA Order JO 7400.11G 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 14 CFR part 71 by:

Amending the Class E surface airspace to within a 9.3-mile (increased from a 4.7-mile) radius of Altoona/Blair County Airport, Altoona, PA; removing the extension northeast of the airport as it is no longer required; and updating the name (previously Altoona-Blair County Airport) of the airport to coincide with the FAA's aeronautical database;

And amending the Class E airspace extending upward from 700 feet above the surface to within an 11.8-mile (increased from an 11.2-mile) radius of Altoona/Blair County Airport; adding an extension 2 miles each side of the 196° bearing from the airport extending from the 11.8-mile radius to 12 miles south of the airport; and updating the name (previously Altoona-Blair County Airport) of the airport to coincide with the FAA's aeronautical database.

This action is the result of an airspace review caused by the decommissioning of the Revloc VOR, which provided navigation information for the instrument procedures at this airport, as part of the VOR MON Program and will support instrument flight rule operations at this airport.

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. 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, will 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.

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

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

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.

§ 71.1

[Amended]

2. The incorporation by reference in 14 CFR 71.1 of FAA Order JO 7400.11G, Airspace Designations and Reporting Points, dated August 19, 2022, and effective September 15, 2022, is amended as follows:

Paragraph 6002 Class E Airspace Areas Designated as Surface Areas.

* * * * *

AEA PA E2 Altoona, PA [Amended]

Altoona/Blair County Airport, PA

(Lat. 40°17′47″ N, long. 78°19′12″ W)

Within a 9.3-mile radius of Altoona/Blair County Airport.

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

* * * * *

AEA PA E5 Altoona, PA [Amended]

Altoona/Blair County Airport, PA

(Lat. 40°17′47″ N, long. 78°19′12″ W)

That airspace extending upward from 700 feet above the surface within an 11.8-mile radius of Altoona/Blair County Airport; and within 2 miles each side of the 196° bearing from the airport extending from the 11.8-mile radius to 12 miles south of the airport.

Issued in Fort Worth, Texas, on February 6, 2023.

Martin A. Skinner,

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