Modification of Class B Airspace; Las Vegas, NV, 43772-43780 [2013-17477]
Download as PDF
43772
Federal Register / Vol. 78, No. 140 / Monday, July 22, 2013 / Rules and Regulations
(f) Compliance
Comply with this AD within the
compliance times specified, unless already
done.
(g) Repetitive Inspections and Corrective
Actions
Except as provided by paragraph (h) of this
AD, at the applicable time specified in table
1 of paragraph 1.E., ‘‘Compliance,’’ of Boeing
Special Attention Service Bulletin 727–55–
0094, dated March 21, 2012, do a detailed
inspection for any cracking of the elevator
rear spar stiffener assembly, and all
applicable corrective actions, in accordance
with the Accomplishment Instructions of
Boeing Special Attention Service Bulletin
727–55–0094, dated March 21, 2012. Do all
applicable corrective actions before further
flight. Repeat the inspection thereafter at the
applicable time specified in table 1 of
paragraph 1.E., ‘‘Compliance,’’ of Boeing
Special Attention Service Bulletin 727–55–
0094, dated March 21, 2012, except as
provided by paragraph (j) of this AD.
(h) Exception to the Service Information
Where Boeing Special Attention Service
Bulletin 727–55–0094, dated March 21, 2012,
specifies a compliance time ‘‘from the
original issue date of this service bulletin,’’
this AD requires compliance within the
specified compliance time after the effective
date of this AD.
(i) Optional Replacement
Replacing the elevator rear spar stiffener
assembly with a new assembly in accordance
with Part 4 or 5, as applicable, of the
Accomplishment Instructions of Boeing
Special Attention Service Bulletin 727–55–
0094, dated March 21, 2012, terminates the
inspections required by paragraph (g) of this
AD for that assembly, except as required by
paragraph (j) of this AD.
ehiers on DSK2VPTVN1PROD with RULES
(j) Post-Replacement Inspection Compliance
Time
For any elevator rear spar stiffener
assembly replaced as required by paragraph
(g) of this AD or as specified in paragraph (i)
of this AD: Do the next inspection required
by paragraph (g) of this AD for that assembly
within 96 months after accomplishing the
replacement and repeat thereafter at the
times specified in paragraph (g) of this AD.
(k) Alternative Methods of Compliance
(AMOCs)
(1) The Manager, Seattle Aircraft
Certification Office (ACO), FAA, has the
authority to approve AMOCs for this AD, if
requested using the procedures found in 14
CFR 39.19. In accordance with 14 CFR 39.19,
send your request to your principal inspector
or local Flight Standards District Office, as
appropriate. If sending information directly
to the manager of the ACO, send it to the
attention of the person identified in the
Related Information section of this AD.
Information may be emailed to: 9-ANMSeattle-ACO-AMOC-Requests@faa.gov.
(2) Before using any approved AMOC,
notify your appropriate principal inspector,
or lacking a principal inspector, the manager
of the local flight standards district office/
certificate holding district office.
VerDate Mar<15>2010
14:52 Jul 19, 2013
Jkt 229001
(3) An AMOC that provides an acceptable
level of safety may be used for any repair
required by this AD if it is approved by the
Boeing Commercial Airplanes Organization
Designation Authorization (ODA) that has
been authorized by the Manager, Seattle
ACO, to make those findings. For a repair
method to be approved, the repair must meet
the certification basis of the airplane, and the
approval must specifically refer to this AD.
(l) Related Information
For more information about this AD,
contact Berhane Alazar, Aerospace Engineer,
Airframe Branch, ANM–120S, FAA, Seattle
Aircraft Certification Office, 1601 Lind
Avenue SW., Renton, WA 98057–3356;
phone: 425–917–6577; fax: 425–917–6590;
email: berhane.alazar@faa.gov.
(m) Material Incorporated by Reference
(1) The Director of the Federal Register
approved the incorporation by reference
(IBR) of the service information listed in this
paragraph under 5 U.S.C. 552(a) and 1 CFR
part 51.
(2) You must use this service information
as applicable to do the actions required by
this AD, unless the AD specifies otherwise.
(i) Boeing Special Attention Service
Bulletin 727–55–0094, dated March 21, 2012.
(ii) Reserved.
(3) For service information identified in
this AD, contact Boeing Commercial
Airplanes, Attention: Data & Services
Management, P.O. Box 3707, MC 2H–65,
Seattle, WA 98124–2207; telephone 206–
544–5000, extension 1; fax 206–766–5680;
Internet https://www.myboeingfleet.com.
(4) You may view this service information
at FAA, FAA, Transport Airplane Directorate,
1601 Lind Avenue SW., Renton, WA. For
information on the availability of this
material at the FAA, call 425–227–1221.
(5) You may view this service information
that is incorporated by reference 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: https://
www.archives.gov/federal-register/cfr/ibrlocations.html.
Issued in Renton, Washington, on June 21,
2013.
Jeffrey E. Duven,
Acting Manager, Transport Airplane
Directorate, Aircraft Certification Service.
[FR Doc. 2013–16930 Filed 7–19–13; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910–13–P
PO 00000
Frm 00020
Fmt 4700
Sfmt 4700
DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Federal Aviation Administration
14 CFR Part 71
[Docket No. FAA–2012–0966; Airspace
Docket No. 12–AWA–5]
RIN 2120–AA66
Modification of Class B Airspace; Las
Vegas, NV
Federal Aviation
Administration (FAA), DOT.
ACTION: Final rule.
AGENCY:
This action modifies the Las
Vegas, NV, Class B airspace area to
ensure the containment of large turbinepowered aircraft within Class B
airspace, reduce air traffic controller
workload, and reduce the potential for
midair collision in the Las Vegas, NV,
terminal area.
DATES: Effective Date: 0901 UTC, August
22, 2013. The Director of the Federal
Register approves this incorporation by
reference action under 1 CFR part 51,
subject to the annual revision of FAA
Order 7400.9 and publication of
conforming amendments.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Paul
Gallant, Airspace Policy and ATC
Procedures Group, Office of Airspace
Services, Federal Aviation
Administration, 800 Independence
Avenue SW., Washington, DC 20591;
telephone: (202) 267–8783.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
SUMMARY:
History
On October 26, 2012, the FAA
published in the Federal Register a
notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM)
to modify the Las Vegas, NV, Class B
airspace area (77 FR 65332). Interested
parties were invited to participate in
this rulemaking effort by submitting
written comments on the proposal.
By letter dated December 7, 2012, the
Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association
(AOPA) requested that the FAA extend
the comment period for at least 30 days.
AOPA stated that the original comment
period encompassed two Federal
holiday periods and that no comments
had been posted to the docket as of the
date of their letter. The FAA determined
that reopening of the comment period
was consistent with the public interest.
On January 14, 2013, the FAA published
in the Federal Register a notice
reopening the comment period until
February 13, 2013 (78 FR 2646).
The Aircraft Owners and Pilots
Association (AOPA) and six individuals
responded to the NPRM comment
periods. The FAA considered all
E:\FR\FM\22JYR1.SGM
22JYR1
Federal Register / Vol. 78, No. 140 / Monday, July 22, 2013 / Rules and Regulations
comments received before making a
determination on this final rule.
ehiers on DSK2VPTVN1PROD with RULES
Discussion of Comments
Increasing the Class B Ceiling From
9,000 Feet MSL to 10,000 Feet MSL
AOPA commented that the higher
ceiling would decrease Visual Flight
Rules (VFR) pilots’ ability to overfly the
Class B airspace thus requiring them to
circumnavigate the area.
The FAA acknowledges AOPA’s
concern, but believes the impact to
general aviation to be minimal. With the
9,000-foot ceiling, in order to transition
the Class B, general aviation pilots on
westerly headings must: Receive
clearance through Class B airspace;
climb to 10,500 feet and overfly Class B;
or circumnavigate the area. Raising the
ceiling to 10,000 feet will only affect
flights on easterly headings that prior to
this rule overflew the airspace at 9,500
feet. If the pilot does not obtain Class B
services at 9,500 feet, the aircraft can
still overfly Class B at 11,500 feet or
circumnavigate as they did previously.
AOPA also disagreed with the FAA’s
position that the higher ceiling is
needed to reduce the number of Traffic
Alert and Collision Avoidance System
(TCAS) alerts between Las Vegas
arrivals and aircraft transiting on VOR
Federal airways V–21 and V–394.
Instead, AOPA suggested that the Class
B ceiling be raised only where needed,
or that routes available for transition on
those airways be altered.
The 9,000-foot MSL ceiling allows
overflight of the Class B at 9,500 feet
MSL. The FAA provided data during the
development of Class B airspace
modification that clearly identifies
conflicts between the two airways and
the arrival/departure procedures
utilized at Las Vegas. If a general
aviation aircraft is operating on the
airway at 9,500 feet, and not
communicating with ATC, the
controller must take action to avoid any
conflicts. Furthermore, when the
controller has to stop an aircraft arrival
above the VFR aircraft, the arrival
aircraft has to come off its profile
descent. This is also critical when a
westbound departure’s climb must be
stopped below a VFR aircraft at 9,500
feet, or the departure must be vectored
to avoid the nonparticipating traffic.
The Minimum Vectoring Altitude
(MVA) in this area is 10,000 feet MSL.
The controller must then vector the
aircraft around the V–394 traffic to gain
altitude before directing the departure
aircraft to resume its own navigation.
Raising the ceiling to 10,000 feet MSL
will allow profile descents to continue
unimpeded, or allow ATC to approve
VerDate Mar<15>2010
14:52 Jul 19, 2013
Jkt 229001
and separate V–394 traffic from the
profile descent aircraft. Departure
procedures will also benefit from the
higher ceiling.
