[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 73 (Monday, April 16, 2018)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 16259-16261]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-07649]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Aviation Administration

14 CFR Part 71

[Docket No. FAA-2018-0128; Airspace Docket No. 18-AEA-3]
 RIN 2120-AA66


Proposed Amendment of Class D Airspace and Class E Airspace; 
Aberdeen, MD

AGENCY: Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), DOT.

ACTION: Notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM).

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SUMMARY: This action proposes to amend Class D airspace, Class E 
airspace designated as an extension to a Class D surface area, and 
Class E airspace area extending upward from 700 feet or more above the 
surface at Phillips Army Air Field, (AAF), Aberdeen, MD. This action 
would accommodate airspace reconfiguration due to the decommissioning 
of Aberdeen non-directional beacon (NDB), and cancellation of the NDB 
approaches. Controlled airspace is necessary for the safety and 
management of instrument flight rules (IFR) operations at this airport. 
This action also would update the geographic coordinates of the 
airport, and would replace the outdated term Airport/Facility Directory 
with the term Chart Supplement in the legal descriptions of associated 
Class D and E airspace.

DATES: Comments must be received on or before May 31, 2018.

ADDRESSES: Send comments on this proposal to: U.S. Department of 
Transportation, Docket Operations, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE, West 
Building Ground Floor, Room W12-140, Washington, DC 20590; telephone: 
(800) 647-5527, or (202) 366-9826. You must identify the Docket No. 
FAA-2018-0128; Airspace Docket No. 18-AEA-3, 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 on line 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: John Fornito, Operations Support 
Group, Eastern Service Center, Federal Aviation Administration, 1701 
Columbia Avenue, College Park, GA 30337; telephone (404) 305-6364.

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 and Class E airspace at Phillips AAF, 
Aberdeen, MD to support IFR operations at the airport.

Comments Invited

    Interested persons are invited to comment on 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-
2018-0128 and Airspace Docket No. 18-AEA-3) and be submitted in 
triplicate to DOT Docket Operations (see ADDRESSES

[[Page 16260]]

section for the address and phone number.) You may also submit comments 
through the internet at http://www.regulations.gov.
    Persons wishing the FAA to acknowledge receipt of their comments on 
this action must submit with those comments a self-addressed stamped 
postcard on which the following statement is made: ``Comments to FAA 
Docket No. FAA-2018-0128; Airspace Docket No. 18-AEA-3.'' 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 document 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 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 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 office 
of the Eastern Service Center, Federal Aviation Administration, room 
350, 1701 Columbia Avenue, College Park, GA 30337.

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 considering an amendment to Title 14, Code of Federal 
Regulations (14 CFR) part 71 by:
    Amending Class D airspace at Phillips AAF, Aberdeen, MD, by 
updating the geographic coordinates of the airfield; and
    Amending Class E airspace designated as an extension to a Class D 
surface area to within a 4.4-mile radius of Phillips AAF, and within 2 
miles each side of the 028[deg] bearing from Phillips AAF, extending 
from the 4.4-mile radius to 9 miles northeast of the airport. The 
northeast extension from the Aberdeen NDB would be removed due to the 
decommissioning of the navigation aid and cancelation of the NDB 
approach.
    The geographic coordinates of Phillips AAF would be adjusted in the 
associated airspace areas to be in concert with the FAA's aeronautical 
database. These changes would enhance the safety and management of IFR 
operations at the airport.
    In addition, an editorial change would be made replacing the 
outdated term Airport/Facility Directory with the term Chart Supplement 
in the associated Class D and E airspace legal descriptions.
    Class D and Class E airspace designations are published in 
Paragraphs 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 D and 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. 
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.

Lists 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

0
1. The authority citation for 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 Federal Aviation 
Administration 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.

* * * * *

AEA MD D Aberdeen, MD [Amended]

Phillips AAF, MD
    (Lat. 39[deg]27'58'' N, long. 76[deg]10'07'' W)

    That airspace extending upward from the surface to and including 
2,600 feet MSL within a 4.4-mile radius of Phillips AAF; excluding 
that airspace in Restricted Area R-4001A when it is in effect. This 
Class D airspace area is effective during the specific dates and 
times established in advance by a Notice to Airmen. The specific 
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 Surface Area.

* * * * *

AEA MD E4 Aberdeen, MD [Amended]

Phillips AAF, Aberdeen, MD
    (Lat. 39[deg]27'58'' N, long. 76[deg]10'07'' W)

    That airspace extending upward from the surface within 2 miles 
each side of the 028[deg] bearing from Phillips AAF, extending from 
the 4.4-mile radius of the airport to 9 miles northeast of the 
airport; excluding that airspace in Restricted Area R-4001A when it 
is in effect. This Class E airspace area is effective during the 
specific dates and times established in advance by a Notice to

[[Page 16261]]

Airmen. The specific date and time will thereafter be continuously 
published in the Chart Supplement.

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

* * * * *

AEA MD E5 Aberdeen, MD

Phillips AAF, MD
    (Lat. 39[deg]27'58'' N, long. 76[deg]10'07'' W)

    That airspace extending upward from 700 feet above the surface 
within a 6.7-mile radius of Phillips AAF and within an 8.3-mile 
radius of Phillips AAF extending clockwise from the 260[deg] bearing 
to the 030[deg] bearing from the airport, excluding the airspace in 
Restricted Areas R-4001A and R-4001B when they are in effect.

    Issued in College Park, Georgia, on April 5, 2018.
Ryan W. Almasy,
Manager, Operations Support Group Eastern Service Center, Air Traffic 
Operations.
[FR Doc. 2018-07649 Filed 4-13-18; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4910-13-P