Proposed Rule2021-15720
Proposed Modification of Class D Airspace; McChord Field (Joint Base Lewis-McChord), WA; Supplemental
Primary source
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Published
July 26, 2021
Issuing agencies
Transportation DepartmentFederal Aviation Administration
Abstract
This action proposes to modify the Class D airspace at McChord Field (Joint Base Lewis-McChord), Tacoma, WA. After a review of the airspace, the FAA found it necessary to amend the existing airspace for the safety and management of Instrument Flight Rules (IFR) operations at this location and Visual Flight Rules (VFR) at a satellite airport. This proposal would also remove a reference to the McChord Very High Frequency Omnidirectional Range beacon (VOR) from the legal description, update the airport name and city, and amend the geographical coordinates for the airport to match the FAA's database.
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 86 Issue 140 (Monday, July 26, 2021)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 140 (Monday, July 26, 2021)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 39986-39988]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2021-15720]
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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Federal Aviation Administration
14 CFR Part 71
[Docket No. FAA-2020-0896; Airspace Docket No. 20-ANM-17]
RIN 2120-AA66
Proposed Modification of Class D Airspace; McChord Field (Joint
Base Lewis-McChord), WA; Supplemental
AGENCY: Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), DOT.
ACTION: Supplemental notice of proposed rulemaking (SNPRM).
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SUMMARY: This action proposes to modify the Class D airspace at McChord
Field (Joint Base Lewis-McChord), Tacoma, WA. After a review of the
airspace, the FAA found it necessary to amend the existing airspace for
the safety and management of Instrument Flight Rules (IFR) operations
at this location and Visual Flight Rules (VFR) at a satellite airport.
This proposal would also remove a reference to the McChord Very High
Frequency
[[Page 39987]]
Omnidirectional Range beacon (VOR) from the legal description, update
the airport name and city, and amend the geographical coordinates for
the airport to match the FAA's database.
DATES: Comments must be received on or before September 9, 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-2020-0896; Airspace Docket No. 20-ANM-17, at the beginning of your
comments. You may also submit comments through the internet at <a href="https://www.regulations.gov">https://www.regulations.gov</a>.
FAA Order 7400.11E, Airspace Designations and Reporting Points, and
subsequent amendments can be viewed online at <a href="https://www.faa.gov/air_traffic/publications/">https://www.faa.gov/air_traffic/publications/</a>. 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:
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#6a0c0f0e180f0d44060f0d0b062a040b180b440d051c"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="bed8dbdaccdbd990d2dbd9dfd2fed0dfccdf90d9d1c8">[email protected]</span></a>, or go to <a href="https://www.archives.gov/federal-register/cfr/ibr-locations.html">https://www.archives.gov/federal-register/cfr/ibr-locations.html</a>.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Richard Roberts, Federal Aviation
Administration, Western Service Center, Operations Support Group, 2200
S 216th Street, Des Moines, WA 98198; telephone (206) 231-2245.
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 D airspace to support IFR operations at
McChord Field (Joint Base Lewis-McChord), Tacoma, WA.
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-2020-0896;
Airspace Docket No. 20-ANM-17''. 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 <a href="https://www.regulations.gov">https://www.regulations.gov</a>. Recently published rulemaking
documents can also be accessed through the FAA's web page at <a href="https://www.faa.gov/air_traffic/publications/airspace_amendments/">https://www.faa.gov/air_traffic/publications/airspace_amendments/</a>.
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.
Background
The FAA published a notice of proposed rulemaking for Docket No.
FAA-2020-0896 in the Federal Register (85 FR 69281; November 2, 2020)
proposing to modify the Class D airspace McChord Field (Joint Base
Lewis-McChord). Interested parties were invited to participate in this
rulemaking effort by submitting written comments on the proposal. One
comment was received during the comment period. The commenter was
concerned that removing the entire area previously excluded for
Spanaway Airport, would place aircraft arriving and departing Shady
Acres Airport at a disadvantage while departing to the North and
Landing to the South.
