[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 246 (Friday, December 23, 2022)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 78885-78887]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2022-27931]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Aviation Administration

14 CFR Part 71

[Docket No. FAA-2022-1614; Airspace Docket No. 22-ASO-28]
RIN 2120-AA66


Proposed Amendment of Class D and Class E Airspace; Macon, GA

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 
surface airspace, and Class E airspace extending upward from 700 feet 
above the surface at Middle Georgia Regional Airport, Macon, GA, as a 
result of the biennial airspace evaluation. This action would extend 
the Class D airspace and Class E surface airspace for the airport and 
reduce Class E airspace upward from 700 feet above the surface 
surrounding Middle Georgia Regional and Macon Downtown Airports. The 
extension of Class D and Class E surface airspace at Middle Georgia 
Regional Airport will not impact the Class D or Class E surface 
airspace boundaries of Robins AFB. Controlled airspace is necessary for 
the safety and management of instrument flight rules (IFR) operations 
in the area.

DATES: Comments must be received on or before February 6, 2023.

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 20590-0001; 
Telephone: (800) 647-5527, or (202) 366-9826.
    You must identify Docket No. FAA-2022-1614; Airspace Docket No. 22-
ASO-28 at the beginning of your comments. You may also submit comments 
through the internet at www.regulations.gov.
    FAA Order JO 7400.11G Airspace Designations and Reporting Points, 
and subsequent amendments can be viewed online at www.faa.gov/air_traffic/publications/. For further information,

[[Page 78886]]

you can contact the Airspace Policy Group, Federal Aviation 
Administration, 800 Independence Avenue SW, Washington, DC 20591; 
Telephone: (202) 267-8783.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:  Jennifer Ledford, Operations Support 
Group, Eastern Service Center, Federal Aviation Administration, 1701 
Columbia Avenue, College Park, GA 30337; Telephone: (404) 305-5946.

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 airspace for Middle Georgia Regional Airport, Macon, 
GA, to support IFR operations in the area.

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-
2022-1614 and Airspace Docket No. 22-ASO-28) and be submitted in 
triplicate to DOT Docket Operations (see ADDRESSES section for the 
address and phone number). You may also submit comments through the 
internet at 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-2022-1614; Airspace Docket No. 22-ASO-28.'' The postcard 
will be dated/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 www.regulations.gov. Recently published rulemaking 
documents can also be accessed through the FAA's web page at 
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 on federal 
holidays. An informal docket may also be examined between 8:00 a.m. and 
4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, except for 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 JO 7400.11G, Airspace 
Designations and Reporting Points, dated August 19, 2022, and effective 
September 15, 2022. FAA Order JO 7400.11G is publicly available as 
listed in the ADDRESSES section of this document. FAA Order JO 7400.11G 
lists Class A, B, C, D, and E airspace areas, air traffic service 
routes, and reporting points.

The Proposal

    The FAA proposes an amendment to 14 CFR part 71 to amend Class D 
airspace for Middle Georgia Regional Airport by extending the airspace 
from a 4.1-mile radius to a 4.9-mile radius surrounding the airport. 
Class E surface airspace would also be amended for the airport. Class E 
surface airspace for Middle Georgia Regional Airport would be amended 
by extending the airspace from a 4.1-mile radius to a 4.9-mile radius 
surrounding the airport. The Class E airspace extending upward from 700 
feet above the surface would be amended to within a 7.4-mile radius of 
Middle Georgia Regional Airport (reduced from a 7.8-mile radius). In 
addition, this action would replace the outdated terms Airport/Facility 
Directory with the term Chart Supplement and Notice to Airmen with the 
term Notice to Air Missions, in the airspace descriptions.
    In addition, the Class E airspace extending upward from 700 feet 
above the surface would be amended to within a 7.5-mile radius of Macon 
Downtown Airport (reduced from an 8.8-mile radius). In addition, this 
action would replace the outdated terms Airport/Facility Directory with 
the term Chart Supplement and Notice to Airmen with the term Notice to 
Air Missions, in the airspace descriptions.
    Class D and E airspace designations are published in Paragraphs 
5000, 6002, and 6005, respectively, of FAA Order JO 7400.11G, dated 
August 19, 2022, and effective September 15, 2022, 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 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 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.