Regarding the suggestion to raise the
Class B ceiling only in selected areas,
the Ad Hoc Committee considered that
alternative and opined that raising the
ceiling in that manner will add
complexity to the airspace design. The
FAA agrees to investigate alternative
transitions through Class B for VFR
aircraft. This was also discussed at
length during the Ad Hoc Committee
meetings. However, the FAA believes
the Class B airspace must be modified
first to fully evaluate transition routes.
AOPA questioned the FAA’s
statement in the NPRM that the
increased ceiling height would provide
more airspace for controllers to
accomplish sequencing, later
application of speed control, and would
make the airspace easier for VFR pilots
to identify. AOPA believes such an
expansion of Class B airspace
substantially would decrease flexibility,
efficiency, and safety for general
aviation aircraft operating outside of the
Class B boundaries. Piston powered
aircraft are significantly impacted by
density altitude constraints. Any
increase to the Las Vegas Class B ceiling
height will limit the number of aircraft
able to climb over the Class B, and will
substantially increase the time, expense,
and fuel required in doing so.
The FAA understands the Class B
modifications will have impact on all
users of the airspace, but we strive to
minimize the impacts as much as
possible. This policy was followed
throughout the entire modernization
process, and overall, the FAA believes
that raising the ceiling from 9,000 feet
MSL to 10,000 feet MSL has the least
impact.
Another commenter claimed that the
FAA chose to ignore advice from the Ad
Hoc Committee regarding general
aviation access to the airspace between
9,000 and 10,000 feet.
The Ad Hoc Committee could not
reach consensus on the ceiling height
issue. An Ad Hoc Committee meeting
was held specifically to discuss the
ceiling height, and after much
discussion, four of the seven members
voted to raise the ceiling. It was
therefore submitted as a Committee
recommendation to raise the ceiling to
10,000 feet.
One commenter stated that increasing
the Class B ceiling to 10,000 MSL limits
Sport Pilot operations transitioning the
Las Vegas Valley, in that Sport pilots
would be forced to fly low around the
edges of the lower Class B shelves and
PO 00000
Frm 00021
Fmt 4700
Sfmt 4700
43773
closer to hazardous mountainous
terrain.
Considering that the primary purpose
of Class B airspace is to reduce the
potential for midair collisions, the FAA
acknowledges that under this rule, there
will be some impact to airspace users.
Title 14 CFR parts 61 and 91 provide
guidance for sport pilots. Section 61.315
limits sport aircraft operations to a
maximum of 10,000 feet MSL or 2,000
feet AGL, which ever is higher. Under
that limitation, those sport pilot flights
that transition today from the northeast
to the southwest are already required to
transition the area either by requesting
Class B clearance or circumnavigating
the Class B. Therefore, the effect of
raising the ceiling from 9,000 to 10,000
feet MSL will only impact those who
previously flew over the Class B
airspace at 9,500 feet MSL from west to
east.
One commenter stated that the Class
B airspace configuration should not
cause the surrounding air traffic to be
put in greater danger of collision with
each other and the terrain. The
commenter added that, when departing
south, southwest, and west, especially
at night, terrain clearance under area G
is inadequate. The commenter
maintained that, even with Class B
clearance, controllers tend to keep a
pilot too low. The commenter said that
trying to accommodate all possible
approaches and departures within Class
B airspace should not be at the expense
of real safety concerns.
The FAA disagrees. On the contrary,
the issue of raising the ceiling and any
added risks that might be introduced by
such action was thoroughly discussed
during ad hoc committee and the public
informal airspace meetings. The floor of
Area G remains unchanged at 5,000 feet
MSL. The FAA’s proposal to modify
Class B is driven by safety concerns
about the potential for a midair collision
if changes are not made in the Las Vegas
Valley. Data has shown that if the
airspace is modified as was proposed,
the potential of a midair collision is
reduced. FAA directives require that
instrument procedures be contained
within Class B airspace for the very
purpose of reducing that potential. The
FAA agrees that an added level of safety
can be achieved by developing VFR
transition routes in and around the
valley, however such routes cannot be
designed until the final Class B airspace
configuration is determined.
Need for Transition Routes or Corridors
Through the Las Vegas Valley
AOPA requested the establishment of
a VFR transition route to allow easier
access through the Class B, adding that
E:\FR\FM\22JYR1.SGM
22JYR1
ehiers on DSK2VPTVN1PROD with RULES
43774
Federal Register / Vol. 78, No. 140 / Monday, July 22, 2013 / Rules and Regulations
the route should be located to allow
routine and consistent availability.
The FAA agrees and has taken action
outside the scope of this rulemaking
action to develop transition routes
through the valley. After the Class B
airspace modifications are complete, the
FAA will be able to better evaluate
possible transition routes.
A commenter contended that the FAA
failed to add RNAV terminal routes as
requested by stakeholders.
The FAA disagrees. With any major
airspace change, a baseline must be
provided before specific routings can be
determined. This is especially true in
the Las Vegas Valley with its many
constraints of terrain, close airport
proximity, and special use airspace. In
the case of this airspace modification
project and its many challenges, all
routes could not be developed prior to
final airspace approval. One of the
earliest challenges preventing us from
developing the routes was that the Class
B is too compressed to handle the traffic
volume. While the above constraints
limit the available options for
establishing terminal routings, we will
be able to further examine the issue
once the Class B modification takes
effect.
A commenter raised concerns about
Area F and Area G (near Cottonwood
Pass and Columbia Pass). Expanding
Area G farther northwest at 5,000 feet
MSL, and lowering the altitude of Area
F to 7,000 feet MSL constricts VFR
traffic that are transitioning southwest
from North Las Vegas airport and
attempting to remain clear of the LAS
Class B and the mountainous terrain.
Accidents have occurred in that area
when ATC was unable to service VFR
transitions through the Class B and
aircraft were instructed to ‘‘remain clear
of Class B,’’ especially at night. The
lower Area F floor also condenses the
airspace available for flight training.
The FAA understands that
modifications in this area will impact
general aviation and has met several
times with local general aviation users
to mitigate some of that impact.
Previously, the LAS Class B did not
fully contain instrument procedures in
Class B airspace, in particular Area F.
This particular area is heavily used for
instrument operations at McCarran
International Airport and by the Jean
Airport glider community. It has been
identified as a high risk potential for a
midair collision. This is one area where
the FAA needs to reduce that potential
by developing transition routes. In its
preliminary design, the FAA proposed
to lower the floor of Area F to 6,000 feet
MSL. The Ad Hoc Committee
recommended the floor be set at 7,500
VerDate Mar<15>2010
14:52 Jul 19, 2013
Jkt 229001
feet MSL. The FAA determined that the
floor could be raised to 7,000 feet MSL
but could not be raised any higher in
order to contain the ILS approach
serving Runway 1L at Las Vegas
McCarran.
Complexity of the Class B Design
A commenter wrote that the FAA
failed to accept an ad hoc committee
recommendation to harmonize most
area boundaries.
On the contrary, the FAA worked
closely with the Ad Hoc Committee to
adjust subarea boundaries to make the
design as accommodating as possible for
other users of the airspace. FAA Class
B airspace design guidance calls for
simplification of the airspace area
configuration, and that the area must be
designed to contain all instrument
procedures within Class B airspace.
However, the unique geography of the
Las Vegas Valley, combined with the
close proximity of several busy airports
and special use airspace, created
challenges in designing a Class B
airspace area that fully meets both the
simplification and containment
requirements.
The FAA accepted most of the Ad
Hoc Committee recommendations;
however, not all recommendations
could be fully adopted due to the
requirement to contain instrument
procedures within Class B airspace. The
design of some areas, such as Area F
and Area O, was determined by the
configuration of instrument approach
procedures into LAS and the need to
contain those procedures within Class B
airspace. As examples, Area C
experienced a high Class B excursion
rate for aircraft landing from the east
and the Ad Hoc Committee agreed with
lowering that floor. On the left
downwind to Runway 25, ATC is
required to have the aircraft in position
to intercept the ILS glideslope at or
below the glideslope altitude of 5,000
feet MSL. The eastbound profiles for the
procedures previously kept aircraft
contained in Class B to 6,000 feet MSL.
By slightly aligning the boundaries of
Areas A, B, and E, the FAA was able to
capture the flight tracks within the Class
B surface area. However, Area S was
designed to contain instrument
procedures and the holding pattern at
the Boulder City VOR in the Class B.
This precluded the use of a common
boundary to define Areas B, D, P and S.
A more detailed discussion of the Ad
Hoc Committee’s recommendations for
the design of various Class B subareas,
and the FAA’s responses, can be found
in the NPRM.
PO 00000
Frm 00022
Fmt 4700
Sfmt 4700
Amendment of Area Floors
A commenter stated that the Las
Vegas Class B airspace is already
complicated, even for a skilled pilot
familiar with the Las Vegas area. The
airspace changes make it impossible to
navigate for a less experienced VFR
pilot new to Las Vegas airspace,
especially in reduced visibility; and
these changes make the airspace
available only to IFR operations. The
commenter contended that the proposed
design creates various hazards for
general aviation aircraft operating in the
area. As a solution, the commenter
suggested raising the floors of Areas C,
F and O.
The floor of Area F is needed to
contain approaches into LAS and
cannot be raised. Area C has shown a
high Class B excursion rate for aircraft
landing from the east, and the ad hoc
committee agreed to lower its floor.
Area O also is designed to contain
procedures.
Another commenter asked if a 7,000
foot MSL floor in Area F is needed for
the ILS Runway 1L approach to LAS, or
if the portion of Area F can kept at 8,000
feet MSL northwest, of and aligned with
the 210R (M), proposed for Area R. The
commenter said this would allow
greater terrain clearance for VFR
departures from the valley to the
southwest along the Cottonwood and
Columbia passes.
Area F was carefully considered in
the airspace design phase, and several
revisions were made prior to the design
submitted for rulemaking. The FAA
attempted to keep Area F aligned as
much as feasible to simplify the design
for the general aviation user. In
discussion with local soaring club users
at Jean Airport, Areas F and R were
again re-defined, offering some relief to
the impact that lowering the floor of
Area F and adding the new Area R
would have on their operation.
