28980 Federal Register / Vol. 83, No. 121 / Friday, June 22, 2018 / Rules and Regulations 

Issued in Washington, DC, on June 13, 

2018. 

Scott J. Gardner, 

Acting Manager, Airspace Policy Group. 

[FR Doc. 2018–13376 Filed 6–21–18; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4910–13–P 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Federal Aviation Administration 

14 CFR Part 71 

[Docket No. FAA–2018–0129; Airspace 

Docket No. 18–AEA–4] 

RIN 2120–AA66 

Amendment of Class E Airspace; 

Altoona, PA 

AGENCY: Federal Aviation 

Administration (FAA), DOT. 

ACTION: Final rule. 

SUMMARY: This action amends amend 

Class E surface area airspace and Class 

E airspace extending upward from 700 

feet or more above the surface at 

Altoona-Blair County Airport, Altoona, 

PA. This action accommodates airspace 

reconfiguration due to the 

decommissioning of Altoona VHF 

omnidirectional range navigation 

system (VOR) and cancellation of the 

VOR approaches. Controlled airspace is 

necessary for the safety and 

management of instrument flight rules 

(IFR) operations at this airport. 

DATES: Effective 0901 UTC, September 

13, 2018. The Director of the Federal 

Register approves this incorporation by 

reference action under title 1, Code of 

Federal Regulations, part 51, subject to 

the annual revision of FAA Order 

7400.11 and publication of conforming 

amendments. 

ADDRESSES: FAA Order 7400.11B, 

Airspace Designations and Reporting 

Points, and subsequent amendments can 

be viewed online at http://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. The Order is 

also available for inspection at the 

National Archives and Records 

Administration (NARA). For 

information on the availability of FAA 

Order 7400.11B at NARA, call (202) 

741–6030, or go to https://

www.archives.gov/federal-register/cfr/ 

ibr-locations.html. 

FAA Order 7400.11, Airspace 

Designations and Reporting Points, is 

published yearly and effective on 

September 15. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: John 

Fornito, Operations Support Group, 

Eastern Service Center, Federal Aviation 

Administration, 1701 Columbia Avenue, 

College Park, GA 30337; telephone (404) 

305–6364. 

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 amends 

Class E airspace at Altoona-Blair County 

Airport, Altoona, PA, to ensure the 

efficient use of airspace within the 

National Airspace System. 

History 

The FAA published a notice of 

proposed rulemaking in the Federal 

Register (83 FR 11446, March 15, 2018) 

for Docket No. FAA–2018–0129 to 

amend Class E surface area airspace, 

and Class E airspace extending upward 

from 700 feet above the surface at 

Altoona-Blair County Airport, Altoona, 

PA. Interested parties were invited to 

participate in this rulemaking effort by 

submitting written comments on the 

proposal to the FAA. No comments 

were received. 

Class E airspace designations are 

published in paragraph 6002 and 6005, 

respectively, of FAA Order 7400.11B 

dated August 3, 2017, and effective 

September 15, 2017, which is 

incorporated by reference in 14 CFR 

71.1. The Class E airspace designations 

listed in this document will be 

published subsequently in the Order. 

Availability and Summary of 

Documents for Incorporation by 

Reference 

This document amends FAA Order 

7400.11B, Airspace Designations and 

Reporting Points, dated August 3, 2017, 

and effective September 15, 2017. FAA 

Order 7400.11B is publicly available as 

listed in the ADDRESSES section of this 

document. FAA Order 7400.11B lists 

Class A, B, C, D, and E airspace areas, 

air traffic service routes, and reporting 

points. 

The Rule 

This action amends Title 14 Code of 

Federal Regulations (14 CFR) part 71 by 

amending Class E surface area airspace, 

and Class E airspace extending upward 

from 700 feet or more above the surface 

due to the decommissioning of the 

Altoona VOR and cancelation of 

associated approaches at Altoona-Blair 

County Airport, Altoona, PA. 

The Class E surface area airspace is 

amended to within a 4.7-mile (from a 4- 

mile) radius of the airport, with a 

segment 1.0-mile each side of the 026° 

bearing from the airport to 8.7 miles 

northeast. The Altoona VOR segment is 

removed. 

The Class E airspace area extending 

upward from 700 feet above the surface 

is amended to within an 11.2-mile (from 

a 6.5-mile) radius of the airport. These 

changes enhance the safety and 

management of IFR operations at the 

airport. 

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. Therefore, this regulation: (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 only affects air traffic 

procedures and air navigation, it is 

certified that this rule, when 

promulgated, does not have a significant 

economic impact on a substantial 

number of small entities under the 

criteria of the Regulatory Flexibility Act. 

Environmental Review 

The FAA has determined that this 

action qualifies for categorical exclusion 

under the National Environmental 

Policy Act in accordance with FAA 

Order 1050.1F, ‘‘Environmental 

Impacts: Policies and Procedures,’’ 

paragraph 5–6.5a. This airspace action 

is not expected to cause any potentially 

significant environmental impacts, and 

no extraordinary circumstances exist 

that warrant preparation of an 

environmental assessment. 

Lists of Subjects in 14 CFR Part 71 

Airspace, Incorporation by reference, 

Navigation (air). 


