Proposed Rule2022-25526
Proposed Amendment of VOR Federal Airways V-126, V-156, V-233, and V-422, and Revocation of V-340 and V-371 in the Vicinity of Knox, IN
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Published
November 25, 2022
Issuing agencies
Transportation DepartmentFederal Aviation Administration
Abstract
This action proposes to amend VHF Omnidirectional Range (VOR) Federal airways V-126, V-156, V-233, and V-422, and revoke VOR Federal airways V-340 and V-371. The FAA is proposing this action due to the planned decommissioning of the VOR portion of the Knox, IN (OXI), VOR/ Distance Measuring Equipment (VOR/DME) navigational aid (NAVAID). The Knox VOR is being decommissioned in support of the FAA's VOR Minimum Operational Network (MON) program.
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 87 Issue 226 (Friday, November 25, 2022)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 226 (Friday, November 25, 2022)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 72426-72428]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2022-25526]
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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Federal Aviation Administration
14 CFR Part 71
[Docket No. FAA-2022-1399; Airspace Docket No. 22-AGL-22]
RIN 2120-AA66
Proposed Amendment of VOR Federal Airways V-126, V-156, V-233,
and V-422, and Revocation of V-340 and V-371 in the Vicinity of Knox,
IN
AGENCY: Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), DOT.
ACTION: Notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM).
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SUMMARY: This action proposes to amend VHF Omnidirectional Range (VOR)
Federal airways V-126, V-156, V-233, and V-422, and revoke VOR Federal
airways V-340 and V-371. The FAA is proposing this action due to the
planned decommissioning of the VOR portion of the Knox, IN (OXI), VOR/
Distance Measuring Equipment (VOR/DME) navigational aid (NAVAID). The
Knox VOR is being decommissioned in support of the FAA's VOR Minimum
Operational Network (MON) program.
DATES: Comments must be received on or before January 9, 2023.
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-2022-1399; Airspace Docket No. 22-AGL-22 at the beginning of your
comments. You may also submit comments through the internet at
<a href="http://www.regulations.gov">www.regulations.gov</a>.
[[Page 72427]]
FAA Order JO 7400.11G, Airspace Designations and Reporting Points,
and subsequent amendments can be viewed online at <a href="http://www.faa.gov/air_traffic/publications/">www.faa.gov/air_traffic/publications/</a>. For further information, you can contact the
Rules and Regulations Group, Federal Aviation Administration, 800
Independence Avenue SW, Washington, DC 20591; telephone: (202) 267-
8783.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Colby Abbott, Rules and Regulations
Group, Office of Policy, Federal Aviation Administration, 800
Independence Avenue SW, Washington, DC 20591; telephone: (202) 267-
8783.
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
the 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 ATS route structure as necessary to
preserve the safe and efficient flow of air traffic within the National
Airspace System.
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 (FAA Docket No.
FAA-2022-1399; Airspace Docket No. 22-AGL-22) and be submitted in
triplicate to the Docket Management Facility (see ADDRESSES section for
address and phone number). You may also submit comments through the
internet at <a href="http://www.regulations.gov">www.regulations.gov</a>.
Commenters 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-2022-1399; Airspace Docket No. 22-AGL-22.'' The
postcard will be date/time stamped and returned to the commenter.
All communications received on or before the specified comment
closing date will be considered before taking action on the proposed
rule. The proposal contained in this action may be changed in light of
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 <a href="http://www.regulations.gov">www.regulations.gov</a>. Recently published rulemaking
documents can also be accessed through the FAA's web page at
<a href="http://www.faa.gov/air_traffic/publications/airspace_amendments/">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 ADDRESSES section for 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 office of the Operations Support Group, Central
Service Center, Federal Aviation Administration, 10101 Hillwood
Parkway, Fort Worth, TX 76177.
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.
Background
The FAA is planning to decommission the Knox, IN, VOR in June 2023.
The Knox VOR was one of the candidate VORs identified for
discontinuance by the FAA's VOR MON program and listed in the Final
policy statement notice, ``Provision of Navigation Services for the
Next Generation Air Transportation System (NextGen) Transition to
Performance-Based Navigation (PBN) (Plan for Establishing a VOR Minimum
Operational Network),'' published in the Federal Register of July 26,
2016 (81 FR 48694), Docket No. FAA-2011-1082.
Although the VOR portion of the Knox, IN, VOR/DME is planned for
decommissioning, the co-located DME portion of the NAVAID is being
retained to support NextGen PBN flight procedure requirements.
The VOR Federal airways effected by the Knox VOR decommissioning
are VOR Federal airways V-126, V-156, V-233, V-340, V-371, and V-422.
With the planned decommissioning of the Knox VOR, the remaining ground-
based NAVAID coverage in the area is insufficient to enable the
continuity of the affected airways. As such, proposed modifications to
the affected VOR Federal airways would result in creating gaps in three
of the airways (V-156, V-233, and V-422), redefining an airway end
point in one of the airways (V-126), and revoking two of the airways
(V-340 and V-371).
