[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 35 (Wednesday, February 21, 2018)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 7435-7437]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-03415]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Aviation Administration

14 CFR Part 71

[Docket No. FAA-2017-1146; Airspace Docket No. 17-AWP-16]


Proposed Amendment of Class D and Class E Airspace, and Removal 
of Class E Airspace; Lompoc, CA

AGENCY: Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), DOT.

ACTION: Notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM).

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: This action proposes to amend Class D airspace, Class E 
airspace extending upward from 700 feet above the surface, and remove 
Class E airspace designated as an extension at Vandenberg Air Force 
Base (AFB), Lompoc, CA. This action also proposes to modify Class E 
airspace extending upward from 700 feet above the surface at Lompoc 
Airport, Lompoc, CA, by enlarging the airspace and removing the part-
time Notice to Airmen (NOTAM) status. This action would also amend the 
geographic coordinates of the airports to match the FAA's aeronautical 
database. This action is necessary for the safety and management of 
instrument flight rules (IFR) operations at these airports. An 
editorial change would be made removing the city associated with the 
airport name in the airspace designator for Vandenberg AFB, as well as 
removing exclusionary language from the description. Additionally, this 
action would replace the outdated term ``Airport/Facility Directory'' 
with the term ``Chart Supplement''.

DATES: Comments must be received on or before April 9, 2018.

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: 
1(800) 647-5527, or (202) 366-9826. You must identify FAA Docket No. 
FAA-2017-1146; Airspace Docket No. 17-AWP-16, at the beginning of your 
comments. You may also submit comments through the internet at http://www.regulations.gov.
    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 7400.11B 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.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Tom Clark, Federal Aviation 
Administration, Operations Support Group, Western Service Center, 1601 
Lind Avenue SW, Renton, WA 98057; telephone (425) 203-4511.

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 D, Class E airspace, and remove Class E 
airspace designated as an extension at Lompoc, CA, in support of IFR 
operations at Vandenberg AFB and Lompoc 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 (Docket No. FAA-
2017-1146; Airspace Docket No. 17-AWP-16) and be submitted in 
triplicate to DOT Docket Operations (see ADDRESSES section for address 
and phone number).
    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-2017-1146; Airspace Docket No. 17-AWP-16.'' The postcard will 
be date/time stamped and returned to the commenter.
    All communications received on or 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 http://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 between 8:00 a.m. and 
4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, except federal holidays, at the 
Northwest Mountain Regional Office of the Federal Aviation 
Administration, Air Traffic Organization, Western Service Center, 
Operations Support Group, 1601 Lind Avenue SW, Renton, WA 98057.

[[Page 7436]]

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 enlarging Class D airspace, reducing 
Class E airspace extending upward from 700 feet above the surface, and 
removing Class E airspace designated as an extension at Vandenberg Air 
Force Base (AFB), Lompoc, CA, and also would amend Class E airspace 
extending upward from 700 feet above the surface and remove part-time 
NOTAM status at Lompoc Airport, Lompoc, CA.
    Class D airspace would be enlarged to within a 5-mile radius (from 
a 4.3-mile radius) of Vandenberg AFB. Additionally, an editorial change 
would remove the city associated with the airport name in the airspace 
designation to comply with a recent change to FAA Order 7400.2L, dated 
October 12, 2017. An editorial change also would be made to the Class D 
airspace legal description replacing ``Airport/Facility Directory'' 
with ``Chart Supplement''.
    Class E airspace designated as an extension would be removed, as 
this airspace is not required to protect IFR arrival and departure 
aircraft at Vandenberg AFB.
    Class E airspace extending upward from 700 feet above the surface 
at Vandenberg AFB would be modified to a 7.3-mile radius of the airport 
with extensions to 11 miles north, 12.5-miles southeast, and 11 miles 
south of the airport (from a 7.8-mile radius of the airport and within 
1.8 miles each side of the Vandenberg AFB ILS localizer southeast 
course, extending from 7.8 miles to 10.3 miles southeast of the 
airport). The exclusionary language contained in the legal description 
would be removed to comply with FAA Order 7400.2L, Procedures for 
Handling Airspace Matters.
    This action also would amend Class E airspace extending upward from 
700 feet above the surface at Lompoc Airport, Lompoc, CA, by enlarging 
the airspace to within a 6.4-mile radius of the airport, and within 4 
miles each side of the 090[deg] bearing from the airport extending from 
the 6.4-mile radius to 12.8 miles east of the airport, and within 4 
miles each side of the 113[deg] bearing from the airport extending from 
the 6.4-mile radius to 20.4 miles southeast of the airport (from a 4.3-
mile radius of the airport and within 4.3 miles each side of the 
Gaviota VORTAC 293[deg] radial extending from the 4.3-mile radius to 
10.9 miles west of the Gaviota VORTAC and within 4 miles each side of 
the 083[deg] bearing from the Lompoc NDB to 8 miles east of the NDB. 
Also, the part-time NOTAM status would be removed, since this airspace 
is effective continuously.
    Finally, this action would update the geographic coordinates of 
these airports to match the FAA's aeronautical database.
    Class E airspace designations are published in paragraph 5000, 
6004, 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.

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

0
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.


Sec.  71.1   [Amended]

0
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:

Paragraph 5000 Class D Airspace.

* * * * *

AWP CA D Lompoc, CA [Amended]

Vandenberg AFB, CA
    (Lat. 34[deg]44'14'' N, long. 120[deg]35'04'' W)

    That airspace extending upward from the surface to and including 
2,900 feet MSL within a 5-mile radius of Vandenberg AFB. 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 Designated as an Extension to a 
Class D or Class E Surface Area.

* * * * *

AWP CA E4 Lompoc, CA [Removed]

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

* * * * *

AWP CA E5 Lompoc, CA [Amended]

Vandenberg AFB, CA
    (Lat. 34[deg]44'14'' N, long. 120[deg]35'04'' W)

    That airspace extending upward from 700 feet above the surface 
within a 7.3-mile radius of Vandenberg AFB from the airport 007[deg] 
bearing clockwise to the airport 143[deg] bearing, and within a 
12.5-mile radius of the airport from the airport 143[deg] bearing 
clockwise to the airport 168[deg] bearing, and within an 11-mile 
radius of the airport from the airport 168[deg] bearing clockwise to 
the airport 190[deg] bearing, and within a 7.3-mile radius of the 
airport from the airport 190[deg] bearing clockwise to the airport 
343[deg] bearing, and within an 11-mile radius of the airport from 
the airport 343[deg] bearing clockwise to the airport 007[deg] 
bearing.

AWP CA E5 Lompoc, CA [Amended]

Lompoc Airport, CA
    (Lat. 34[deg]39'56'' N, long. 120[deg]28'03'' W)


[[Page 7437]]


    That airspace extending upward from 700 feet above the surface 
within a 6.4-mile radius of Lompoc Airport, and within 4 miles each 
side of the 090[deg] bearing from the airport extending to 12.8 
miles east of the airport, and within 4 miles each side of the 
113[deg] bearing from the airport extending to 20.4 miles southeast 
of the airport.

    Issued in Seattle, Washington, on February 7, 2018.
B.G. Chew,
Acting Manager, Operations Support Group, Western Service Center.
[FR Doc. 2018-03415 Filed 2-20-18; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4910-13-P