Proposed Amendment of Class D and Class E Airspace, Revocation of Class E Airspace; Chico, CA

AGENCY:

Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), DOT.

ACTION:

Notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM).

SUMMARY:

This action proposes to modify Class D airspace, Class E airspace extending upward from 700 feet above the surface, and remove Class E surface area airspace designated as an extension at Chico Municipal Airport, Chico, CA. After reviewing the airspace, the FAA found it necessary to amend the airspace area by increasing the Class E airspace extending upward from 700 feet above the surface for the safety and management of Instrument Flight Rules (IFR) operations for arriving and departing aircraft at the airport. The FAA found no standard instrument approach procedures requiring Class E surface area airspace designated as an extension to Class D airspace. This action would also change from navigation aid to geographic coordinate references in the legal description, in anticipation of the FAA's future navigation aid discontinuance plan. The geographic coordinates of Chico Municipal and Ranchaero Airports also would be updated for the Class D and E airspace areas noted above.

DATES:

Comments must be received on or before December 28, 2015.

ADDRESSES:

Send comments on this proposal to the U.S. Department of Transportation, Docket Operations, M-30, West Building Ground Floor, Room W12-140, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE., Washington, DC 20590; telephone (202) 366-9826. You must identify FAA Docket No. FAA-2015-3899; Airspace Docket No. 15-AWP-14, at the beginning of your comments. You may also submit 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. The Docket Office (telephone 1-800-647-5527), is on the ground floor of the building at the above address.

FAA Order 7400.9Z, 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 and ATC Regulations Group, Federal Aviation Administration, 800 Independence Avenue SW., Washington, DC 29591; 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 this material at NARA, call 202-741-6030, or go to http://www.archives.gov/federal_register/code_of_federal-regulations/ibr_locations.html.

FAA Order 7400.9, Airspace Designations and Reporting Points, is published yearly and effective on September 15.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Steve Haga, Federal Aviation Administration, Operations Support Group, Western Service Center, 1601 Lind Avenue SW., Renton, WA 98057; telephone (425) 203-4563.

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 amend Class D and Class E airspace at Chico Municipal Airport, Chico, CA.

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. Commenters 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-2015-3899; Airspace Docket No. 15-AWP-14.” The postcard will be date/time stamped and returned to the commenter.

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/airports_airtraffic/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 during normal business hours 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.

Persons interested in being placed on a mailing list for future NPRMs should contact the FAA's Office of Rulemaking, (202) 267-9677, for a copy of Advisory Circular No. 11-2A, Notice of Proposed Rulemaking Distribution System, which describes the application procedure.

Availability and Summary of Documents Proposed for Incorporation by Reference

This document would amend FAA Order 7400.9Z, Airspace Designations and Reporting Points, dated August 6, 2015, and effective September 15, 2015. FAA Order 7400.9Z is publicly available as listed in the ADDRESSES section of this document. FAA Order 7400.9Z 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 modifying Class D airspace, Class E airspace extending upward from 700 feet above the surface, and removing Class E surface area airspace as an extension as this airspace is no longer needed, at Chico Municipal Airport, Chico, CA. Class E airspace extending upward from 700 feet above the surface would be modified to within a 4.1-mile radius east of Chico Municipal, extending to 6 miles from the southeast to the north, excluding that airspace within 1 NM of Ranchaero Airport, CA. Also, this action would remove reference to navigation aids and use instead geographic coordinate references in the legal descriptions. The geographic coordinates of the Chico Municipal and Ranchaero Airports would be amended for the Class D and E airspace areas to coincide with the FAA's aeronautical database.

Class D and Class E airspace designations are published in paragraph 5000, 6004, and 6005, respectively, of FAA Order 7400.9Z, dated August 6, 2015, and effective September 15, 2015, 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 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

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.

2. The incorporation by reference in 14 CFR 71.1 of FAA Order 7400.9Z, Airspace Designations and Reporting Points, dated August 6, 2015, and effective September 15, 2015, is amended as follows:

Paragraph 5000 Class D Airspace.

AWP CA D Chico, CA [Modified]

Chico Municipal Airport, CA

(Lat. 39°47′43″ N., long. 121°51′30″ W.)

Ranchaero Airport, Chico, CA

(Lat. 39°43′10″ N., long. 121°52′14″ W.)

That airspace extending upward from the surface to and including 2,700 feet MSL within a 4.1-mile radius of Chico Municipal Airport, excluding the portion within a 1-mile radius of Ranchaero 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 Airport/Facility Directory.

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

AWP CA E4 Chico, CA [Removed]

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

AWP CA E5 Chico, CA [Modified]

Chico Municipal Airport, CA

(Lat. 39°47′43″ N., long. 121°51′30″ W.)

Ranchaero Airport, Chico, CA

(Lat. 39°43′10″ N., long. 121°52′14″ W.)

That airspace extending upward from 700 feet above the surface bounded by a line beginning at lat. 39°43′57″ N., long. 121°45′28″ W. clockwise along the Chico Municipal Airport 6-mile radius to lat. 39°41′45″ N., long. 121°50′42″ W.; thence along the 174° bearing from the Chico Municipal Airport to intersect the 1-mile radius of the Ranchaero Airport, thence counter-clockwise along the Ranchaero Airport 1-mile radius to intersect the 200° bearing from the Chico Municipal Airport, thence along the 200° bearing to the Chico Municipal Airport 6-mile radius, thence clockwise to lat. 39°53′31″ N., long. 121°53′31″ W.; thence to lat. 39°51′48″ N., long. 121°52′04″ W. clockwise along the Chico Municipal Airport 4.1-mile radius to lat. 39°45′40″ N., long. 121°46′54″ W.; thence to the point of beginning.