[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 86 (Thursday, May 3, 2018)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 19474-19475]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-09089]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Aviation Administration

14 CFR Part 71

[Docket No. FAA-2017-1214; Airspace Docket No. 17-ASO-24]
RIN 2120-AA66


Proposed Amendment of Class E Airspace, Knoxville, TN

AGENCY: Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), DOT.

ACTION: Notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM).

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SUMMARY: This action proposes to amend Class E surface airspace at 
Knoxville Downtown Island Airport, Knoxville, TN, by adding to the 
airspace description the exclusion of a 1-mile radius around University 
of Tennessee Medical Center Heliport, to allow helicopters departing 
from the heliport to no longer require a clearance. Also, the BENFI 
non-directional beacon (NDB) has been decommissioned, requiring 
redesign of Class E airspace extending upward from 700 feet above the 
surface at McGhee-Tyson Airport. Controlled airspace is necessary for 
the safety and management of instrument flight rules (IFR) operations 
at these airports. This action also would update the geographic 
coordinates of Knoxville Downtown Island Airport, McGhee Tyson Airport, 
and Gatlinburg-Pigeon Forge Airport in the associated Class E airspace 
areas to coincide with the FAA's aeronautical database.

DATES: Comments must be received on or before June 18, 2018.

ADDRESSES: Send comments on this proposal to: U.S. Department of 
Transportation, Docket Operations, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE, West Bldg 
Ground Floor, Rm W12-140, Washington, DC 20590; telephone: 1-(800) 647-
5527, or (202) 366-9826. You must identify the Docket No. FAA-2017-
1214; Airspace Docket No. 17-ASO-24, at the beginning of your comments. 
You may also submit and review received 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 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, 1700 
Columbus Avenue, College Park, Georgia 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 E airspace to support IFR operations in the 
Knoxville, TN, area.

Comments Invited

    Interested persons are invited to comment on this rule 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. 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 Docket 
No. FAA-2017-1214; Airspace Docket No. 17-ASO-24.'' 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

[[Page 19475]]

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 to amend Class E surface airspace within a 
4.5-mile radius of Knoxville Downtown Island Airport, Knoxville, TN, to 
exclude a 1.0-mile radius around University of Tennessee Medical Center 
Heliport. The University of Tennessee Medical Center Heliport requires 
this 1.0- mile cutout below 700 feet from the surface to allow 
helicopters to depart the heliport without an IFR clearance.
    Also, the BENFI NDB has been decommissioned, requiring airspace 
reconfiguration of Class E airspace extending upward from 700 feet or 
more above the surface at McGhee Tyson Airport, Knoxville, TN.
    Additionally, the geographic coordinates of the Knoxville Downtown 
Island Airport, McGhee Tyson Airport, and Gatlinburg-Pigeon Forge 
Airport would be adjusted to coincide with the FAA's aeronautical 
database.
    Class E airspace designations are published in Paragraphs 6002 and 
6005, respectively, of FAA Order 7400.11B, dated August 3, 201B, and 
effective September 15, 201B, 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. 
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 6002 Class E Surface Area Airspace

* * * * *

ASO TN E2 Knoxville, TN [Amended]

Knoxville Downtown Island Airport, TN
    (Lat. 35[deg]57'50'' N, long. 83[deg]52'25'' W)
University of Tennessee Medical Center Heliport, TN
    (Lat. 35[deg]56'30'' N, long. 83[deg]56'38'' W)

    Within a 4.5-mile radius of Knoxville Downtown Island Airport, 
excluding that airspace within a 1.0-mile radius of University of 
Tennessee Medical Center Heliport.

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

* * * * *

ASO TN E5 Knoxville, TN [Amended]

McGhee-Tyson Airport, TN
    (Lat. 35[deg]48'34'' N, long. 83[deg]59'43'' W)
Gatlinburg-Pigeon Forge Airport, TN
    (Lat. 35[deg]51'28'' N, long. 83[deg]31'43'' W)
Knoxville Downtown Island Airport, TN
    (Lat. 35[deg]57'50'' N, long. 83[deg]52'25'' W)
Monroe County Airport, Madisonville, TN,
    (Lat. 35[deg]32'43'' N, long. 84[deg]22'49'' W)

    That airspace extending upward from 700 feet above the surface 
within a 15.4-mile radius of McGhee-Tyson Airport, and within a 13-
mile radius of Gatlinburg-Pigeon Forge Airport, and from the 
080[deg] bearing from Gatlinburg-Pigeon Forge Airport clockwise to 
the 210[deg] bearing extending from the 13-mile radius southeast to 
the 33-mile radius centered on Gatlinburg-Pigeon Forge Airport, and 
within an 8-mile radius of Knoxville Downtown Island Airport and 
within a 6.5-mile radius of Monroe County Airport, Madisonville, TN.

    Issued in College Park, Georgia, on April 24, 2018.
Geoff Lelliot,
Acting Manager, Operations Support Group, Eastern Service Center, Air 
Traffic Organization.
[FR Doc. 2018-09089 Filed 5-2-18; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-13-P