[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 220 (Friday, November 13, 2020)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 72610-72612]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-25053]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Aviation Administration

14 CFR Part 71

[Docket No. FAA-2020-0942; Airspace Docket No. 20-AWP-12]
RIN 2120-AA66


Proposed Amendment of Class D and E Airspace; Palmdale, CA

AGENCY: Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), DOT.

ACTION: Notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM).

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SUMMARY: This action proposes to modify the Class E airspace, 
designated as an extension to a Class D or Class E surface area, at 
Palmdale USAF Plant 42 Airport. This action also proposes to modify the 
Class E airspace, extending upward from 700 feet above the surface. 
Additionally, this action proposes to revoke the Class E airspace, 
extending upward from 1,200 feet above the surface. Further, this 
action proposes to remove the Palmdale VORTAC from the Class E4 and the 
Class E5 legal descriptions. Also, this action proposes to remove the 
Lancaster, Gen. William J. Fox Airfield, CA, from the Class E5 legal 
description. Lastly, this action proposes several administrative 
corrections to the airspace legal descriptions. This action would 
ensure the safety and management of instrument flight rules (IFR) 
operations at the airport.

DATES: Comments must be received on or before December 28, 2020.

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-2020-0942; Airspace Docket No. 20-AWP-12, at the beginning of your 
comments. You may also submit comments through the internet at https://www.regulations.gov.
    FAA Order 7400.11E, Airspace Designations and Reporting Points, and 
subsequent amendments can be viewed online at https://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 7400.11E at NARA, email [email protected] 
or go to https://www.archives.gov/federal-register/cfr/ibr-locations.html.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Matthew Van Der Wal, Federal Aviation 
Administration, Western Service Center, Operations Support Group, 2200 
S. 216th Street, Des Moines, WA 98198; telephone (206) 231-3695.

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

[[Page 72611]]

amend the Class D and Class E airspace at Palmdale USAF Plant 42 
Airport, Palmdale, CA, to support IFR operations at the 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 and be submitted in 
triplicate to the address listed above. 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-2020-0942; 
Airspace Docket No. 20-AWP-12''. 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 https://www.regulations.gov. Recently published rulemaking 
documents can also be accessed through the FAA's web page at https://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 Northwest Mountain Regional Office of the Federal 
Aviation Administration, Air Traffic Organization, Western Service 
Center, Operations Support Group, 2200 S. 216th Street, Des Moines, WA 
98198.