[[Page 78887]]

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 JO 7400.11G, Airspace Designations and Reporting 
Points, dated August 19, 2022, and effective September 15, 2022, is 
amended as follows:

Paragraph 5000 Class D Airspace.

* * * * *

ASO GA D Macon, GA [Amended]

Middle Georgia Regional Airport, Macon, GA
    (Lat. 32[deg]41'34'' N, long. 83[deg]38'57'' W)
Robins AFB
    (Lat. 32[deg]38'25'' N, long. 83[deg]35'31'' W)

    That airspace extending upward from the surface to and including 
2,900 feet MSL from the intersection of the Middle Georgia Regional 
Airport 210[deg] bearing and the 5.5-mile radius of the Robins AFB 
Airport, clockwise along the 4.9-mile radius centered on Middle 
Georgia Regional Airport to the intersection of Middle Georgia 
Regional Airport 065[deg] bearing and Robins AFB Airport 5.5-mile 
radius, counter-clockwise along the Robins AFB Airport 5.5-mile 
radius to the intersection of the Middle Georgia Regional Airport 
055[deg] bearing, directly across to the Middle Georgia Regional 
Airport 219[deg] bearing and the intersection of the Robins AFB 
Airport 5.5-mile radius, counter-clockwise along the Robins AFB 
Airport 5.5-mile radius to the point of beginning. This Class D 
airspace area is effective during the specific dates and times 
established in advance by a Notice to Air Missions. The effective 
date and time will thereafter be continuously published in the Chart 
Supplement.

Paragraph 6002 Class E Surface Airspace

* * * * *

ASO GA E2 Macon, GA [Amended]

Middle Georgia Regional Airport, Macon, GA
    (Lat. 32[deg]41'34'' N, long. 83[deg]38'57'' W)
Robins AFB
    (Lat. 32[deg]38'25'' N, long. 83[deg]35'31'' W)

    That airspace extending upward from the surface from the 
intersection of the Middle Georgia Regional Airport 210[deg] bearing 
and the 5.5-mile radius of the Robins AFB Airport, clockwise along 
the 4.9-mile radius centered on Middle Georgia Regional Airport to 
the intersection of Middle Georgia Regional Airport 065[deg] bearing 
and Robins AFB Airport 5.5-mile radius, counter-clockwise along the 
Robins AFB Airport 5.5-mile radius to the intersection of the Middle 
Georgia Regional Airport 055[deg] bearing, directly across to the 
Middle Georgia Regional Airport 219[deg] bearing and the 
intersection of the Robins AFB Airport 5.5-mile radius, counter-
clockwise along the Robins AFB Airport 5.5-mile radius to the point 
of beginning. This Class E airspace area is effective during the 
specific dates and times established in advance by a Notice to Air 
Missions. 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.

* * * * *

ASO GA E5 Macon, GA [Amended]

Middle Georgia Regional Airport, GA
    (Lat. 32[deg]41'34'' N, long. 83[deg]38'57'' W)
Macon Downtown Airport
    (Lat. 32[deg]49'18'' N, long. 83[deg]33'43'' W)
Robins AFB
    (Lat. 32[deg]38'25'' N, long. 83[deg]35'31'' W)
Perry-Houston County Airport
    (Lat. 32[deg]30'38'' N, long. 83[deg]46'02'' W)

    That airspace extending upward from 700 feet above the surface 
within a 7.4-mile radius of Middle Georgia Regional Airport, and 
within a 7.5-mile radius of Macon Downtown Airport, a 7-mile radius 
of Robins AFB, and a 9.8-mile radius of Perry-Houston County 
Airport.

    Issued in College Park, Georgia, on December 15, 2022.
Andreese C. Davis,
Manager, Airspace & Procedures Team South, Eastern Service Center, Air 
Traffic Organization
[FR Doc. 2022-27931 Filed 12-22-22; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-13-P