Document ID: FAA-2017-0295-0001
Agency: faa
Document Type: Proposed Rule
Title: Class E Airspace, Establishments; Class D and E Airspace; Amendments: Kaunakakai, HI
Posted Date: 2017-07-28T04:00Z

[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 144 (Friday, July 28, 2017)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 35131-35133]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2017-15865]

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Aviation Administration

14 CFR Part 71

[Docket No. FAA-2017-0295; Airspace Docket No. 16-AWP-2]

Proposed Establishment of Class E Airspace and Amendment of Class 
D and E Airspace; Kaunakakai, HI

AGENCY: Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), DOT.

ACTION: Notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM).

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: This action proposes changes to airspace designations at 
Molokai Airport, Kaunakakai, HI. The FAA proposes to establish an area 
of Class E airspace designated as a surface area; modify Class E 
airspace designated as an extension to a Class D or E surface area; and 
modify Class E airspace extending upward from 700 feet above the 
surface. Also, this action would update the airport's geographic 
coordinates for the associated Class D and E airspace areas to reflect 
the FAA's current aeronautical database and remove references to the 
Molokai VHF Omnidirectional Range/Tactical Air Navigation (VORTAC). 
These proposed changes would enhance safety and support Instrument 
Flight Rules (IFR) operations at the airport.

DATES: Comments must be received on or before September 11, 2017.

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-2017-0295; Airspace Docket No. 16-AWP-2, at the beginning of your 
comments. You may also submit comments through the Internet at http://www.regulations.gov.
    FAA Order 7400.11A, 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 7400.11A at NARA, call (202) 741-6030, or go 
to http://www.archives.gov/federal_register/code_of_federal-regulations/ibr_locations.html.
    FAA Order 7400.11, Airspace Designations and Reporting Points, is 
published yearly and effective on September 15.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Tom Clark, Federal Aviation 
Administration, Operations Support Group, Western Service Center, 1601 
Lind Avenue SW., Renton, WA 98057; telephone (425) 203-4511.

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

[[Page 35132]]

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 establish 
Class E airspace and amend Class D and Class E airspace at Molokai 
Airport, Kaunakakai, HI, in support of 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 (Docket No. FAA-
2017-0295; Airspace Docket No. 16-AWP-2) and be submitted in triplicate 
to DOT Docket Operations (see ADDRESSES section for address and phone 
number).
    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-2017-0295/Airspace Docket No. 16-AWP-2.'' The postcard will be 
date/time stamped and returned to the commenter.
    All communications received on or 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 http://www.regulations.gov. Recently published rulemaking 
documents can also be accessed through the FAA's Web page at http://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 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 between 8:00 a.m. and 
4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, except federal holidays, at the 
Northwest Mountain Regional Office of the Federal Aviation 
Administration, Air Traffic Organization, Western Service Center, 
Operations Support Group, 1601 Lind Avenue SW., Renton, WA 98057.