Availability and Summary of Documents for Incorporation by Reference

    This document proposes to amend FAA Order 7400.11E, Airspace 
Designations and Reporting Points, dated July 21, 2020, and effective 
September 15, 2020. FAA Order 7400.11E is publicly available as listed 
in the ADDRESSES section of this document. FAA Order 7400.11E 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 Part 71 by modifying the Class E airspace, designated as an 
extension to a Class D or Class E surface area, at Palmdale USAF Plant 
42 Airport, Palmdale, CA. The Class E extension east of the airport is 
not required and it should be removed. However, to properly contain IFR 
aircraft descending below 1,000 feet above the surface on the RNAV 
(GPS) RWY 07 approach, a new Class E extension should be added west of 
the airport. The new Class E extension to the Class D airspace area 
would be described as follows: That airspace extending upward from the 
surface within 1 mile each side of the 270[deg] bearing from the 
airport, extending from the 4.3-mile radius to 7.5 miles west of 
Palmdale USAF Plant 42 Airport. This Class E 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.
    This action also proposes to modify the Class E airspace, extending 
upward from 700 feet above the surface. This airspace area is not 
properly sized to contain IFR departures until reaching 1,200 feet 
above the surface, and IFR arrivals descending below 1,500 feet above 
the surface. The area would be described as follows: That airspace 
extending upward from 700 feet above the surface within a 6.8-mile 
radius of the airport, and within 6.1 miles each side of the 080[deg] 
bearing from the airport, extending from the 6.8-mile radius to 12.9 
miles east of the airport, and within 4 miles north and 8 miles south 
of the 086[deg] bearing from the airport, extending from the airport to 
14.3 miles east of the airport, and within 2 miles each side of the 
274[deg] bearing from the airport, extending from the 6.8-mile radius 
to 13.4 miles west of Palmdale USAF Plant 42 Airport.
    Additionally, this action proposes to remove the Class E airspace, 
extending upward from 1,200 feet above the surface. This airspace area 
is wholly contained with the Los Angeles en route airspace area and 
duplication is not necessary.
    Further, this action proposes to remove the Palmdale VORTAC from 
the Class E4 and the Class E5 legal descriptions. The navigational aid 
is not needed to describe the airspace. Additionally, removal of the 
navigational aid allows the airspace to be defined from a single 
reference point, simplifying how the airspace is described.
    Also, this action proposes to remove the Lancaster, Gen. William J. 
Fox Airfield, CA, from the Class E5 legal description. The airport is 
not needed to describe the airspace. Additionally, removal of the 
airport allows the airspace to be defined from a single reference 
point, simplifying how the airspace is described.
    Lastly, this action proposes several administrative corrections to 
the airspace legal descriptions. The airport name in the Class D, Class 
E4, and Class E5 text header's second line is incorrect. The airport 
name should be updated to ``Palmdale USAF Plant 42 Airport, CA.'' The 
last sentence of the Class D and Class E4 airspace descriptions contain 
outdated verbiage. The term Airport/Facility Directory'' should be 
updated to ``Chart Supplement.''
    Class D, E4, and E5 airspace designations are published in 
paragraphs 5000, 6004, and 6005, respectively, of FAA Order 7400.11E, 
dated July 21, 2020, and effective September 15, 2020, 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.
    FAA Order 7400.11, Airspace Designations and Reporting Points, is 
published yearly and effective on September 15.

Regulatory Notices and Analyses

    The FAA has determined that this 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

[[Page 72612]]

traffic procedures and air navigation, it is certified that this 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 7400.11E, 
Airspace Designations and Reporting Points, dated July 21, 2020, and 
effective September 15, 2020, is amended as follows:

Paragraph 5000. Class D Airspace.

* * * * *

AWP CA D Palmdale, CA [Amended]

Palmdale USAF Plant 42 Airport, CA
    (Lat. 34[deg]37'46'' N., long. 118[deg]05'04'' W.)

    That airspace extending upward from the surface to and including 
5,000 feet MSL within a 4.3-mile radius of Palmdale USAF Plant 42 
Airport. 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 a Class E Surface Area.

* * * * *

AWP CA E4 Palmdale, CA [Amended]

Palmdale USAF Plant 42 Airport, CA
    (Lat. 34[deg]37'46'' N., long. 118[deg]05'04'' W.)

    That airspace extending upward from the surface within 1 mile 
each side of the 270[ordm] bearing from the airport, extending from 
the 4.3-mile radius to 7.5 miles west of Palmdale USAF Plant 42 
Airport. This Class E 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 6005. Class E Airspace Areas Extending Upward From 700 
Feet or More Above the Surface of the Earth.

* * * * *

AWP CA E5 Palmdale, CA [Amended]

Palmdale USAF Plant 42 Airport, CA
    (Lat. 34[deg]37'46'' N, long. 118[deg]05'04'' W)

    That airspace extending upward from 700 feet above the surface 
within a 6.8-mile radius of the airport, and within 6.1 miles each 
side of the 080[deg] bearing from the airport, extending from the 
6.8-mile radius to 12.9 miles east of the airport, and within 4 
miles north and 8 miles south of the 086[deg] bearing from the 
airport, extending from the airport to 14.3 miles east of the 
airport, and within 2 miles each side of the 274[deg] bearing from 
the airport, extending from the 6.8-mile radius to 13.4 miles west 
of Palmdale USAF Plant 42 Airport.

    Issued in Seattle, Washington, on November 5, 2020.
B.G. Chew,
Acting Group Manager, Operations Support Group, Western Service Center.
[FR Doc. 2020-25053 Filed 11-12-20; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-13-P