Proposed Rule2022-27003
Proposed Modification of Class E Airspace; Visalia Municipal Airport, Visalia, CA
Primary source
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Published
December 13, 2022
Issuing agencies
Transportation DepartmentFederal Aviation Administration
Abstract
This action proposes to modify the Class E airspace designated as a surface area and modify the Class E airspace extending upward from 700 feet above the surface at Visalia Municipal Airport, Visalia, CA. This proposal would add and remove extensions of the Class E airspace extending from 700 feet above the surface at the airport. Additionally, this action proposes several administrative amendments to update the airport's existing Class E airspace legal descriptions. These actions will support the safety and management of instrument flight rules (IFR) operations at the airport.
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 87 Issue 238 (Tuesday, December 13, 2022)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 238 (Tuesday, December 13, 2022)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 76169-76170]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2022-27003]
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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Federal Aviation Administration
14 CFR Part 71
[Docket No. FAA-2022-1445; Airspace Docket No. 21-AWP-55]
RIN 2120-AA66
Proposed Modification of Class E Airspace; Visalia Municipal
Airport, Visalia, CA
AGENCY: Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), Department of
Transportation (DOT).
ACTION: Notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM).
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SUMMARY: This action proposes to modify the Class E airspace designated
as a surface area and modify the Class E airspace extending upward from
700 feet above the surface at Visalia Municipal Airport, Visalia, CA.
This proposal would add and remove extensions of the Class E airspace
extending from 700 feet above the surface at the airport. Additionally,
this action proposes several administrative amendments to update the
airport's existing Class E airspace legal descriptions. These actions
will support the safety and management of instrument flight rules (IFR)
operations at the airport.
DATES: Comments must be received on or before January 27, 2023.
ADDRESSES: Send comments on this proposal to the U.S. DOT, Docket
Operations, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE, West Building Ground Floor, Room
W12-140, Washington, DC 20590; telephone: (800) 647-5527, or (202) 366-
9826. You must identify ``FAA Docket No. FAA-2022-1445; Airspace Docket
No. 21-AWP-55,'' 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>.
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
Airspace Policy Group, Federal Aviation Administration, 800
Independence Avenue SW, Washington, DC 20591; telephone: (202) 267-
8783.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Raphell P. Taylor, Federal Aviation
Administration, Western Service Center, Operations Support Group, 2200
S 216th Street, Des Moines, WA 98198; telephone (405) 666-1176.
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 Class E airspace at Visalia Municipal Airport,
Visalia, 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 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-2022-1445;
Airspace Docket No. 21-AWP-55.'' 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="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 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 7400.11G, 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 is proposing an amendment to 14 CFR part 71 by modifying
the Class E airspace designated as a surface area and modifying the
Class E airspace extending upward from 700 feet above
[[Page 76170]]
the surface at Visalia Municipal Airport, CA.
The Class E airspace designated as a surface area should be
expanded from 3.5 nautical miles (NM) to 4 (NM), to properly contain
aircraft conducting circling maneuvers. Additionally, the Class E2
extension northwest of the airport is not required and should be
removed.
The Class E airspace encircling the airport within a 5-mile radius
is excessive and should be reduced. Class E airspace beginning at 700
feet above the surface is designed to contain departing IFR operations
until they reach 1,200 feet above the surface, and a 4.5-mile radius
encircling the airport is more appropriate. The two existing Class E5
extensions are currently described in relation to the now
decommissioned Visalia very high frequency omnidirectional range (VOR)
and require modifications. The first extension is within 2.1 miles each
side of the 138[deg] bearing from the airport extending from the 4.5-
mile radius to 6.6 miles southeast of the airport. The second extension
is within 1.8 miles each side of the 314[deg] bearing, from the 4.5-
mile radius to 6.6 miles northwest of the airport.
Finally, this action proposes administrative modifications to the
airport's legal descriptions. The current Class E5 airspace description
includes airspace for Mefford Field Airport, Tulare, CA. The FAA is
establishing independent airspace for Mefford Field Airport and the
additional airspace should be removed from Visalia Municipal Airport's
airspace description. The Visalia VOR/distance measuring equipment
(DME) navigational aid should be removed from the Class E2 text header
and airspace description. It was decommissioned on March 25th, 2022 and
is not needed to describe airspace. The Class E2 legal description
should also be updated to replace the outdated use of the phrases
``Notice to Airmen'' and ``Airport/Facility Directory.'' These phrases
should be amended to read ``Notice to Air Missions'' and ``Chart
Supplement,'' respectively, to match the FAA's current nomenclature.
Finally, Swanson Ranch NR1 Airport should be removed from the Class E5
text header and airspace description, as the airport no longer exists.
Class E2 and E5 airspace designations are published in paragraphs
6002 and 6005, respectively, of FAA Order 7400.11G, dated August 19,
2022, and effective September 15, 2022, 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,
which is published annually and becomes 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 JO
7400.11G, Airspace Designations and Reporting Points, dated August 19,
2022, and effective September 15, 2022, is amended as follows:
Paragraph 6002 Class E Airspace Areas Designated as a Surface Area.
* * * * *
AWP CA E2 Visalia, CA [Amended]
Visalia Municipal Airport, CA
(Lat. 36[deg]19' 07'' N, long. 119[deg]23' 34'' W)
That airspace extending upward from the surface within a 4-mile
radius of the airport. 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.
* * * * *
AWP CA E5 Visalia, CA [Amended]
Visalia Municipal Airport, CA
(Lat. 36[deg]19' 07'' N, long. 119[deg]23' 34'' W)
That airspace extending upward from 700 feet above the surface
within a 4.5-mile radius of the airport, and within 2.1 miles each
side of the 138[deg] bearing from the airport extending from the
4.5-mile radius to 6.6 miles southeast of the airport, and within
1.8 miles each side of the 314[deg] bearing from the 4.5-mile radius
to 6.6 miles northwest of the airport.
Issued in Des Moines, Washington, on December 7, 2022.
B.G. Chew,
Group Manager, Operations Support Group, Western Service Center.
[FR Doc. 2022-27003 Filed 12-12-22; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-13-P
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</html>Indexed from Federal Register on December 13, 2022.
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