Subsequent to publication of the NPRM, the FAA received comments
from the Aircraft Owners and Pilot Association (AOPA), the Airport
Manager and local Pilots from Shady Acres Airport and the U.S. Air
Force. AOPA, the Airport Manager and local pilots were in favor of a
small portion of airspace, from the original area cutout for Spanaway
airport, being maintained for satellite airport operations at Shady
Acres Airport. These amendments would maintain the current level of
operational safety, while adhering to FAA policy on airspace for
satellite airports. The U.S. Air Force was not in favor of this
recommendation. In addition, the FAA identified an area of airspace to
the Northwest that needed additional clarification in its boundary and
the U.S. Air Force identified that only the VOR was being
decommissioned and not the Tactical Air Navigation System (TACAN), as
previously reported. The FAA determined that the proposal needed
additional consideration due to these comments.
The Proposal
The FAA is proposing an amendment to 14 CFR part 71 by modifying
the lateral dimensions of the Class D airspace. The FAA initiated a
review of the assigned airspace and drafted the subsequent proposal for
modification due to three actions. The FAA decommissioned the McChord
VOR because the U.S. Air Force was no longer going to maintain the
NAVAID.
[[Page 39988]]
As a result of the decommissioning, the FAA was required to redefine
the airspace that uses the VOR as a reference and remove the reference
from the associated airspace descriptions. The U.S. Air Force requested
elimination of airspace previously excluded for operations at Spanaway
Airport. In response, the FAA completed an airspace review to evaluate
that request and the Class D airspace had not been examined in the
previous two years as required by FAA Orders.
The exclusion of Class D airspace that is southeast of the airport
would be modified to facilitate use of the airspace for aircraft
arriving and departing Shady Acres Airport, in keeping with FAA
Directives. A portion of the airspace overlying Lakewood, WA would also
be eliminated, as it is no longer needed.
In addition, the Legal Descriptions Heading would be corrected to
identify the proper city and state, the name of the airport and the
geographical coordinates for McChord Field (Joint Base Lewis McChord)
to match the FAA's National Airspace System Resource (NASR) database.
Class D airspace designations are published in paragraph 5000 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
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.
* * * * *
ANM WA D Tacoma, WA [AMEND]
McChord Field (Joint Base Lewis-McChord), WA
(Lat. 47[deg]08'17'' N, long. 122[deg]28'35'' W)
That airspace extending upward from the surface to and including
2,800 feet MSL within a 5.4-mile radius of the McChord Field (Joint
Base Lewis-McChord), beginning at the point the 315[deg] bearing
intersects the 5.4-mile radius clockwise to the point where the
162[deg] bearing intersects the 5.4-mile radius thence south to lat.
47[deg]02'10'' N, long. 122[deg]26'13'' W, thence west to lat.
47[deg]02'21'' N, long. 122[deg]31'31'' W, thence north to lat.
47[deg]04'19'' N, long. 122[deg]31'27'' W, thence northwest to lat.
47[deg]08'47'' N, long. 122[deg]35'11'' W, thence east to lat.
47[deg]08'35 N, long. 122[deg]33'03 W, thence north to the point of
beginning; and excluding that airspace at and below 1,000 feet MSL
within an area bounded by a line beginning at the point the 119[deg]
bearing intersects the 5.4-mile radius clockwise to the point the
145[deg] bearing intersects the 5.4-mile radius to lat.
47[deg]04'34'' N, long. 122[deg]24'2'' W; thence to lat.
47[deg]05'43'' N, long. 122[deg]22'24'' W; thence to the point of
beginning.
Issued in Des Moines, Washington, on July 19, 2021.
Maria A Aviles,
Acting Group Manager, Operations Support Group, Western Service Center.
[FR Doc. 2021-15720 Filed 7-23-21; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-13-P
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