Availability and Summary of Documents Proposed for Incorporation by 
Reference

    This document proposes to amend FAA Order 7400.11A, Airspace 
Designations and Reporting Points, dated August 3, 2016, and effective 
September 15, 2016. FAA Order 7400.11A is publicly available as listed 
in the ADDRESSES section of this document. FAA Order 7400.11A 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 Title 14 Code of Federal 
Regulations (14 CFR) Part 71 by establishing Class E airspace 
designated as surface area at Molokai Airport, Kaunakakai, HI. This new 
airspace designation, within a 4.3 mile radius of the airport, would 
provide controlled airspace to support increased aircraft operations 
under IFR during the hours that the Class D airspace area is not in 
effect.
    This proposal also would amend Class E airspace designated as an 
extension to Class D or E surface area at the airport by increasing the 
area to a 4.3-mile wide segment (from 3.6 miles wide) extending to 8 
miles west (from 7.2 miles west) of the airport. The part-time NOTAM 
information would also be removed because Class D airspace or Class E 
surface airspace would be continuous. We would also remove the Molokai 
VORTAC to reflect the FAA's transition from ground-based to satellite-
based navigation aids.
    Additionally, Class E airspace extending upward from 700 feet above 
the surface would be enlarged west of the airport from the 6.8-mile 
radius of the airport to an area 10 miles wide (from 3.6 miles wide) 
extending to 12.4 miles west (from 8.3 miles west).
    This proposal would also update the airport's geographic 
coordinates for the associated Class D and E airspace areas to reflect 
the FAA's current aeronautical database. Lastly, this action would 
replace the outdated term ``Airport/Facility Directory'' with the term 
``Chart Supplement'' in the Class D and E airspace legal descriptions. 
These modifications are necessary for the safety and management of IFR 
operations at the airport.
    Lastly, a technical amendment would be made to rename the airspace 
designation for the following airspace areas: AWP HI D Molokai, HI, 
would be renamed Kaunakakai, HI; AWP HI E2 Molokai, HI, would be 
renamed Kaunakakai, HI; and AWP HI E5 Molokai, HI, would be renamed 
Kaunakakai, HI, to remain consistent in the Order.
    Class D and Class E airspace designations are published in 
paragraph 5000, 6002, 6004, and 6005, respectively, of FAA Order 
7400.11A, dated August 3, 2016 and effective September 15, 2016, 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 the Order.

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, 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 proposed 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

[[Page 35133]]

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 7400.11A, 
Airspace Designations and Reporting Points, dated August 3, 2016, and 
effective September 15, 2016, is amended as follows:

Paragraph 5000 Class D Airspace.

* * * * *

AWP HI D Kaunakakai, HI [Amended]

Molokai Airport, HI
    (Lat. 21[deg]09'10'' N., long. 157[deg]05'47'' W.)

    That airspace extending upward from the surface to and including 
3,000 feet MSL within a 4.3-mile radius of Molokai Airport. This 
Class D airspace area is effective during the specific dates and 
times established in advance by a Notice to Airmen. The effective 
date and time will thereafter be continuously published in the Chart 
Supplement.

Paragraph 6002 Class E Airspace Designated as Surface Areas.

* * * * *

AWP HI E2 Kaunakakai, HI [New]

Molokai Airport, HI
    (Lat. 21[deg]09'10'' N., long. 157[deg]05'47'' W.)

    That airspace extending upward from the surface within a 4.3-
mile radius of Molokai Airport. This Class E airspace area is 
effective during the specific dates and times established in advance 
by a Notice to Airmen. The effective date and time will thereafter 
be continuously published in the Chart Supplement.

Paragraph 6004 Class E Airspace Areas Designated as an Extension to 
a Class D or Class E Surface Area.

* * * * *

AWP HI E4 Kaunakakai, HI [Amended]

Molokai Airport, HI
    (Lat. 21[deg]09'10'' N., long. 157[deg]05'47'' W.)

    That airspace extending upward from the surface within 1.5 miles 
north and 2.8 miles south of a 255[deg] bearing from Molokai Airport 
extending from the 4.3-mile radius to 8 miles west of the airport.

Paragraph 6005 Class E Airspace Areas Extending Upward From 700 
Feet or More Above the Surface of the Earth.

* * * * *

AWP HI E5 Kaunakakai, HI [Amended]

Molokai Airport, HI
    (Lat. 21[deg]09'10'' N., long. 157[deg]05'47'' W.)

    That airspace extending upward from the surface within a 6.8-
mile radius of Molokai Airport and within 5.4 miles north and 4.8 
miles south of a 255[deg] bearing from Molokai Airport extending 
from the 6.8-mile radius to 12.4 miles west of the airport.

    Issued in Seattle, Washington, on July 19, 2017.
Sam S.L. Shrimpton,
Acting Group Manager, Operations Support Group, Western Service Center.
[FR Doc. 2017-15865 Filed 7-27-17; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4910-13-P