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Federal Register / Vol. 83, No. 121 / Friday, June 22, 2018 / Rules and Regulations 28981 

Adoption of the Amendment 

In consideration of the foregoing, the 

Federal Aviation Administration 

amends 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 

■ 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. 

§ 71.1 [Amended] 

■ 2. The incorporation by reference in 

14 CFR 71.1 of Federal Aviation 

Administration Order 7400.11B, 

Airspace Designations and Reporting 

Points, dated August 3, 2017, effective 

September 15, 2017, is amended as 

follows: 

Paragraph 6002 Class E Surface Area 

Airspace. 

* * * * * 

AEA PA E2 Altoona, PA [Amended] 

Altoona-Blair County Airport, PA 

(Lat. 40°17′47′′ N, long. 78°19′12′′ W) 

Within a 4.7-mile radius of Altoona-Blair 

County Airport, and within 1.0 mile each 

side of the 026° bearing from the airport to 

8.7 miles northeast of the airport. 

Paragraph 6005 Class E Airspace Areas 

Extending Upward From 700 Feet or More 

Above the Surface of the Earth. 

* * * * * 

AEA PA E5 Altoona, PA [Amended] 

Altoona-Blair County Airport, PA 

(Lat. 40°17′47′′ N, long. 78°19′12′′ W) 

That airspace extending upward from 700 

feet above the surface within an 11.2-mile 

radius of Altoona-Blair County Airport. 

Issued in College Park, Georgia, on June 14, 

2018. 

Ken Brissenden, 

Acting Manager, Operations Support Group, 

Eastern Service Center, Air Traffic 

Organization. 

[FR Doc. 2018–13373 Filed 6–21–18; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4910–13–P 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Federal Aviation Administration 

14 CFR Part 73 

[Docket No. FAA–2018–0470; Airspace 

Docket No. 18–ASW–2] 

RIN 2120–AA66 

Modification to Restricted Area R– 

5601F and Establishment of Restricted 

Area R–5601J; Fort Sill, OK 

AGENCY: Federal Aviation 

Administration (FAA), DOT. 

ACTION: Final rule, technical 

amendment. 

SUMMARY: This action amends the 

restricted areas at Fort Sill, OK, to 

subdivide R–5601F into two subareas, 

R–5601F and R–5601J, make a minor 

correction to one boundary point in R– 

5601G, and to update and standardize 

the using agency information for each 

restricted area in the Fort Sill restricted 

area complex. The FAA is taking this 

action to allow for more efficient use of 

the airspace during periods when 

military activities only require the 

eastern portions of the restricted area 

complex. The airspace modifications are 

fully contained within the existing 

lateral and vertical boundaries of the 

Fort Sill, OK, restricted airspace. The 

using agency information update to each 

of the restricted areas in the Fort Sill 

complex is editorial only. 

DATES: Effective date 0901 UTC, 

September 13, 2018. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Colby Abbott, Airspace Policy Group, 

Office of Airspace Services, 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 amends 

existing restricted area R–5601F by 

subdividing it into R–5601F and R– 

5601J, and updates the using agency 

information for each of the restricted 

areas at Fort Sill, OK. 

History 

R–5601F is an irregularly shaped 

restricted area in the Fort Sill, OK, 

restricted area complex used to contain 

hazardous activities. It connects the 

Military Operations Areas located to the 

north with the R–5601 gunnery ranges 

located to the south and stretches the 

entire length of the Fort Sill restricted 

area complex laterally from west to east, 

from 500 feet above ground level (AGL) 

to Flight Level 400 in altitude. The 

United States (U.S.) Army normally 

trains in the eastern restricted areas, R– 

5601A, R–5601B, and R–5601F, while 

the U.S. Air Force normally trains in the 

western areas, R–5601C, R–5601D, R– 

5601E, R–5601F, and R–5601G. When 

the using agency only requires the 

eastern areas to support its hazardous 

training activities, it results in the R– 

5601F restricted area being activated 

across the entire northern boundary of 

the restricted areas being activated, and 

creates a 14-mile extension of restricted 

area airspace that is not needed for the 

training activities being conducted. 

The activation of R–5601F, and the 

unintended consequences of the 14-mile 

extension of restricted area airspace 

extending westward beyond the eastern 

Fort Sill restricted areas, primarily 

impacts the high altitude commercial air 

carriers inbound to the Dallas-Fort 

Worth metroplex area. Routing aircraft 

to overfly the R–5601F restricted area 

results in descent delays that take 

aircraft off their optimized descent 

profiles, and vectoring aircraft to 

circumnavigate the R–5601F restricted 

area laterally to the west adds miles and 

flight time to each aircraft. Additionally, 

these mitigations to overcome the 

unneeded extension of the R–5601F 

restricted area when only the eastern 

Fort Sill restricted areas are required 

also increases air traffic complexity and 

controller workload. 

In December 2017, the FAA supported 

a U.S. Army laser air defense exercise 

conducted at Fort Sill, OK, using 

existing permanent restricted areas and 

two temporary restricted areas 

established overhead the Fort Sill 

restricted area complex. As part of a 

lessons learned review of the exercise, 

the FAA determined that subdividing 

the existing R–5601F restricted area 

laterally into two restricted areas, 

activated independently, would lessen 

aeronautical impacts to air traffic 

operating in the central United States. 

Further, subdividing the existing R– 

5601F laterally into two separate 

restricted areas enhances the efficient 


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