The commenter added that raising the
floor of Class B for Area T is good for
terrain avoidance for aircraft
transitioning from KVGT to KHND and
0L7 (Jean Airport). However, the
commenter believed it creates potential
airspace violations for aircraft to
descend back below 4,500 feet
northbound or 5,000 feet southbound.
The commenter suggested that the Area
T boundaries be aligned with the
proposed 255° radial (M) of Area G and
with the Area I 280° radial (M).
Area T was derived from Ad Hoc
Committee discussions proposing to
raise the Class B floor west of LAS to at
least 5,500 feet MSL to provide
additional terrain clearance. However,
the northern boundary of Area T could
E:\FR\FM\22JYR1.SGM
22JYR1
ehiers on DSK2VPTVN1PROD with RULES
Federal Register / Vol. 78, No. 140 / Monday, July 22, 2013 / Rules and Regulations
not be extended further due to
interference with the STAAV Departure
Procedure. Similarly, the southern Area
T boundary could not be extended
further into Area G because that
airspace is needed to contain aircraft
descending for the ILS Runway 25L and
25R approaches and to contain the
SHEAD departure procedure.
A commenter said that lowering the
floor of Area F and creating the new
Area R makes the VFR Rocks Route
more challenging when flying north into
KVGT. The commenter suggested that
the floor of Area I be raised from 4,500
to 5,000 feet to accommodate southwest
departures from KVGT. Currently
departures from KVGT are limited to
under 4,500 feet and less than 200
degrees heading forcing steep climbs
after exiting the Class B to get over
southbound terrain which rises to
7,000–8,000 feet. Another commenter
who regularly departs/arrives KHND to
the southwest calls the proposed
lowering of Area F floor from 8,000 to
7,000 feet unacceptable. He said that to
clear the sharply rising terrain now, he
flies as close as possible to the 5,000′
floor, and starts an aggressive climb the
moment he’s clear of that restriction and
then continues climbing typically to
10,500 feet, just avoiding the 8,000′
floor. He said the onboard terrain
warning often alerts during this
departure. He stated that the return trip
is similar and he sets the onboard
terrain warning to 7,400 feet to clear the
mountains between Sky Ranch and
Goodsprings. He said that the 7,000′
floor will eliminate his primary
corridor. He expressed similar concerns
about the new subareas P and S.
The FAA, in collaboration with the
Ad Hoc Committee, mitigated the
impact of Areas F and R on general
aviation users. Area F is amended, and
Area R is added, to support a straightin segment to the ILS 1L approach and
the development of RNAV GPS/RNP
approaches to Runways 1L and 1R.
These areas are procedure criteria
driven, and their base altitudes are the
highest possible to meet that criteria. In
an effort to further mitigate the impact
of lowering the floors of these areas, we
are going to establish VFR transition
routes to assist in clearing terrain and
segregating from these approach
procedures, however this will be a
separate project outside the scope of the
Class B modification rule.
A commenter wrote that eastbound
departures and westbound arrivals into
KVGT are more challenging due to
lowered floors in areas C, D, O and P,
and being squeezed between Nellis AFB
and McCarran traffic, and challenging
terrain. This commenter added that high
VerDate Mar<15>2010
14:52 Jul 19, 2013
Jkt 229001
terrain allows little room to maneuver
and avoid sudden changes in fast
moving aircraft operating in/out of
Nellis AFB. The commenter believes
that changes present significant safety
issues for general aviation traffic
departing and arriving into KVGT
during the day, with unacceptable risks
at night. The commenter contended that
this will discourage general aviation
fight operations into KVGT for servicing
such as Lone Mountain Aviation.
The FAA understands the need for
relief from terrain and other airspace
constraints and will evaluate all areas in
the Las Vegas Valley where VFR
transition routes would assist pilots and
controllers in conducting traffic
management in and out of KVGT. The
FAA disagrees with the second half of
this comment. Safety protocols are
available to the general aviation user by
the use of suggested VFR flyways
identified on the Flyway Chart if the
pilot chooses not to request Class B
services.
One commenter proposed that
published instrument procedures be
altered to contain them within the Class
B rather than expanding the airspace.
The FAA assesses the feasibility of
amending existing routes and
procedures prior to requesting an
airspace modification. Instrument
procedures are designed based on
standard criteria to ensure safe flight.
These criteria include factors such as
flyability, obstruction clearance,
navigation aid guidance parameters, etc.
Little leeway is available to alter the
design criteria. In the case of various
procedures serving LAS, the design
criteria preclude altering the procedures
to remain within the existing Class B
airspace. As discussed above, FAA
directives require that all instrument
procedures be contained within Class B
airspace in order to reduce the potential
for midair collisions in the terminal
area. Since aircraft are currently exiting
the Class B while flying the procedures,
it is necessary to amend the airspace to
contain those aircraft.
Denial of Class B Services to VFR
Aircraft
Three commenters stated that VFR
aircraft are regularly denied entry into
the Las Vegas Class B airspace area.
Consequently, VFR pilots are required
to fly around, under or above the Class
B.
Class B service for VFR aircraft is an
‘‘additional service’’ that ATC provides,
subject to certain limitations. Higher
priority duties (such as preventing
collision between aircraft operating in
the system) and other circumstances
may prevent the provision of additional
PO 00000
Frm 00023
Fmt 4700
Sfmt 4700
43775
services at certain times. Recognizing
the above conditions, the provision of
additional services is not optional on
the part of the controller, but rather is
required when the work situation
permits. Therefore, the decision to
approve or deny requests from VFR
pilots to operate in Class B airspace is
based on controller workload,
operational limitations and traffic
conditions.
With the above guidelines in mind,
VFR access to Las Vegas Class B
airspace is limited by numerous factors.
The runway configurations and IFR
departure and arrival routings to each of
the four current configurations at LAS
preclude a standard for approving Class
B transitions. In two of the four
configurations, the potential to
transition over the top of LAS is not
available due to departure and arrival
procedures and this option in the other
two configurations is based solely on
sector capacity and IFR overflight
traffic. Transitions at higher altitudes
(6,500 to 9,500 ft.) again are based on
traffic volume from the west and
southwest routes. Furthermore, the
proximity of HND to the Runway 1L/R
final approach courses and Runway 19
L/R departure courses impacts ATC
ability to provide Class B service during
times of moderate to heavy arrival or
departure demand. The same applies
with the proximity of VGT to the
Runway 19L/R final approach courses
and the Runway 1L/R departure
courses. The FAA concurs that the few
available VFR charted routings are
insufficient to cover every aspect of the
LAS operation. With the
implementation of the new Class B,
FAA has committed to meet with the
community and user groups to develop
additional charted VFR transition routes
through the airspace. These routes will
be built based on GPS technology and,
in many cases, be configuration specific
to meet the needs of the users and ATC.
NPRM Class B Chart
One person noted that the chart
published with the NPRM appeared to
show two Area T’s. On that chart, the
letter designator for the area around
North Las Vegas Airport (Area I) did not
print clearly and appeared to be a ‘‘T.’’
This has been corrected in the chart
attached to this rule. The individual
descriptions of Areas I and T as
published in the NPRM are correct.
Differences From the NPRM
Minor corrections to the latitude/
longitude coordinates have been added
in the description of Areas D,G, I and P.
This is the result of more accurate
digital plotting of the airspace.
E:\FR\FM\22JYR1.SGM
22JYR1
43776
Federal Register / Vol. 78, No. 140 / Monday, July 22, 2013 / Rules and Regulations
ehiers on DSK2VPTVN1PROD with RULES
The Rule
The FAA is amending Title 14 of the
Code of Federal Regulations (14 CFR)
part 71 by modifying the Las Vegas, NV,
Class B airspace area. This action
(depicted on the chart in Figure 1—
Modification of the Las Vegas, NV Class
B Airspace Area) modifies the lateral
and vertical limits of the Class B
airspace to ensure the containment of
large turbine-powered aircraft and
enhance safety in the Las Vegas terminal
area. This action modifies each of the
original 15 subareas (A through O) and
adds five new areas (P through T). The
Class B lateral limits are expanded in
several areas. To the east of LAS, Area
P extends the outer Class B limit from
25 NM out to 30 NM between the
115°and 132° radials. On the southeast,
Area S moves the 20 NM radius to 30
NM between the 115° and 132° radials.
To the south, in Area R, the 20 NM
radius changes to 23 NM between the
188° and 225° radials. To the southwest
in Area G, a small segment extends from
the 10 NM out to 20 NM bounded by the
240° radial.
This action also raises the ceiling of
the entire Class B airspace area from
9,000 feet MSL to 10,000 feet MSL. The
specific Class B subarea modifications
are outlined below. All subareas extend
upward from the specified altitude to
10,000 feet MSL.
Area A. Area A extends upward from
the surface. The southern boundary of
the area, in the vicinity of Henderson
Executive Airport (HND), is modified by
moving the boundary that lies west of
HND from the 180° radial to the 185°
radial. This provides more airspace for
operations at HND. In addition, the
southeast corner of Area A is shifted
from the 115° radial to the 119° radial
to ensure containment of aircraft joining
the ILS Runway 25L and 25R
approaches.
Area B. The floor of Area B remains
at 4,500 feet MSL. The southern
boundary of the area moves from the
115° radial to the 119° radial, with a
segment along the 16-mile arc in order
to retain aircraft in Class B airspace as
they descend to capture the ILS Runway
25L or 25R localizer.
Area C. The floor of Area C is lowered
from 6,500 feet to 6,000 feet MSL. The
southern boundary is moved from the
125° radial to the 083° radial. On the
east, the 20-mile arc is moved out to the
22-mile arc. These changes ensure that
aircraft are kept in Class B airspace and
still allow for a stabilized approach to
runways 19L and 19R. The FAA
determined that not all of the Area C
airspace must be lowered to 6,000 feet
MSL. Therefore, Area C is reduced in
VerDate Mar<15>2010
14:52 Jul 19, 2013
Jkt 229001
size by shifting that portion south of the
083° radial into Area D with a floor of
6,500 feet MSL.
