00-17869. Proposed Amendment to Class D Airspace, Melbourne, FL

AGENCY:

Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), DOT.

ACTION:

Notice of proposed rulemaking.

SUMMARY:

This action proposes to amend Class D airspace at Melbourne International Airport, FL, by lowering the airspace ceiling from 2,500 feet above ground level (AGL) to 1,900 feet AGL. Due to the high number of overflying aircraft, in the interest of safety the airspace above 1,900 AGL has been delegated by the Melbourne Air Traffic Control Tower, which provides Visual Flight Rules (VFR) service to aircraft operating in the vicinity of the Melbourne International Airport, to the Daytona Beach Radar Approach Control Facility, which provides Instrument Flight Rules (IFR) air traffic control service to the Melbourne International Airport. This proposed action will also change the name of the airport in the legal description from Melbourne Regional to Melbourne International Airport.

DATES:

Comments must be received on or before August 14, 2000.

ADDRESSES:

Send comments on the proposal in triplicate to: Federal Aviation Administration, Docket No. 00-ASO-26, Manager, Airspace Branch, ASO-520, P.O. Box 20636, Atlanta, Georgia 30320.

The official docket may be examined in the Office of the Regional Counsel for Southern Region, Room 550, 1701 Columbia Avenue, College Park, Georgia 30337, telephone [phone].

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Nancy B. Shelton, Manager, Airspace Branch, Air Traffic Division, Federal Aviation Administration, P.O. Box 20636, Atlanta, Georgia 30320; 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, aeronautical, economic, environmental, and energy-related aspects of the proposal. Communications should identify the airspace docket and be submitted in triplicate to the address listed above. Commenters wishing the FAA to acknowledge receipt of their comments on this notice musk submit with those comments a self-addressed, stamped postcard on which the following statement is made: “Comments to Airspace Docket No. 00-ASO-26.” 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. All comments submitted will be available for examination in the Office of the Regional Counsel for Southern Region, Room 550, 1701 Columbia Avenue, College Park, Georgia 30337, both before and after the closing date for comments. A report summarizing each substantive public contact with 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 Federal Aviation Administration, Manager, Airspace Branch, ASO-520, Air Traffic Division, P.O. Box 20636, Atlanta, Georgia 30320. Communications must identify the notice number of this NPRM. Persons interested in being place don 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 17 of the Federal Aviation Regulations (14 CFR part 71) to amend Class D airspace at Melbourne International Airport, FL, by lowering the airspace ceiling from 2,500 AGL to 1,900 feet AGL and changing the airport name in the legal description from Melbourne Regional to Melbourne International Airport. Class D airspace designations are published in Paragraph 5000 of FAA Order 7400.9G, dated September 1, 1999, and effective September 16, 1999, which is incorporated by reference in 14 CFR 71.1. The Class D airspace designations listed in this comment 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. 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, will not have a 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—DESIGNATION OF CLASS A, CLASS B, CLASS C, CLASS D, AND CLASS E AIRSPACE AREAS; AIRWAYS; ROUTES; AND REPORTING POINTS

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 7400.9G, Airspace Designations and Reporting Points, dated September 1, 1999, and effective September 16, 1999, is amended as follows:

Paragraph 5000 Class D airspace.

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ASO FL D Melbourne, FL [Revised]

Melbourne International Airport, FL

(Lat. 28°06′10″ N, long. 80°38′45″ W)

That airspace extending upward from the surface, to and including 1,900 feet MSL within a 4.3-mile radius of the Melbourne International Airport, excluding the portion north of a line connecting the points of intersection with a 5.3-mile radius circle centered on Patrick AFB. This Class D airspace area is effective during the specific dates and times established in advance by a Notice to Airmen. The effective dates and times will thereafter be continuously published in the Airport/Facility Directory.

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Issued in College Park, Georgia, on June 30, 2000.

Wade T. Carpenter,

Acting Manager, Air Traffic Division, Southern Region.