[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 25 (Monday, February 7, 2022)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 6804-6806]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2022-02454]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Federal Aviation Administration
14 CFR Part 71
[Docket No. FAA-2022-0030; Airspace Docket No. 21-AAL-54]
RIN 2120-AA66
Proposed Modification of Class E Airspace; Sitka Rocky Gutierrez
Airport, AK
AGENCY: Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), DOT.
ACTION: Notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM).
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: This action proposes to modify the Class E airspace,
designated as a surface area. The Class E2 airspace to the northwest of
the airport requires modification to properly contain instrument flight
rules (IFR) aircraft descending below 1,000 feet above the surface of
the earth. Additionally, this action proposes to remove Class E
airspace, designated as an extension to a Class D or Class E2 surface
area. Lastly, this action proposes to modify Class E airspace extending
upward from 700 feet above the surface of the earth at Sitka Rocky
Gutierrez Airport, AK. This action would ensure the safety and
management of IFR operations at the airport.
DATES: Comments must be received on or before March 24, 2022.
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-2022-0030; Airspace Docket No. 21-AAL-54, at the beginning of your
comments. You may also submit comments through the internet at https://www.regulations.gov.
FAA Order JO 7400.11F, 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. FAA Order JO 7400.11F is also available for inspection at the
National Archives and Records Administration (NARA). For information on
the availability of FAA Order JO 7400.11F at NARA, email
[email protected] or go to https://
[[Page 6805]]
www.archives.gov/federal-register/cfr/ibr-locations.html.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Nathan A. Chaffman, Federal Aviation
Administration, Western Service Center, Operations Support Group, 2200
S 216th Street, Des Moines, WA 98198; telephone (206) 231-3460.
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 modify the Class E airspace at Sitka Rocky Gutierrez
Airport, AK, 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-2022-0030;
Airspace Docket No. 21-AAL-54''. 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 JO 7400.11F, Airspace
Designations and Reporting Points, dated August 10, 2021, and effective
September 15, 2021. FAA Order JO 7400.11F is publicly available as
listed in the ADDRESSES section of this document. FAA Order JO 7400.11F
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 E airspace designated as a surface area at Sitka Rocky
Gutierrez Airport, AK. The Class E surface airspace area northwest of
the airport requires modification to properly contain IFR aircraft
descending below 1,000 feet above the surface of the earth. The LDA/DME
RWY 11 approach procedure turn area currently extends 28.3 miles to the
northwest, but the area should be reduced due to the proposed
elimination of the LDA/DME RWY 11 approach procedure turn. This
reduction would require additional Class E surface area airspace in the
northwest to appropriately contain IFR aircraft descending below 1,000
feet above the surface of the earth. Furthermore, the Class E surface
airspace area southeast of the airport requires modification to the
area. The proposed increase would properly contain IFR departures until
reaching 700 feet above the surface of the earth. Finally, the Class E
surface area airspace requires a reduction northeast of the airport.
Circling approaches are not applicable on the northeast side of the
airport and the airspace in that area is not necessary.
This action also proposes to remove the Class E airspace,
designated as an extension to a Class D or Class E surface area. This
airspace is no longer required due to the proposed removal of the LDA/
DME RWY 11 approach procedure turn.
Lastly, this action proposes to modify the Class E airspace
extending upward from 700 feet above the surface of the earth. The area
northwest of the airport should be extended to the northwest, and the
area southwest of the airport requires minor adjustment to more
appropriately contain arriving IFR aircraft descending below 1,500 feet
above the surface of the earth and departing IFR aircraft until
reaching 1,200 feet above the surface of the earth. Additionally, the
Class E airspace extending upward from 700 feet above the surface of
the earth requires a reduction northeast of the airport. Circling
approaches are not applicable on the northeast side of the airport and
the airspace in that area is not necessary.
Class E2, Class E4, and Class E5 airspace designations are
published in paragraphs 6002, 6004, and 6005, respectively, of FAA
Order JO 7400.11F, dated August 10, 2021, and effective September 15,
2021, which is incorporated by reference in 14 CFR 71.1. The Class E
airspace designations listed in this document will be published
subsequently in FAA Order JO 7400.11.
FAA Order JO 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
[[Page 6806]]
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 JO
7400.11F, Airspace Designations and Reporting Points, dated August 10,
2021, and effective September 15, 2021, is amended as follows:
Paragraph 6002 Class E Airspace Areas Designated as a Surface Area.
* * * * *
AAL AK E2 Sitka, AK [Amended]
Sitka Rocky Gutierrez Airport, AK
(Lat. 57[deg]02'49'' N, long. 135[deg]21'40'' W)
That airspace extending upward from the surface within a 4.1-
mile radius of the airport beginning at the 105[deg] bearing from
the airport clockwise to the 337[deg] bearing from the airport, then
to the point of beginning 4.1 miles east of the airport, and within
2.7 miles each side of the 150[deg] bearing from the airport
extending from the 4.1-mile radius to 6.6 miles southeast of the
airport, and within 1.5 miles each side of the 209[deg] bearing from
the airport extending from the 4.1-mile radius to 4.4 miles
southwest of the airport, and within 1.2 miles each side of the
314[deg] bearing from the airport extending from the 4.1-mile radius
to 6 miles northwest of the airport, and within 1.1 miles each side
of the 320[deg] bearing from the airport extending from the 4.1-mile
radius to 5.2 miles northwest of the airport.
Paragraph 6004 Class E Airspace Areas Designated as an Extension to
a Class D or Class E2 Surface Area.
* * * * *
AAL AK E4 Sitka, AK [Removed]
Sitka Rocky Gutierrez Airport, AK
(Lat. 57[deg]02'49'' N, long. 135[deg]21'40'' W)
Paragraph 6005 Class E Airspace Areas Extending Upward From 700
Feet or More Above the Surface of the Earth.
* * * * *
AAL AK E5 Sitka, AK [Amended]
Sitka Rocky Gutierrez Airport, AK
(Lat. 57[deg]02'49'' N, long. 135[deg]21'40'' W)
That airspace extending upward from 700 feet above the surface
within a 7.3-mile radius of the airport beginning at the 102[deg]
bearing from the airport clockwise to the 357[deg] bearing from the
airport, then to the point of beginning 7.3 miles east of the
airport, and within 4.6 miles each side of the 212[deg] bearing from
the airport, extending from the 7.3-mile radius to 25.2 miles
southwest of the airport, and within 4.5 miles each side of the
316[deg] bearing from the airport extending from the 7.3-mile radius
to 9.8 miles northwest of the airport; excluding that airspace that
extends beyond 12 miles from the coast.
Issued in Des Moines, Washington, on February 1, 2022.
B.G. Chew,
Acting Group Manager, Operations Support Group, Western Service Center.
[FR Doc. 2022-02454 Filed 2-4-22; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-13-P