Area D. Area D is reconfigured by
lowering the floor from 8,000 feet MSL
to 6,500 feet MSL, resetting the
boundaries between the 16- and 22-mile
arcs instead of the 20- and 25-mile arcs
and incorporating a portion of Area C,
as described above. The changes
support SUNST and KEPEC RNAV
arrivals being vectored to intercept the
Runway 25L localizer.
Area E. The floor of Area E remains
at 6,000 feet MSL. The boundary is
moved from the 115° radial to the 119°
radial. This change is required to
contain aircraft descending to the
proper altitude to capture the ILS
approach for Runway 25L or 25R.
Area F. The floor of Area F is lowered
from 8,000 feet MSL to 7,000 feet MSL
and the eastern boundary is shifted from
the 125° radial to the 185° radial. This
change contains aircraft that currently
exit Class B airspace on the ILS Runway
1L approach.
Area G. The floor of Area G remains
at 5,000 feet MSL. The boundary
segment currently along the 235° radial
is moved to the 240° radial and the
segment defined by the 295° radial is
shifted to the 255° radial. The remaining
segment between the 255° radial and the
295° radial is redesignated as a new
Area T, described below. These changes
allow aircraft to remain within Class B
airspace while descending for the ILS
Runway 25L or 25R approaches and to
contain the SHEAD Departure
Procedure.
Area H. The floor of Area H remains
at 4,000 feet MSL. The northern
boundary moves from the 295° radial to
the 310° radial and the southern
boundary moves from the 180° radial to
the 185° radial. The 185° radial aligns
with previously described area
modifications, while the 310° boundary
extends the 4,000-foot Class B floor
slightly northward (into the current
Area I) to provide separation from the
STAAV departure procedure.
Area I. The floor of Area I remains at
4,500 feet MSL, but a small segment in
the southern corner of Area I is
transferred into Area H (with its 4,000foot MSL floor) as described above.
Area J, Area K, Area L, Area M and
Area N. The only change to these areas
is raising the ceiling from 9,000 feet
MSL to 10,000 feet MSL.
Area O. The floor of Area O is
lowered to 7,000 feet MSL instead of the
current 8,000 feet MSL. In addition, the
boundaries are realigned between the
22- and 25-mile arcs from the 046°
radial clockwise to the 083° radial.
These changes ensure the containment
PO 00000
Frm 00024
Fmt 4700
Sfmt 4700
of arrivals executing the Runway 25L
ILS approach, the GRNPA RNAV
Arrival and aircraft being vectored from
the east to land on Runways 19L and
19R.
Area P. This is a new subarea with a
floor of 8,000 feet MSL. It extends from
the 060° radial clockwise to the 115°
radial and bounded on the east by the
30-mile arc and on the west by Areas D
and O. Area P provides containment for
four RNAV arrival procedures.
Area Q. This is a new subarea with a
floor of 8,000 feet MSL. It lies between
the 15- and 20-mile arcs from the 132°
radial clockwise to the 185° radial. It
consists of airspace currently in the
eastern half of Area F. Area Q contains
aircraft being vectored from the
southeast to a point where they are
turned north for a straight-in approach.
Area R. Area R is a new subarea with
a floor of 8,000 feet MSL. It expands
Class B airspace from the 20-mile arc
out to the 23-mile arc, between the 188°
radial clockwise to the 225° radial. Area
R ensures the containment of aircraft
being vectored for the ILS Runway 1L
approach.
Area S. Area S is a new area with a
floor of 7,000 feet MSL. It is located
southeast of LAS between the 15- and
27-mile arcs and between the 115° and
132° radials. The area is required to
ensure containment of operational
procedures into LAS.
Area T. Area T is a new area with a
floor of 5,500 feet MSL. Area T lies west
of LAS between the 8- and 10-mile arcs,
and the 255° and the 295° radials. This
area is taken from a portion of the
existing Area G. (Area T was derived
from Ad Hoc Committee discussions
proposing to raise the floor of the Class
B west of LAS to at least 5,500 feet MSL
to provide additional airspace for terrain
clearance and flight above populated
areas for general aviation operations).
In addition to the above, this action
updates the McCarran International
Airport reference point (ARP); the
Henderson Executive Airport name and
ARP; and the North Las Vegas Airport
name and ARP to reflect the current
information in the FAA’s National
Airspace System Resource database.
All radials in this rule are expressed
in degrees relative to True North.
Environmental Review
The FAA has determined that this
action qualifies for categorical exclusion
under the National Environmental
Policy Act in accordance with FAA
Order 1050.1E, ‘‘Environmental
Impacts: Policies and Procedures,’’
paragraph 311a. This airspace action is
not expected to cause any potentially
significant environmental impacts, and
E:\FR\FM\22JYR1.SGM
22JYR1
Federal Register / Vol. 78, No. 140 / Monday, July 22, 2013 / Rules and Regulations
no extraordinary circumstances exist
that warrant preparation of an
environmental assessment.
Paperwork Reduction Act
The Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995
(44 U.S.C. 3507(d)) requires that the
FAA consider the impact of paperwork
and other information collection
burdens imposed on the public. We
have determined that there is no new
information collection requirement
associated with this rule.
ehiers on DSK2VPTVN1PROD with RULES
Regulatory Evaluation Summary
Changes to Federal regulations must
undergo several economic analyses.
First, Executive Order 12866 and
Executive Order 13563 directs that each
Federal agency shall propose or adopt a
regulation only upon a reasoned
determination that the benefits of the
intended regulation justify its costs.
Second, the Regulatory Flexibility Act
of 1980 (Pub. L. 96–354) requires
agencies to analyze the economic
impact of regulatory changes on small
entities. Third, the Trade Agreements
Act (Pub. L. 96–39) prohibits agencies
from setting standards that create
unnecessary obstacles to the foreign
commerce of the United States. In
developing U.S. standards, the Trade
Act requires agencies to consider
international standards and, where
appropriate, that they be the basis of
U.S. standards. Fourth, the Unfunded
Mandates Reform Act of 1995 (Pub. L.
104–4) requires agencies to prepare a
written assessment of the costs, benefits,
and other effects of proposed or final
rules that include a Federal mandate
likely to result in the expenditure by
State, local, or tribal governments, in the
aggregate, or by the private sector, of
$100 million or more annually (adjusted
for inflation with base year of 1995).
This portion of the preamble
summarizes the FAA’s analysis of the
economic impacts of this final rule.
Department of Transportation Order
DOT 2100.5 prescribes policies and
procedures for simplification, analysis,
and review of regulations. If the
expected cost impact is so minimal that
a final rule does not warrant a full
evaluation, this order permits that a
statement to that effect and the basis for
it be included in the preamble if a full
regulatory evaluation of the costs and
benefits is not prepared. Such a
determination has been made for this
final rule. The reasoning for this
determination follows:
In conducting these analyses, the FAA
has determined that this final rule:
(1) Imposes minimal incremental
costs and provides benefits,
VerDate Mar<15>2010
14:52 Jul 19, 2013
Jkt 229001
(2) Is not an economically ‘‘significant
regulatory action’’ as defined in section
3(f) of Executive Order 12866,
(3) Is not significant as defined in
DOT’s Regulatory Policies and
Procedures;
(4) Will not have a significant
economic impact on a substantial
number of small entities;
(5) Will not have a significant effect
on international trade; and
(6) Will not impose an unfunded
mandate on state, local, or tribal
governments, or on the private sector by
exceeding the monetary threshold
identified.
These analyses are summarized below.
This final rule modifies the Las Vegas,
NV, Class B airspace area to ensure the
containment of large turbine-powered
aircraft within Class B airspace, reduce
controller workload and reduce the
potential for midair collision in the Las
Vegas terminal area. This final rule
modifies the original subareas, adds
new subareas and raises the ceiling of
the entire Class B airspace from 9,000
feet MSL to 10,000 feet MSL.
This final rule will result in safety
benefits and increased operational
efficiencies. This rule enhances safety
by reducing the number of Class B
excursions and consequently reducing
air traffic controller workload and radio
frequency congestion. By expanding the
Class B area where aircraft are subject to
certain operating rules and equipment
requirements this rule also reduces the
potential for midair collisions and
possibly reduces TCAS advisories by as
much as 25%. The modification of the
class B airspace area provides operation
advantages as well, such as allowing
more airspace for controllers to
accomplish sequencing and reducing
the need for controllers to vector LAS
arrivals and departures to avoid
nonparticipating traffic.
As described in the NPRM, the FAA
expects that the costs of the final rule
may include the necessity for some VFR
traffic to travel alternative routes.
However these alternative routes are not
expected to be appreciably longer than
the routes with the previous airspace
design. This is expected to result in
minimal cost overall, does not require
the updating of materials outside the
normal update cycle, and does not
require the rerouting of IFR traffic.
The FAA received no comments on
the FAA’s request for comments on the
minimal cost determination. Therefore
the FAA has determined that this final
rule is not a ‘‘significant regulatory
action’’ as defined in section 3(f) of
Executive Order 12866, and is not
‘‘significant’’ as defined in DOT’s
Regulatory Policies and Procedures.
PO 00000
Frm 00025
Fmt 4700
Sfmt 4700
43777
Final Regulatory Flexibility
Determination
The Regulatory Flexibility Act of 1980
(Pub. L. 96–354) (RFA) establishes ‘‘as a
principle of regulatory issuance that
agencies shall endeavor, consistent with
the objectives of the rule and of
applicable statutes, to fit regulatory and
informational requirements to the scale
of the businesses, organizations, and
governmental jurisdictions subject to
regulation. To achieve this principle,
agencies are required to solicit and
consider flexible regulatory proposals
and to explain the rationale for their
actions to assure that such proposals are
given serious consideration.’’ The RFA
covers a wide-range of small entities,
including small businesses, not-forprofit organizations, and small
governmental jurisdictions.
