Document ID: FAA-2018-0062-0001
Agency: faa
Document Type: Proposed Rule
Title: Amendment of Class D Airspace and Class E Airspace; Establishment of Class E Airspace: Pensacola, FL, and Milton, FL
Posted Date: 2018-03-05T05:00Z

[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 43 (Monday, March 5, 2018)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 9242-9243]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-04324]

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

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Aviation Administration

14 CFR Part 71

[Docket No. FAA-2018-0062; Airspace Docket No. 18-ASO-3]

Proposed Amendment of Class D Airspace and Class E Airspace; 
Pensacola, FL, and Proposed Establishment of Class E Airspace; Milton, 
FL

AGENCY: Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), DOT.

ACTION: Notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM).

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

SUMMARY: This action proposes to amend Class D airspace and Class E 
airspace extending upward from 700 feet above the surface at Choctaw 
Naval Outlying Field (NOLF), Milton, FL, by changing the city 
associated with the airport name in the above airspace classes and 
adjusting the geographic coordinates of the airport and the Santa Rosa 
TACAN navigation aid to match the FAA's aeronautical database. 
Additionally, Class E surface airspace would be established at Choctaw 
NOLF for the safety of aircraft landing and departing the airport when 
the air traffic control tower is closed. Also, an editorial change 
would be made to the Class D airspace legal description replacing 
``Airport/Facility Directory'' with the term ``Chart Supplement''. This 
action would enhance the safety and management of instrument flight 
rules (IFR) operations at the airport.

DATES: Comments must be received on or before April 19, 2018.

ADDRESSES: Send comments on this proposal to: U.S. Department of 
Transportation, Docket Operations, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE, West 
Bldg. Ground Floor Rm W12-140, Washington, DC 20590; Telephone: 1 (800) 
647-5527, or (202) 366-9826. You must identify the Docket No. FAA-2018-
0062; Airspace Docket No. 18-ASO-3, at the beginning of your comments. 
You may also submit and review received comments through the internet 
at http://www.regulations.gov. You may review the public docket 
containing the proposal, any comments received, and any final 
disposition in person in the Dockets Office between 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 
p.m., Monday through Friday, except federal holidays.
    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, Georgia 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 would establish Class E airspace, and amend Class D and Class E 
airspace at Choctaw NOLF, Milton, FL, to support IFR operations at the 
airport.

Comments Invited

    Interested persons are invited to comment on this rule 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. You may also submit comments 
through the internet at http://www.regulations.gov.
    Persons 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 Docket 
No. FAA-2017-0062; Airspace Docket No. 18-ASO-3.'' 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 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 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 office 
of the Eastern Service Center, Federal Aviation Administration, Room 
350, 1701 Columbia Avenue, College Park, GA 30337.

Availability and Summary of Documents for Incorporation by Reference

    This document proposes to amend 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,

[[Page 9243]]

air traffic service routes, and reporting points.

The Proposal

    The FAA is considering an amendment to Title 14, Code of Federal 
Regulations (14 CFR) part 71 by:
    Amending Class D airspace at Choctaw NOLF, Milton, FL, by adjusting 
the geographic coordinates of the airport and the Santa Rosa TACAN 
navigation aid to be in concert with the FAA's aeronautical database. 
This proposal also would make an editorial change replacing the city 
associated with the airport name in the airspace designation from 
Pensacola, to Milton, to comply with a recent change to FAA Order 
7400.2L, Procedures for Handling Airspace Matters, dated October 12, 
2017. Also, this action would replace the outdated term ``Airport/
Facility Directory'' with the term ``Chart Supplement'' in the airspace 
legal description;
    Establishing Class E surface area airspace at Choctaw NOLF, Milton, 
FL, for the safety of aircraft landing and departing the airport after 
the air traffic control tower closes; and
    Amending Class E airspace extending upward from 700 feet above the 
surface at Choctaw NOLF, Milton, FL, by adjusting the geographic 
coordinates of the airport to be in concert with the FAA's aeronautical 
database. This proposal also would make an editorial change in the 
airspace designation from Choctaw Outlying Field, FL, to Milton, FL.
    Class D and E airspace designations are published in Paragraphs 
5000, 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 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. 
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, 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.

Lists 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 Federal Aviation 
Administration Order 7400.11B, Airspace Designations and Reporting 
Points, dated August 3, 2017, and effective September 15, 2017, is 
amended as follows:

Paragraph 5000 Class D Airspace.

* * * * *

ASO FL D Milton, FL [Amended]

Choctaw NOLF, FL
    (Lat. 30[deg]30'25'' N, long. 86[deg]57'35'' W)
Santa Rosa TACAN
    (Lat. 30[deg]36'55'' N, long. 86[deg]56'15'' W)

    That airspace extending upward from the surface to and including 
2,600 feet MSL within a 2.5-mile radius of Choctaw NOLF and within 
1.5 miles each side of the Santa Rosa TACAN 188[deg] radial, 
extending from the 2.5-mile radius to 10.5 miles south of the TACAN; 
excluding that airspace within Restricted Area R-2915A. This Class D 
airspace area is effective during the specific dates and times 
established by a Notice to Airmen. The effective date and time will 
thereafter be continuously published in the Chart Supplement.

Paragraph 6002 Class E Surface Area Airspace.

* * * * *

ASO FL E2 Milton, FL [New]

Choctaw NOLF, FL
    (Lat. 30[deg]30'25'' N, long. 86[deg]57'35'' W)
Santa Rosa TACAN
    (Lat. 30[deg]36'55'' N, long. 86[deg]56'15'' W)

    That airspace extending upward from the surface within a 2.5-
mile radius of Choctaw NOLF and within 1.5 miles each side of the 
Santa Rosa TACAN 188[deg] radial, extending from the 2.5-mile radius 
to 10.5 miles south of the TACAN; excluding that airspace within 
Restricted Area R-2915A. This Class E airspace area is effective 
during the specific dates and times established by a Notice to 
Airmen. 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.

* * * * *

ASO FL E5 Milton, FL [Amended]

Choctaw NOLF, FL
    (Lat. 30[deg]30'25'' N, long. 86[deg]57'35'' W)

    That airspace extending upward from 700 feet above the surface 
within a 6.7-mile radius of Choctaw NOLF.

    Issued in College Park, Georgia, on February 23, 2018.
Ryan W. Almasy,
Manager, Operations Support Group, Eastern Service Center, Air Traffic 
Organization.
[FR Doc. 2018-04324 Filed 3-2-18; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4910-13-P