[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 43 (Monday, March 8, 2021)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 13242-13244]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-04016]


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

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Aviation Administration

14 CFR Part 71

[Docket No. FAA-2021-0044; Airspace Docket No. 19-AWP-25]
RIN 2120-AA66


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

AGENCY: Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), DOT.

ACTION: Notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM).

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

SUMMARY: This action proposes to modify the Class D airspace, at 
Meadows Field Airport. This action also proposes to modify the Class E 
airspace designated as a surface area and the Class E airspace 
extending upward from 700 feet above the surface. Additionally, this 
action proposes several administrative corrections to the Class D, 
Class E2, and Class E5 text headers. Lastly, this action proposes to 
update the term ``Airport/Facility Directory'' in the last sentence of 
the Class D's airspace description to ``Chart Supplement.'' 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 April 22, 2021.

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-2021-0044; Airspace Docket No. 19-AWP-25, 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 amend the Class D and Class E airspace at Meadows Field 
Airport, Bakersfield, 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

[[Page 13243]]

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-2021-0044; Airspace Docket No. 19-AWP-25''. 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 14 CFR part 71 by modifying 
the Class D airspace at Meadows Field Airport, Bakersfield, CA. The 
Class D is not sized properly to contain IFR arrivals descending below 
1,000 feet above the surface, or IFR departures to 700 feet above the 
surface. To properly contain IFR arrivals, the circular radius should 
be reduced from 5 miles to 4.5 miles. To properly contain IFR 
departures flying toward or over rising terrain, three areas should be 
added to the circular radius, one to the southeast of the airport and 
two to the northwest of the airport.
    Additionally, this action proposes to modify the lateral boundaries 
of the Class E airspace designated as a surface area, to be coincident 
with the Class D airspace area.
    The action also proposes to modify the Class E airspace extending 
upward from 700 feet above the surface. The airspace is not sized 
properly to contain IFR arrivals descending below 1,500 feet above the 
surface, or IFR departures to 1,200 feet above the surface. This 
airspace area should be reduced southeast of the airport and increased 
northwest of the airport.
    Further, this action proposes to remove the Class E airspace 
extending upward from 1,200 feet above the surface. This airspace area 
is wholly contained within the Los Angeles en route airspace area, and 
duplication is not necessary.
    This action also proposes to update the last sentence in the Class 
D and Class E2 airspace descriptions by replacing the term ``Airport/
Facility Directory'' with ``Chart Supplement.''
    Lastly, the action proposes several administrative updates. The 
second line of the Class D, Class E2, and Class E5 text headers 
includes the city name ``Bakersfield''. The city name should be removed 
from this line of text. The airport's geographic coordinates listed in 
the third line of the text header for the Class D, Class E2, and Class 
E5 do not match the FAA's database. The coordinates should be updated 
to lat. 35[deg]26'02'' N, long. 119[deg]03'28'' W.
    Class D, E2, and E5 airspace designations are published in 
paragraphs 5000, 6002, 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 D and 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 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 Bakersfield, CA [Amended]

Meadows Field Airport, CA
    (Lat. 35[deg]26'02'' N, long. 119[deg]03'28'' W)

    That airspace extending upward from the surface to and including 
3,000 feet MSL within a 4.5-mile radius of the airport, and within 
1.8 miles each side of the 134[deg] bearing from the airport, 
extending from the 4.5-mile

[[Page 13244]]

radius to 5.5 miles southeast of the airport, and within 1.8 miles 
each side of the 316[deg] bearing from the airport, extending from 
the 4.5-mile radius to 5.3 miles northwest of the airport, and 
within 1.9 miles each side of the 331[deg] bearing from the airport, 
extending from the 4.5-mile radius to 6.8 miles northwest of Meadows 
Field 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 6002 Class E Airspace Designated as a Surface Area.

* * * * *

AWP CA E2 Bakersfield, CA [Amended]

Meadows Field Airport, CA
    (Lat. 35[deg]26'02'' N, long. 119[deg]03'28'' W)

    That airspace extending upward from the surface within a 4.5-
mile radius of the airport, and within 1.8 miles each side of the 
134[deg] bearing from the airport, extending from the 4.5-mile 
radius to 5.5 miles southeast of the airport, and within 1.8 miles 
each side of the 316[deg] bearing from the airport, extending from 
the 4.5-mile radius to 5.3 miles northwest of the airport, and 
within 1.9 miles each side of the 331[deg] bearing from the airport, 
extending from the 4.5-mile radius to 6.8 miles northwest of Meadows 
Field 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 Bakersfield, CA [Amended]

Meadows Field Airport, CA
    (Lat. 35[deg]26'02'' N, long. 119[deg]03'28'' W)

    That airspace extending upward from 700 feet above the surface 
within an 8-mile radius of the airport, and within 3.8 miles east 
and 8.8 miles west of the 337[deg] bearing from the airport, 
beginning 3.5 miles northwest of the airport and extending to 19.6 
miles northwest of Meadows Field Airport.

    Issued in Seattle, Washington, on February 22, 2021.
B.G. Chew,
Acting Group Manager, Operations Support Group, Western Service Center.
[FR Doc. 2021-04016 Filed 3-5-21; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-13-P