Agencies must perform a review to
determine whether a rule will have a
significant economic impact on a
substantial number of small entities. If
the agency determines that it will, the
agency must prepare a regulatory
flexibility analysis as described in the
RFA.
However, if an agency determines that
a rule is not expected to have a
significant economic impact on a
substantial number of small entities,
section 605(b) of the RFA provides that
the head of the agency may so certify
and a regulatory flexibility analysis is
not required. The certification must
include a statement providing the
factual basis for this determination, and
the reasoning should be clear.
In the Initial Regulatory Flexibility
Analysis, the FAA determined that the
proposed rule would improve safety and
efficiency by redefining Class B airspace
boundaries and would impose only
minimal costs because it would not
require rerouting of IFR traffic, could
possibly cause some VFR traffic to travel
alternative routes that are not expected
to be appreciably longer than with the
current airspace design, and would not
require updating of materials outside
the normal update cycle. Therefore, the
expected outcome would be a minimal
economic impact on small entities
affected by this rulemaking action.
The FAA requested comments on this
determination but received no
comments on small entity
considerations.
Therefore, the FAA Administrator
certifies that this final rule will not have
a significant economic impact on a
substantial number of small entities.
International Trade Impact Assessment
The Trade Agreements Act of 1979
(Pub. L. 96–39), as amended by the
E:\FR\FM\22JYR1.SGM
22JYR1
43778
Federal Register / Vol. 78, No. 140 / Monday, July 22, 2013 / Rules and Regulations
Uruguay Round Agreements Act (Pub.
L. 103–465), prohibits Federal agencies
from establishing standards or engaging
in related activities that create
unnecessary obstacles to the foreign
commerce of the United States.
Pursuant to these Acts, the
establishment of standards is not
considered an unnecessary obstacle to
the foreign commerce of the United
States, so long as the standard has a
legitimate domestic objective, such as
the protection of safety, and does not
operate in a manner that excludes
imports that meet this objective. The
statute also requires consideration of
international standards and, where
appropriate, that they be the basis for
U.S. standards.
The FAA assessed the potential effect
of this proposed rule in the NPRM and
determined that it would have no effect
on international trade. The FAA
received no comments on this
determination.
Therefore, the FAA has determined
that this final rule will have no impact
on international trade.
Unfunded Mandates Assessment
Title II of the Unfunded Mandates
Reform Act of 1995 (Pub. L. 104–4)
requires each Federal agency to prepare
a written statement assessing the effects
of any Federal mandate in a proposed or
final agency rule that may result in an
expenditure of $100 million or more (in
1995 dollars) in any one year by State,
local, and tribal governments, in the
aggregate, or by the private sector; such
a mandate is deemed to be a ‘‘significant
regulatory action.’’ The FAA currently
uses an inflation-adjusted value of
$143.1 million in lieu of $100 million.
This final rule does not contain such a
mandate; therefore, the requirements of
Title II of the Act do not apply.
List of Subjects in 14 CFR Part 71
Airspace, Incorporation by reference,
Navigation (air).
Adoption of the Amendment
ehiers on DSK2VPTVN1PROD with RULES
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(g), 40103, 40113,
40120; E.O. 10854, 24 FR 9565, 3 CFR, 1959–
1963 Comp., p. 389.
VerDate Mar<15>2010
14:52 Jul 19, 2013
Jkt 229001
§ 71.1
[Amended]
2. The incorporation by reference in
14 CFR 71.1 of the Federal Aviation
Administration Order 7400.9W,
Airspace Designations and Reporting
Points, dated August 8, 2012, and
effective September 15, 2012, is
amended as follows:
■
Paragraph 3000
Airspace.
Subpart B—Class B
*
*
*
*
*
AWP NV B Las Vegas, NV
McCarran International Airport (Primary
Airport)
(Lat. 36°04′48″ N., long. 115°09′08″ W.)
Las Vegas VORTAC
(Lat. 36°04′47″ N., long. 115°09′35″ W.)
Henderson Executive Airport
(Lat. 35°58′22″ N., long. 115°08′04″ W.)
North Las Vegas Airport
(Lat. 36°12′39″ N., long. 115°11′40″ W.)
Boundaries
Area A. That airspace extending upward
from the surface to and including 10,000 feet
MSL within an area bounded by a line
beginning at the Las Vegas VORTAC 020°
radial at 15 DME (lat. 36°18′54″ N., long.
115°03′14″ W.); thence along a line direct to
the Las Vegas VORTAC 033° radial at 20
DME (lat. 36°21′34″ N., long. 114°56′ 06″ W.);
thence northeast along that radial to the 25
DME point (lat. 36°25′46″ N., long.
114°52′43″ W.); thence clockwise along the
25 DME arc to the Las Vegas VORTAC 046°
radial (lat. 36°22′08″ N., long. 114°47′19″ W.);
thence southwest along that radial, to the 10
DME point (lat. 36°11′44″ N., long.
115°00′42″ W.); thence clockwise along the
10 DME arc to the Las Vegas VORTAC 119°
radial (lat. 35°59′ 55″ N., long. 114°58′49″
W.); thence west along a line direct to the Las
Vegas VORTAC 185° radial at 4.4 DME (lat.
36°00′24″ N., long. 115°10′04″ W.); thence
south along that radial to the 6 DME point
(lat. 35°58′48″ N., long. 115°10′14″ W.);
thence clockwise along the 6 DME arc to (lat.
36°10′19″ N., long. 115°12′29″ W.); thence
counterclockwise along the 2.4-mile radius
arc of North Las Vegas Airport to lat.
36°12′04″ N., long. 115°08′47″ W.; thence
north along the Las Vegas VORTAC 005°
radial to 15 DME (lat. 36°19′45″ N., long.
115°07′58″ W.); thence clockwise along the
15 DME arc to the point of beginning.
Area B. That airspace extending upward
from 4,500 feet MSL to and including 10,000
feet MSL within an area bounded by a line
beginning at the Las Vegas VORTAC 046°
radial at 10 DME, (lat. 36°11′44″ N., long
115°00′42″ W.); thence northeast along that
radial to 15 DME (lat. 36°15′12″ N., long.
114°56′15″ W.); thence clockwise along the
15 DME arc to the Las Vegas VORTAC 083°
radial (lat. 36°06′35″ N., long. 114°51′13″ W.);
thence east along that radial to 16 DME (lat.
36°06′43″ N., long. 114°49′59″ W.); thence
clockwise along the 16 DME arc to the Las
Vegas VORTAC 115° radial (lat. 35°57′59″ N.,
long. 114°51′43″ W.); thence northwest along
that radial to 15 DME (lat. 35°58′25″ N., long.
114°52′50″ W.); thence clockwise along the
15 DME arc to the Las Vegas VORTAC 119°
PO 00000
Frm 00026
Fmt 4700
Sfmt 4700
radial (lat. 35°57′29″ N., long. 114°53′26″ W.);
thence northwest along that radial to 10 DME
(lat. 35°59′55″ N., long. 114°58′49″ W.);
thence counterclockwise along the 10 DME
arc to the point of beginning.
Area C. That airspace extending upward
from 6,000 feet MSL to and including 10,000
feet MSL within an area bounded by a line
beginning at the Las Vegas VORTAC 046°
radial at 15 DME (lat. 36°15′12″ N., long.
114°56′15″ W.); thence northeast along that
radial to 22 DME (lat. 36°20′04″ N.,
long.114°50′00″ W.); thence clockwise along
the 22 DME arc to the Las Vegas VORTAC
083° radial (lat. 36°07′25″ N., long.
114°42′38″ W.); thence northwest along that
radial to 15 DME (lat. 36°06′35″ N., long.
114°51′13″ W.); thence counterclockwise
along the 15 DME arc to the point of
beginning.
Area D. That airspace extending upward
from 6,500 feet MSL to and including 10,000
feet MSL within an area bounded by a line
beginning at the Las Vegas VORTAC 083°
radial at 16 DME (lat. 36°06′43″ N., long.
114°49′59″ W.); thence northeast along that
radial to 23 DME (lat. 36°07′32″ N., long.
114°41′24″ W.); thence clockwise along the
23 DME arc to the Las Vegas VORTAC 115°
radial (lat. 35°55′00″ N., long. 114°43′55″ W.);
thence west along that radial to 16 DME (lat.
35°57′59″ N., long. 114°51′43″ W.); thence
counterclockwise along the 16 DME arc to
the point of beginning.
Area E. That airspace extending upward
from 6,000 feet MSL to and including 10,000
feet MSL within an area bounded by a line
beginning at the Las Vegas VORTAC 119°
radial at 10 DME (lat. 35°59′55″ N., long.
114°58′49″ W.); thence southeast along that
radial to 15 DME (lat. 35°57′29″ N., long.
114°53′26″ W.); thence clockwise along the
15 DME arc to the Las Vegas VORTAC 185°
radial (lat. 35°49′49″ N., long. 115°11′12″ W.);
thence north along that radial to 10 DME (lat.
35°54′48″ N., long. 115°10′40″ W.); thence
counterclockwise along the 10 DME arc to
the point of beginning.
Area F. That airspace extending upward
from 7,000 feet MSL to and including 10,000
feet MSL within an area bounded by a line
beginning at the Las Vegas VORTAC 185°
radial at 15 DME (lat. 35°49′49″ N., long.
115°11′12″ W.); thence south along that
radial to 20 DME (lat. 35°44′50″ N., long.
115°11′44″ W.); thence clockwise along the
20 DME arc to the Las Vegas VORTAC 235°
radial (lat. 35°53′16″ N., long. 115°29′45″ W.);
thence northeast along that radial to 15 DME
(lat. 35°56′09″ N., long. 115°24′43″ W.);
thence counterclockwise along the 15 DME
arc to the point of beginning.
