2022-12101. Proposed Removal of Class E Airspace and Modification of Class D and Class E Airspace; Point Mugu NAS (Naval Base Ventura Co) Airport, CA

AGENCY:

Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), DOT.

ACTION:

Notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM).

SUMMARY:

This action proposes to remove the Class E airspace, designated as an extension to a Class D or Class E surface area, at Point Mugu NAS (Naval Base Ventura Co) Airport, Oxnard, CA. This action also proposes to modify the Class E airspace extending upward from 700 feet above the surface. Further, this action proposes to remove the Class E airspace extending upward from 1,200 feet above the surface and the Class E airspace extending upward from 5,000 feet above the surface, both of these areas are contained within the Los Angeles Class E en route airspace and duplication is not necessary. Lastly, this action proposes several administrative updates to the Class D and Class E5 airspaces' legal descriptions. This action would ensure the safety and management of instrument flight rules (IFR) operations at the airport.

DATES:

Comments must be received on or before July 22, 2022.

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-2021-0242; Airspace Docket No. 20-AWP-8, at the beginning of your comments. You may also submit comments through the internet at https://www.regulations.gov.

FAA Order JO 7400.11F, Airspace Designations and Reporting Points, and subsequent amendments can be viewed online at https://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: [phone].

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Nathan A. Chaffman, Federal Aviation Administration, Western Service Center, Operations Support Group, 2200 S 216th Street, Des Moines, WA 98198; 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 modify the Class D and Class E airspace at Point Mugu NAS (Naval Base Ventura Co) Airport, Oxnard, CA, to support IFR operations at the 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 and be submitted in triplicate to the address listed above. Persons 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-2021-0242; Airspace Docket No. 20-AWP-8”. 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 https://www.regulations.gov. Recently published rulemaking documents can also be accessed through the FAA's web page at https://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 Northwest Mountain Regional Office of the Federal Aviation Administration, Air Traffic Organization, Western Service Center, Operations Support Group, 2200 S 216th Street, Des Moines, WA 98198.

Availability and Summary of Documents for Incorporation by Reference

This document proposes to amend FAA Order JO 7400.11F, Airspace Designations and Reporting Points, dated August 10, 2021, and effective September 15, 2021. FAA Order JO 7400.11F is publicly available as listed in the ADDRESSES section of this document. FAA Order JO 7400.11F 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 removing the Class E airspace, designated as an extension to a Class D or Class E surface area, at Point Mugu NAS (Naval Base Ventura Co) Airport, Oxnard, CA. This airspace area is southwest of the airport and is no longer required to contain IFR arrivals descending below 1,000 feet above the surface.

Also, this action proposes to properly size the Class E airspace extending upward from 700 feet above the surface. This airspace is designed to contain arriving IFR aircraft descending below 1,500 feet above the surface and departing IFR aircraft until they reach 1,200 feet above the surface. The current area is larger than required and this airspace area should be reduced to a 6.8-mile radius of the airport.

Further, this action proposes to remove the Class E airspace extending upward from 1,200 feet above the surface and the Class E airspace extending upward from 5,000 feet above the surface. The two airspace areas are wholly contained within the Los Angeles en route airspace area and duplication is not necessary.

Lastly, this action proposes administrative updates to the Class D and Class E5 legal descriptions. To match the FAA database, the city name in the first line of the Class D text header should be updated from “Point Mugu NAWS” to “Oxnard”. To match the FAA database, the airport name in the second line of the Class D and Class E5 text headers should be updated to “Point Mugu NAS (Naval Air Station Ventura Co) Airport, CA.” To match the FAA database, the geographic coordinates in the third line of the Class D and Class E5 text headers should be updated to lat. 34°07′09″ N, long. 119°07′11″ W. As the Point Mugu NAS (Naval Air Station Ventura Co) Airport's Class D airspace abuts the Class D areas for Oxnard and Camarillo Airports, the geographic coordinates in Point Mugu NAS (Naval Air Station Ventura Co) Airport's Class D should be updated to more accurately define the common borders of the Class D areas, which would not represent a change to the current boundaries. Finally, the term “Airport/Facility Directory” in the last sentence of the Class D airspace description is outdated and should be changed to “Chart Supplement.”

Class D, Class E4, and Class E5 airspace designations are published in paragraphs 5000, 6004, and 6005, respectively, of FAA Order 7400.11F, August 10, 2021, and effective September 15, 2021, which is incorporated by reference in 14 CFR 71.1. The Class D and Class E airspace designations listed in this document will be published subsequently in the Order.

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

Regulatory Notices and Analyses

The FAA has determined that this 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 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.

List of Subjects in 14 CFR Part 71

• Airspace
• Incorporation by reference
• Navigation (air)

The Proposed Amendment

Accordingly, pursuant to the authority delegated to me, 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 7400.11F, Airspace Designations and Reporting Points, dated August 10, 2021, and effective September 15, 2021, is amended as follows:

Paragraph 5000 Class D Airspace.

* * * * *

AWP CA D Oxnard, CA [Amended]

Point Mugu NAS (Naval Air Station Ventura Co) Airport, CA

(Lat. 34°07′09″ N, long. 119°07′11″ W)

That airspace extending upward from the surface to and including 3,000 feet MSL within a 4.3-mile radius of the Point Mugu NAWS, excluding that portion north and west of a line beginning at lat. 34°09′18.02″ N, long. 119°02′40.92″ W; to lat. 34°10′34.70″ N, long. 119°04′1.71″ W; to lat. 34°10′22″ N, long. 119°09′27″ W; to lat. 34°07′44.53″ N, long. 119°12′18.39″ W. This Class D 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 6004 Class E Airspace Areas Designated as an Extension to a Class D or Class E Surface Area.

* * * * *

AWP CA E4 Oxnard, CA [Removed]

Point Mugu NAS, CA

(Lat. 34°07′09″ N, long. 119°07′11″ W)

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

* * * * *

AWP CA E5 Oxnard, CA [Amended]

Point Mugu NAS (Naval Air Station Ventura Co) Airport, CA

(Lat. 34°07′09″ N, long. 119°07′11″ W)

That airspace extending upward from 700 feet above the surface within a 6.8-mile radius of the Point Mugu NAS Airport.

Issued in Des Moines, Washington, on May 26, 2022.

B.G. Chew,

Acting Group Manager, Operations Support Group, Western Service Center.