[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 61 (Thursday, March 29, 2018)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 13438-13440]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-06246]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Aviation Administration

14 CFR Part 71

[Docket No. FAA-2018-0137; Airspace Docket No. 18-ACE-2]


Proposed Amendment and Establishment of Class E Airspace; 
Columbus, NE

AGENCY: Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), DOT.

ACTION: Notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM).

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SUMMARY: This action proposes to amend Class E airspace designated as a 
surface area and remove the Notice to Airmen (NOTAM) part-time status, 
amend Class E airspace extending upward from 700 feet above the 
surface, and establish Class E airspace designated as an extension to 
the Class E surface area at Columbus Municipal Airport, Columbus, NE. 
The FAA is proposing this action at the request of Minneapolis Air 
Route Traffic Control Center (ARTCC) and as the result of an FAA 
airspace review. Additionally, the geographic coordinates of the 
airport would be updated to coincide with the FAA's aeronautical 
database. This action is necessary for the safety and management of 
instrument flight rules (IFR) operations at the airport.

DATES: Comments must be received on or before May 14, 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 
(202) 366-9826, or (800) 647-5527. You must identify FAA Docket No. 
FAA-2018-0137; Airspace Docket No. 18-ACE-2 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

[[Page 13439]]

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

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 to support IFR operations at 
Columbus Municipal Airport, Columbus, NE.

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-2018-0137; 
Airspace Docket No. 18-ACE-2.'' 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 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 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 that would:
    Amend the Class E airspace designated as a surface area within a 
4.2-mile radius (reduced from a 4.7-mile radius) at Columbus Municipal 
Airport, Columbus, NE; remove the Columbus VOR/DME and the extensions 
to the southeast and northwest of the airport as they are no longer 
needed to define this boundary; remove the NOTAM part-time language 
from the airspace description; and update the geographic coordinates of 
the airport to coincide with the FAA's aeronautical database;
    Establish Class E airspace designated as an extension to the Class 
E surface area at Columbus Municipal Airport within 2.4 miles each side 
of the Columbus VOR/DME 150[deg] radial from the 4.2-mile radius of the 
airport to 7.0 miles southeast of the airport, and within 2.4 miles 
each side of the Columbus VOR/DME 309[deg] radial from the 4.2-mile 
radius of the airport to 7.7 miles northwest of the airport; and
    Amend Class E airspace extending upward from 700 feet above the 
surface to within a 6.7-mile radius (reduced from a 7.7-mile radius) of 
Columbus Municipal Airport; remove the Columbus Municipal ILS 
Localizer, Platte Center NDB, and the associated northwest extension; 
amend the extension to the southeast to within 2.4 miles (increased 
from 1.6 miles) each side of the Columbus VOR/DME 150[deg] (previously 
157[deg]) radial from the 6.7-mile radius to 7.0 miles (decreased from 
11 miles) southeast of the airport; add an extension 2.4 miles each 
side of the Columbus VOR/DME 309[deg] radial extending from the 6.7-
mile radius to 7.7 miles northeast of the airport; and update the 
geographic coordinates of the airport to coincide with the FAA's 
aeronautical database.
    Airspace reconfiguration is necessary due to a request from 
Minneapolis ARTCC, to bring the airspace into compliance with FAA Order 
7400.2L, Procedures for Handling Airspace, and to support the safety 
and management of IFR operations at this airport.
    Class E airspace designations are published in paragraphs 6002, 
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 designations 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

[[Page 13440]]

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 6002 Class E Airspace Areas Designated as Surface Areas.

* * * * *

ACE NE E2 Columbus, NE [Amended]

Columbus Municipal Airport, NE
    (Lat. 41[deg]26'55'' N, long. 97[deg]20'34'' W)

Within a 4.7 mile radius of Columbus Municipal Airport.
    Paragraph 6004. Class E Airspace Areas Designated as an 
Extension to a Class D or Class E Surface Area.
* * * * *

ACE MO E4 Columbus, NE [New]

Columbus Municipal Airport, NE
    (Lat. 41[deg]26'55'' N, long. 97[deg]20'34'' W)
Columbus VOR/DME
    (Lat. 41[deg]27'00'' N, long. 97[deg]20'27'' W)

That airspace extending upward from the surface within 2.4 miles 
each side of the Columbus VOR/DME 150[deg] radial extending from the 
4.2-mile radius of Columbus Municipal Airport to 7.0 miles southeast 
of the airport, and within 2.4 miles each side of the Columbus VOR/
DME 309[deg] radial extending from the 4.2-mile radius of Columbus 
Municipal Airport to 7.7 miles northwest of the airport.

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

* * * * *

ACE NE E5 Columbus, NE [Amended]

Columbus Municipal Airport, NE
    (Lat. 41[deg]26'55'' N, long. 97[deg]20'34'' W)
Columbus VOR/DME
    (Lat. 41[deg]27'00'' N, long. 97[deg]20'27'' W)

That airspace extending upward from 700 feet above the surface 
within a 6.7-mile radius of Columbus Municipal Airport and within 
2.4 miles each side of the Columbus VOR/DME 150[deg] radial 
extending from the 6.7-mile radius to 7.0 miles southeast of the 
airport and within 2.4 miles each side of the Columbus VOR/DME 
309[deg]radial extending from the 6.7-mile radius to 7.7 miles 
northwest of the airport.

    Issued in Fort Worth, Texas, on March 21, 2018.
Christopher L. Southerland,
Acting Manager, Operations Support Group, ATO Central Service Center.
[FR Doc. 2018-06246 Filed 3-28-18; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4910-13-P