Area G. That airspace extending upward
from 5,000 feet MSL to and including 10,000
feet MSL within an area bounded by a line
beginning at the Las Vegas VORTAC 119°
radial at 10 DME (lat. 35°59′55″ N., long.
114°58′49″ W.); thence clockwise along the
10 DME arc to the Las Vegas VORTAC 185°
radial (lat. 35°54′48″ N., long. 115°10′40″ W.);
thence south along that radial to 15 DME (lat.
35°49′49″ N., long. 115°11′12″ W.); thence
clockwise along the 15 DME arc to the Las
Vegas 240° radial (lat. 35°57′15″ N., long.
115°25′35″ W.); thence northeast along that
radial to 10 DME (lat. 35°59′46″ N., long.
E:\FR\FM\22JYR1.SGM
22JYR1
ehiers on DSK2VPTVN1PROD with RULES
Federal Register / Vol. 78, No. 140 / Monday, July 22, 2013 / Rules and Regulations
115°20′16″ W.); thence clockwise along the
10 DME arc to the Las Vegas VORTAC 255°
radial (lat. 36°02′11″ N., long. 115°21′30″ W.);
thence east along that radial to 8 DME (lat.
36°02′42″ N., long. 115°19′07″ W.); thence
counterclockwise along the 8 DME arc to the
Las Vegas VORTAC 185° radial (lat.
35°56′48″ N., long. 115°10′27″ W.); thence
north along that radial to the Las Vegas
VORTAC 185° radial at 4.4 DME (lat.
36°00′24″ N., long. 115°10′04″ W.); thence
east along a line direct to the point of
beginning.
Area H. That airspace extending upward
from 4,000 feet MSL to and including 10,000
feet MSL within an area bounded by a line
beginning at the Las Vegas 310° radial at 8
DME (36°09′56″ N., long. 115°17′09″ W.);
thence southeast along that radial to 6 DME
(lat. 36°08′39″ N., long. 115°15′16″ W.);
thence counterclockwise along the 6 DME arc
to the Las Vegas VORTAC 185° radial (lat.
35°58′48″ N., long. 115°10′14″ W.); thence
south along that radial to 8 DME (lat.
35°56′48″ N., long. 115°10′27″ W.); thence
clockwise along the 8 DME arc to the point
of beginning.
Area I. That airspace extending upward
from 4,500 feet MSL to and including 10,000
feet MSL within an area bounded by a line
beginning at the Las Vegas VORTAC 310°
radial at 6 DME (lat. 36°08′39″ N., long.
115°15′16″ W.); thence northwest along that
radial to 8 DME (lat. 36°09′56″ N., long.
115°17′09″ W.); thence counterclockwise
along the 8 DME arc to the Las Vegas
VORTAC 295° radial (lat. 36°08′10″ N., long.
115°18′32″ W.); thence northwest along that
radial to 10 DME (lat. 36°09′00″ N., long.
115°20′47″ W.); thence clockwise along the
10 DME arc to lat. 36°14′10″ N.,
long.115°13′52″ W.; thence northwest along
US Highway 95 to lat. 36°15′04″ N., long.
115°14′28″ W.; thence clockwise along the
Las Vegas VORTAC 11 DME arc to the Las
Vegas VORTAC 005° radial (lat. 36°15′45″ N.,
long. 115°08′24″ W.); thence south along the
Las Vegas VORTAC 005° radial to lat.
36°12′04″ N., long. 115°08′47″ W.; thence
clockwise along the 2.4-mile radius arc of the
North Las Vegas Airport to lat. 36°10′19″ N.,
long. 115°12′29″ W.; thence counterclockwise
along the Las Vegas VORTAC 6 DME arc to
the point of beginning.
Area J. That airspace extending upward
from 5,000 feet MSL to and including 10,000
feet MSL within an area bounded by a line
beginning at the Las Vegas VORTAC 005°
radial at 11 DME (lat. 36°15′45″ N., long.
115°08′24″ W.); thence north along that radial
to 15 DME (lat. 36°19′45″ N., long. 115°07′58″
W.); thence counterclockwise along the 15
DME arc to US Highway 95 (lat. 36°18′22″ N.,
long. 115°17′31″ W.); thence southeast along
US Highway 95 to the 11 DME arc (lat.
36°15′04″ N., long. 115°14′28″ W.); thence
clockwise along the 11 DME arc to the point
of beginning.
Area K. That airspace extending upward
from 6,500 feet MSL to and including
10,000 feet MSL within an area beginning
at the intersection of U.S. Highway 95 and
the Las Vegas VORTAC 15 DME arc (lat.
36°18′22″ N., long. 115°17′31″ W.); thence
northwest along U.S. Highway 95 to intersect
VerDate Mar<15>2010
14:52 Jul 19, 2013
Jkt 229001
the Las Vegas VORTAC 20 DME arc (lat.
36°22′11″ N., long. 115°21′49″ W.); thence
clockwise along the 20 DME arc to the Las
Vegas VORTAC 033° radial (lat. 36°21′34″ N.,
long. 114°56′06″ W.); thence via a line direct
to the Las Vegas VORTAC 020° radial at 15
DME (lat. 36°18′54″ N., long. 115°03′14″ W.);
thence counterclockwise along the 15 DME
arc to the point of beginning.
Area L. That airspace extending upward
from 7,500 feet MSL to and including 10,000
feet MSL bounded by a line beginning at the
Las Vegas VORTAC 033° radial at 36 DME
(lat. 36°34′59″ N., long. 114°45′15″ W.);
thence southwest along that radial to 20 DME
(lat. 36°21′34″ N., long. 114°56′06″ W.);
thence counterclockwise along the 20 DME
arc to U.S. Highway 95 (lat. 36°22′11″ N.,
long. 115°21′49″ W.); thence direct to the Las
Vegas VORTAC 005° radial at 36 DME (lat.
36°40′42″ N., long. 115°05′41″ W.); thence
clockwise along the 36 DME arc to the point
of beginning.
Area M. That airspace extending upward
from 5,000 feet MSL to and including 10,000
feet MSL within an area bounded by a line
beginning at the Las Vegas VORTAC 033°
radial at 30 DME (lat. 36°29′57″ N., long.
114°49′19″ W.); thence clockwise along the
30 DME arc to the Las Vegas VORTAC 046°
radial (lat. 36°25′36″ N., long. 114°42′51″ W.);
thence southwest along that radial to 25 DME
(lat. 36°22′08″ N., long. 114°47′19″ W.);
thence counterclockwise along the 25 DME
arc to the Las Vegas VORTAC 033° radial (lat.
36°25′46″ N., long. 114°52′43″ W.); thence
northeast along that radial to the point of
beginning.
Area N. That airspace extending upward
from 7,000 feet MSL to and including 10,000
feet MSL within an area bounded by a line
beginning at the Las Vegas VORTAC 033°
radial at 36 DME (lat. 36°34′59″ N., long.
114°45′15″ W.); thence clockwise along the
36 DME arc to the Las Vegas VORTAC 046°
radial (lat. 36°29′45″ N., long. 114°37′28″ W.);
thence southwest along that radial to 30 DME
(lat. 36°25′36″ N., long. 114°42′51″ W.);
thence counterclockwise along the 30 DME
arc to the Las Vegas VORTAC 033° radial (lat.
36°29′57″ N., long. 114°49′19″ W.); thence
northeast along that radial to the point of
beginning.
Area O. That airspace extending upward
from 7,000 feet MSL to and including 10,000
feet MSL within an area bounded by a line
beginning at the Las Vegas VORTAC 046°
radial at 25 DME (lat. 36°22′08″ N., long.
114°47′19″ W.); thence clockwise along the
25 DME arc to the Las Vegas VORTAC 083°
radial (lat. 36°07′46″ N., long. 114°38′57″ W.);
thence west along that radial to 22 DME (lat.
36°07′25″ N., long. 114°42′38″ W.); thence
counterclockwise along the 22 DME arc to
the Las Vegas VORTAC 046° radial (lat.
36°20′04″ N., long 114°50′00″ W.); thence
northeast along that radial to the point of
beginning.
Area P. That airspace extending upward
from 8,000 feet MSL to and including 10,000
feet MSL within an area bounded by a line
beginning at the Las Vegas VORTAC 060°
radial at 25 DME (lat. 36°17′15″ N., long.
114°42′48″ W.); thence northeast along that
radial to 30 DME (lat. 36°19′44″ N., long.
PO 00000
Frm 00027
Fmt 4700
Sfmt 4700
43779
114°37′26″ W.); thence clockwise along the
30 DME arc to the Las Vegas VORTAC 115°
radial (lat. 35°52′00″ N., long. 114°36′08″ W.);
thence northwest along that radial to 23 DME
(lat. 35°55′00″ N., long. 114°43′55″ W.);
thence counterclockwise along the 23 DME
arc to the Las Vegas VORTAC 083° radial (lat.
36°07′32″ N., long. 114°41′24″ W.); thence
east along that radial to 25 DME (lat.
36°07′46″ N., long. 114°38′57″ W.); thence
counterclockwise along the 25 DME arc to
the point of beginning.
Area Q. That airspace extending upward
from 8,000 feet MSL to and including 10,000
feet MSL within an area bounded by a line
beginning at the Las Vegas VORTAC 132°
radial at 15 DME (lat. 35°54′43″ N., long.
114°55′52″ W.); thence southeast along that
radial to 20 DME (lat. 35°51′21″ N., long.
114°51′18″ W.); thence clockwise along the
20 DME arc to the Las Vegas VORTAC 185°
radial (lat. 35°44′50″ N., long. 115°11′44″ W.);
thence north along that radial to 15 DME (lat.
35°49′49″ N., long. 115°11′12″ W.); thence
counterclockwise along the 15 DME arc to
the point of beginning.