To overcome the proposed modifications to the affected airways,
instrument flight rules (IFR) traffic could use portions of VOR Federal
airways V-7, V-8, V-38, V-51, V-92, V-97, and V-285 for conventional
navigation or RNAV routes T-215 and T-265 for GPS navigation by
properly equipped aircraft. Additionally, pilots equipped with RNAV
capabilities could also navigate point to point using the existing
NAVAIDs and fixes that would remain in place to support continued
operations though the affected area. IFR aircraft may also receive air
traffic control (ATC) radar vectors to fly around or through the
affected area, upon request. Visual flight rules (VFR) pilots who elect
to navigate via the affected VOR Federal airways could also take
advantage of the adjacent ATS routes or ATC services listed previously.
The Proposal
The FAA is proposing an amendment to 14 CFR part 71 to amend VOR
Federal airways V-126, V-156, V-233, and V-422, and revoke VOR Federal
airways V-340 and V-371 due to the planned decommissioning of the VOR
portion of the Knox, IN, VOR/DME. The proposed VOR Federal airway
actions are described below.
V-126: V-126 currently extends between the intersection of the
Peotone, IL, VOR/Tactical Air Navigation (VORTAC) 053[deg] and Knox,
IN, VOR/DME 297[deg] radials (BEARZ Fix) and the intersection of the
Goshen, IN, VORTAC 092[deg] and Fort Wayne, IN, VORTAC 016[deg]
[[Page 72428]]
radials (ILTON Fix). The FAA proposes to remove the airway segment
between the BEARZ Fix and the Goshen, IN, VORTAC. As amended, the
airway would extend between Goshen VORTAC and the intersection of the
Goshen VORTAC 092[deg] and the Fort Wayne VORTAC 016[deg] radials
(ILTON Fix).
V-156: V-156 currently extends between the Cedar Rapids, IA, VOR/
DME and the Kalamazoo, MI, VOR/DME. The FAA proposes to remove the
airway segment between the Peotone, IL, VORTAC and the Gipper, MI,
VORTAC. Additional changes to other portions of the airway have been
proposed in a separate NPRM. As amended, the airway would extend
between the Cedar Rapids VOR/DME and the Peotone VORTAC, and between
the Gipper VORTAC and the Kalamazoo VOR/DME.
V-233: V-233 currently extends between the Spinner, IL, VORTAC and
the Litchfield, MI, VOR/DME; and between the Mount Pleasant, MI, VOR/
DME and the Pellston, MI, VORTAC. The FAA proposes to remove the airway
segment between the Roberts, IL, VOR/DME and the Goshen, IN, VORTAC.
Additional changes to other portions of the airway have been proposed
in a separate NPRM. As amended, the airway would extend between the
Spinner VORTAC and the Roberts VOR/DME, between the Goshen VORTAC and
the Litchfield VOR/DME, and between the Mount Pleasant VOR/DME and the
Pellston VORTAC.
V-340: V-340 currently extends between the intersection of the
Peotone, IL, VORTAC 053[deg] and Knox, IN, VOR/DME 297[deg] radials
(BEARZ Fix) and the Fort Wayne, IN, VORTAC. The FAA proposes to remove
the airway in its entirety.
V-371: V-371 currently extends between the Boiler, IN, VORTAC and
the Knox, IN, VOR/DME. The FAA proposes to remove the airway in its
entirety.
V-422: V-422 currently extends between the intersection of the
DuPage, IL, VOR/DME 101[deg] and Chicago Heights, IL, VORTAC 358[deg]
radials (NILES Fix) and the Flag City, OH, VORTAC. The FAA proposes to
remove the airway segment between the NILES Fix and the Webster Lake,
IN, VOR. The proposed removal of the airway segment between the NILES
Fix and the Chicago Heights VORTAC would be mitigated by VOR Federal
airways V-7 and V-97 which overlap V-422; however, the proposed removal
of the airway segment between the Chicago Heights VORTAC and Webster
Lake VOR is due to the planned decommissioning of the Knox VOR. As
amended, the airway would extend between the Webster Lake VOR and the
Flag City VORTAC.
The NAVAID radials listed in the VOR Federal airway descriptions
below are unchanged and stated in True degrees.
VOR Federal airways are published in paragraph 6010(a) 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 ATS routes
listed in this document would 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
Department of Transportation (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.
List 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 FAA Order JO
7400.11G, Airspace Designations and Reporting Points, dated August 19,
2022, and effective September 15, 2022, is amended as follows:
Paragraph 6010(a) Domestic VOR Federal Airways.
* * * * *
V-126 [Amended]
From Goshen, IN; to INT Goshen 092[deg] and Fort Wayne, IN,
016[deg] radials.
* * * * *
V-156 [Amended]
From Cedar Rapids, IA; Moline, IL; Bradford, IL; to Peotone, IL.
From Gipper, MI; to Kalamazoo, MI.
* * * * *
V-233 [Amended]
From Spinner, IL; INT Spinner 061[deg] and Roberts, IL, 233[deg]
radials; to Roberts. From Goshen, IN; to Litchfield, MI. From Mount
Pleasant, MI; INT Mount Pleasant 351[deg] and Gaylord, MI, 207[deg]
radials; Gaylord; to Pellston, MI.
* * * * *
V-340 [Removed]
* * * * *
V-371 [Removed]
* * * * *
V-422 [Amended]
From Webster Lake, IN; INT Webster Lake 097[deg] and Flag City,
OH, 289[deg] radials; to Flag City.
* * * * *
Issued in Washington, DC, on November 18, 2022.
Scott M. Rosenbloom,
Manager, Airspace Rules and Regulations.
[FR Doc. 2022-25526 Filed 11-23-22; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-13-P
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