Area R. That airspace extending upward
from 8,000 feet MSL to and including 10,000
feet MSL within an area bounded by a line
beginning at Las Vegas VORTAC 188° radial
at 20 DME (lat. 35°44′57″ N., long. 115°13′00″
W.); thence south along that radial to 23 DME
(lat. 35°41′58″ N., long. 115°13′31″ W.);
thence clockwise along the 23 DME arc to the
Las Vegas VORTAC 225° radial (lat.
35°48′28″ N., long. 115°29′35″ W.); thence
northeast along that radial to 20 DME (lat.
35°50′36″ N., long. 115°26′59″ W.); thence
counterclockwise along the 20 DME arc to
the point of beginning.
Area S. That airspace extending upward
from 7,000 feet MSL to and including 10,000
feet MSL within an area bounded by a line
beginning at the Las Vegas VORTAC 115°
radial at 15 DME (lat. 35°58′25″ N., long.
114°52′50″ W.); thence southeast along that
radial to 27 DME (lat. 35°53′18″ N., long.
114°39′28″ W.); thence clockwise along the
27 DME arc to the Las Vegas VORTAC 132°
radial (lat. 35°46′39″ N., long. 114°44′56″ W.);
thence northwest along that radial to 15 DME
(lat. 35°54′43″ N., long. 114°55′52″ W.);
thence counterclockwise along the 15 DME
arc to the point of beginning.
Area T. That airspace extending upward
from 5,500 feet MSL to and including 10,000
feet MSL within an area bounded by a line
beginning at the Las Vegas VORTAC 255°
radial at 8 DME (lat. 36°02′42″ N., long.
115°19′07″ W.); thence west along that radial
to 10 DME (lat. 36°02′11″ N., long. 115°21′30″
W.); thence clockwise along the 10 DME arc
to the Las Vegas VORTAC 295° radial (lat.
36°09′00″ N., long. 115°20′47″ W.); thence
southeast along that radial to 8 DME (lat.
36°08′10″ N., long. 115°18′32″ W.); thence
counterclockwise along the 8 DME arc to the
point of beginning.
Issued in Washington, DC, on July 10,
2013.
Gary A. Norek,
Manager, Airspace Policy and ATC
Procedures Group.
E:\FR\FM\22JYR1.SGM
22JYR1
43780
Federal Register / Vol. 78, No. 140 / Monday, July 22, 2013 / Rules and Regulations
[FR Doc. 2013–17477 Filed 7–19–13; 8:45 am]
VerDate Mar<15>2010
14:52 Jul 19, 2013
Jkt 229001
PO 00000
Frm 00028
Fmt 4700
Sfmt 9990
E:\FR\FM\22JYR1.SGM
22JYR1
ER22JY13.000
ehiers on DSK2VPTVN1PROD with RULES
BILLING CODE 4910–13–P
Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 140 (Monday, July 22, 2013)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 43772-43780]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-17477]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Federal Aviation Administration
14 CFR Part 71
[Docket No. FAA-2012-0966; Airspace Docket No. 12-AWA-5]
RIN 2120-AA66
Modification of Class B Airspace; Las Vegas, NV
AGENCY: Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), DOT.
ACTION: Final rule.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: This action modifies the Las Vegas, NV, Class B airspace area
to ensure the containment of large turbine-powered aircraft within
Class B airspace, reduce air traffic controller workload, and reduce
the potential for midair collision in the Las Vegas, NV, terminal area.
DATES: Effective Date: 0901 UTC, August 22, 2013. The Director of the
Federal Register approves this incorporation by reference action under
1 CFR part 51, subject to the annual revision of FAA Order 7400.9 and
publication of conforming amendments.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Paul Gallant, Airspace Policy and ATC
Procedures Group, Office of Airspace Services, Federal Aviation
Administration, 800 Independence Avenue SW., Washington, DC 20591;
telephone: (202) 267-8783.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
History
On October 26, 2012, the FAA published in the Federal Register a
notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) to modify the Las Vegas, NV, Class
B airspace area (77 FR 65332). Interested parties were invited to
participate in this rulemaking effort by submitting written comments on
the proposal.
By letter dated December 7, 2012, the Aircraft Owners and Pilots
Association (AOPA) requested that the FAA extend the comment period for
at least 30 days. AOPA stated that the original comment period
encompassed two Federal holiday periods and that no comments had been
posted to the docket as of the date of their letter. The FAA determined
that reopening of the comment period was consistent with the public
interest. On January 14, 2013, the FAA published in the Federal
Register a notice reopening the comment period until February 13, 2013
(78 FR 2646).
The Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) and six
individuals responded to the NPRM comment periods. The FAA considered
all
[[Page 43773]]
comments received before making a determination on this final rule.
Discussion of Comments
Increasing the Class B Ceiling From 9,000 Feet MSL to 10,000 Feet MSL
AOPA commented that the higher ceiling would decrease Visual Flight
Rules (VFR) pilots' ability to overfly the Class B airspace thus
requiring them to circumnavigate the area.
The FAA acknowledges AOPA's concern, but believes the impact to
general aviation to be minimal. With the 9,000-foot ceiling, in order
to transition the Class B, general aviation pilots on westerly headings
must: Receive clearance through Class B airspace; climb to 10,500 feet
and overfly Class B; or circumnavigate the area. Raising the ceiling to
10,000 feet will only affect flights on easterly headings that prior to
this rule overflew the airspace at 9,500 feet. If the pilot does not
obtain Class B services at 9,500 feet, the aircraft can still overfly
Class B at 11,500 feet or circumnavigate as they did previously.
AOPA also disagreed with the FAA's position that the higher ceiling
is needed to reduce the number of Traffic Alert and Collision Avoidance
System (TCAS) alerts between Las Vegas arrivals and aircraft transiting
on VOR Federal airways V-21 and V-394. Instead, AOPA suggested that the
Class B ceiling be raised only where needed, or that routes available
for transition on those airways be altered.
The 9,000-foot MSL ceiling allows overflight of the Class B at
9,500 feet MSL. The FAA provided data during the development of Class B
airspace modification that clearly identifies conflicts between the two
airways and the arrival/departure procedures utilized at Las Vegas. If
a general aviation aircraft is operating on the airway at 9,500 feet,
and not communicating with ATC, the controller must take action to
avoid any conflicts. Furthermore, when the controller has to stop an
aircraft arrival above the VFR aircraft, the arrival aircraft has to
come off its profile descent. This is also critical when a westbound
departure's climb must be stopped below a VFR aircraft at 9,500 feet,
or the departure must be vectored to avoid the nonparticipating
traffic. The Minimum Vectoring Altitude (MVA) in this area is 10,000
feet MSL. The controller must then vector the aircraft around the V-394
traffic to gain altitude before directing the departure aircraft to
resume its own navigation. Raising the ceiling to 10,000 feet MSL will
allow profile descents to continue unimpeded, or allow ATC to approve
and separate V-394 traffic from the profile descent aircraft. Departure
procedures will also benefit from the higher ceiling.
Regarding the suggestion to raise the Class B ceiling only in
selected areas, the Ad Hoc Committee considered that alternative and
opined that raising the ceiling in that manner will add complexity to
the airspace design. The FAA agrees to investigate alternative
transitions through Class B for VFR aircraft. This was also discussed
at length during the Ad Hoc Committee meetings. However, the FAA
believes the Class B airspace must be modified first to fully evaluate
transition routes.
AOPA questioned the FAA's statement in the NPRM that the increased
ceiling height would provide more airspace for controllers to
accomplish sequencing, later application of speed control, and would
make the airspace easier for VFR pilots to identify. AOPA believes such
an expansion of Class B airspace substantially would decrease
flexibility, efficiency, and safety for general aviation aircraft
operating outside of the Class B boundaries. Piston powered aircraft
are significantly impacted by density altitude constraints. Any
increase to the Las Vegas Class B ceiling height will limit the number
of aircraft able to climb over the Class B, and will substantially
increase the time, expense, and fuel required in doing so.
The FAA understands the Class B modifications will have impact on
all users of the airspace, but we strive to minimize the impacts as
much as possible. This policy was followed throughout the entire
modernization process, and overall, the FAA believes that raising the
ceiling from 9,000 feet MSL to 10,000 feet MSL has the least impact.
Another commenter claimed that the FAA chose to ignore advice from
the Ad Hoc Committee regarding general aviation access to the airspace
between 9,000 and 10,000 feet.
The Ad Hoc Committee could not reach consensus on the ceiling
height issue. An Ad Hoc Committee meeting was held specifically to
discuss the ceiling height, and after much discussion, four of the
seven members voted to raise the ceiling. It was therefore submitted as
a Committee recommendation to raise the ceiling to 10,000 feet.
One commenter stated that increasing the Class B ceiling to 10,000
MSL limits Sport Pilot operations transitioning the Las Vegas Valley,
in that Sport pilots would be forced to fly low around the edges of the
lower Class B shelves and closer to hazardous mountainous terrain.
Considering that the primary purpose of Class B airspace is to
reduce the potential for midair collisions, the FAA acknowledges that
under this rule, there will be some impact to airspace users. Title 14
CFR parts 61 and 91 provide guidance for sport pilots. Section 61.315
limits sport aircraft operations to a maximum of 10,000 feet MSL or
2,000 feet AGL, which ever is higher. Under that limitation, those
sport pilot flights that transition today from the northeast to the
southwest are already required to transition the area either by
requesting Class B clearance or circumnavigating the Class B.
Therefore, the effect of raising the ceiling from 9,000 to 10,000 feet
MSL will only impact those who previously flew over the Class B
airspace at 9,500 feet MSL from west to east.
One commenter stated that the Class B airspace configuration should
not cause the surrounding air traffic to be put in greater danger of
collision with each other and the terrain. The commenter added that,
when departing south, southwest, and west, especially at night, terrain
clearance under area G is inadequate. The commenter maintained that,
even with Class B clearance, controllers tend to keep a pilot too low.
The commenter said that trying to accommodate all possible approaches
and departures within Class B airspace should not be at the expense of
real safety concerns.
The FAA disagrees. On the contrary, the issue of raising the
ceiling and any added risks that might be introduced by such action was
thoroughly discussed during ad hoc committee and the public informal
airspace meetings. The floor of Area G remains unchanged at 5,000 feet
MSL. The FAA's proposal to modify Class B is driven by safety concerns
about the potential for a midair collision if changes are not made in
the Las Vegas Valley. Data has shown that if the airspace is modified
as was proposed, the potential of a midair collision is reduced. FAA
directives require that instrument procedures be contained within Class
B airspace for the very purpose of reducing that potential. The FAA
agrees that an added level of safety can be achieved by developing VFR
transition routes in and around the valley, however such routes cannot
be designed until the final Class B airspace configuration is
determined.
Need for Transition Routes or Corridors Through the Las Vegas Valley
AOPA requested the establishment of a VFR transition route to allow
easier access through the Class B, adding that
[[Page 43774]]
the route should be located to allow routine and consistent
availability.
The FAA agrees and has taken action outside the scope of this
rulemaking action to develop transition routes through the valley.
After the Class B airspace modifications are complete, the FAA will be
able to better evaluate possible transition routes.
A commenter contended that the FAA failed to add RNAV terminal
routes as requested by stakeholders.
The FAA disagrees. With any major airspace change, a baseline must
be provided before specific routings can be determined. This is
especially true in the Las Vegas Valley with its many constraints of
terrain, close airport proximity, and special use airspace. In the case
of this airspace modification project and its many challenges, all
routes could not be developed prior to final airspace approval. One of
the earliest challenges preventing us from developing the routes was
that the Class B is too compressed to handle the traffic volume. While
the above constraints limit the available options for establishing
terminal routings, we will be able to further examine the issue once
the Class B modification takes effect.
A commenter raised concerns about Area F and Area G (near
Cottonwood Pass and Columbia Pass). Expanding Area G farther northwest
at 5,000 feet MSL, and lowering the altitude of Area F to 7,000 feet
MSL constricts VFR traffic that are transitioning southwest from North
Las Vegas airport and attempting to remain clear of the LAS Class B and
the mountainous terrain. Accidents have occurred in that area when ATC
was unable to service VFR transitions through the Class B and aircraft
were instructed to ``remain clear of Class B,'' especially at night.
The lower Area F floor also condenses the airspace available for flight
training.
The FAA understands that modifications in this area will impact
general aviation and has met several times with local general aviation
users to mitigate some of that impact. Previously, the LAS Class B did
not fully contain instrument procedures in Class B airspace, in
particular Area F. This particular area is heavily used for instrument
operations at McCarran International Airport and by the Jean Airport
glider community. It has been identified as a high risk potential for a
midair collision. This is one area where the FAA needs to reduce that
potential by developing transition routes. In its preliminary design,
the FAA proposed to lower the floor of Area F to 6,000 feet MSL. The Ad
Hoc Committee recommended the floor be set at 7,500 feet MSL. The FAA
determined that the floor could be raised to 7,000 feet MSL but could
not be raised any higher in order to contain the ILS approach serving
Runway 1L at Las Vegas McCarran.
Complexity of the Class B Design
A commenter wrote that the FAA failed to accept an ad hoc committee
recommendation to harmonize most area boundaries.
On the contrary, the FAA worked closely with the Ad Hoc Committee
to adjust subarea boundaries to make the design as accommodating as
possible for other users of the airspace. FAA Class B airspace design
guidance calls for simplification of the airspace area configuration,
and that the area must be designed to contain all instrument procedures
within Class B airspace. However, the unique geography of the Las Vegas
Valley, combined with the close proximity of several busy airports and
special use airspace, created challenges in designing a Class B
airspace area that fully meets both the simplification and containment
requirements.
The FAA accepted most of the Ad Hoc Committee recommendations;
however, not all recommendations could be fully adopted due to the
requirement to contain instrument procedures within Class B airspace.
The design of some areas, such as Area F and Area O, was determined by
the configuration of instrument approach procedures into LAS and the
need to contain those procedures within Class B airspace. As examples,
Area C experienced a high Class B excursion rate for aircraft landing
from the east and the Ad Hoc Committee agreed with lowering that floor.
On the left downwind to Runway 25, ATC is required to have the aircraft
in position to intercept the ILS glideslope at or below the glideslope
altitude of 5,000 feet MSL. The eastbound profiles for the procedures
previously kept aircraft contained in Class B to 6,000 feet MSL. By
slightly aligning the boundaries of Areas A, B, and E, the FAA was able
to capture the flight tracks within the Class B surface area. However,
Area S was designed to contain instrument procedures and the holding
pattern at the Boulder City VOR in the Class B. This precluded the use
of a common boundary to define Areas B, D, P and S.
A more detailed discussion of the Ad Hoc Committee's
recommendations for the design of various Class B subareas, and the
FAA's responses, can be found in the NPRM.
Amendment of Area Floors
A commenter stated that the Las Vegas Class B airspace is already
complicated, even for a skilled pilot familiar with the Las Vegas area.
The airspace changes make it impossible to navigate for a less
experienced VFR pilot new to Las Vegas airspace, especially in reduced
visibility; and these changes make the airspace available only to IFR
operations. The commenter contended that the proposed design creates
various hazards for general aviation aircraft operating in the area. As
a solution, the commenter suggested raising the floors of Areas C, F
and O.
The floor of Area F is needed to contain approaches into LAS and
cannot be raised. Area C has shown a high Class B excursion rate for
aircraft landing from the east, and the ad hoc committee agreed to
lower its floor. Area O also is designed to contain procedures.
Another commenter asked if a 7,000 foot MSL floor in Area F is
needed for the ILS Runway 1L approach to LAS, or if the portion of Area
F can kept at 8,000 feet MSL northwest, of and aligned with the 210R
(M), proposed for Area R. The commenter said this would allow greater
terrain clearance for VFR departures from the valley to the southwest
along the Cottonwood and Columbia passes.
Area F was carefully considered in the airspace design phase, and
several revisions were made prior to the design submitted for
rulemaking. The FAA attempted to keep Area F aligned as much as
feasible to simplify the design for the general aviation user. In
discussion with local soaring club users at Jean Airport, Areas F and R
were again re-defined, offering some relief to the impact that lowering
the floor of Area F and adding the new Area R would have on their
operation.
The commenter added that raising the floor of Class B for Area T is
good for terrain avoidance for aircraft transitioning from KVGT to KHND
and 0L7 (Jean Airport). However, the commenter believed it creates
potential airspace violations for aircraft to descend back below 4,500
feet northbound or 5,000 feet southbound. The commenter suggested that
the Area T boundaries be aligned with the proposed 255[deg] radial (M)
of Area G and with the Area I 280[deg] radial (M).
Area T was derived from Ad Hoc Committee discussions proposing to
raise the Class B floor west of LAS to at least 5,500 feet MSL to
provide additional terrain clearance. However, the northern boundary of
Area T could
[[Page 43775]]
not be extended further due to interference with the STAAV Departure
Procedure. Similarly, the southern Area T boundary could not be
extended further into Area G because that airspace is needed to contain
aircraft descending for the ILS Runway 25L and 25R approaches and to
contain the SHEAD departure procedure.
A commenter said that lowering the floor of Area F and creating the
new Area R makes the VFR Rocks Route more challenging when flying north
into KVGT. The commenter suggested that the floor of Area I be raised
from 4,500 to 5,000 feet to accommodate southwest departures from KVGT.
Currently departures from KVGT are limited to under 4,500 feet and less
than 200 degrees heading forcing steep climbs after exiting the Class B
to get over southbound terrain which rises to 7,000-8,000 feet. Another
commenter who regularly departs/arrives KHND to the southwest calls the
proposed lowering of Area F floor from 8,000 to 7,000 feet
unacceptable. He said that to clear the sharply rising terrain now, he
flies as close as possible to the 5,000' floor, and starts an
aggressive climb the moment he's clear of that restriction and then
continues climbing typically to 10,500 feet, just avoiding the 8,000'
floor. He said the onboard terrain warning often alerts during this
departure. He stated that the return trip is similar and he sets the
onboard terrain warning to 7,400 feet to clear the mountains between
Sky Ranch and Goodsprings. He said that the 7,000' floor will eliminate
his primary corridor. He expressed similar concerns about the new
subareas P and S.
The FAA, in collaboration with the Ad Hoc Committee, mitigated the
impact of Areas F and R on general aviation users. Area F is amended,
and Area R is added, to support a straight-in segment to the ILS 1L
approach and the development of RNAV GPS/RNP approaches to Runways 1L
and 1R. These areas are procedure criteria driven, and their base
altitudes are the highest possible to meet that criteria. In an effort
to further mitigate the impact of lowering the floors of these areas,
we are going to establish VFR transition routes to assist in clearing
terrain and segregating from these approach procedures, however this
will be a separate project outside the scope of the Class B
modification rule.
A commenter wrote that eastbound departures and westbound arrivals
into KVGT are more challenging due to lowered floors in areas C, D, O
and P, and being squeezed between Nellis AFB and McCarran traffic, and
challenging terrain. This commenter added that high terrain allows
little room to maneuver and avoid sudden changes in fast moving
aircraft operating in/out of Nellis AFB. The commenter believes that
changes present significant safety issues for general aviation traffic
departing and arriving into KVGT during the day, with unacceptable
risks at night. The commenter contended that this will discourage
general aviation fight operations into KVGT for servicing such as Lone
Mountain Aviation.
The FAA understands the need for relief from terrain and other
airspace constraints and will evaluate all areas in the Las Vegas
Valley where VFR transition routes would assist pilots and controllers
in conducting traffic management in and out of KVGT. The FAA disagrees
with the second half of this comment. Safety protocols are available to
the general aviation user by the use of suggested VFR flyways
identified on the Flyway Chart if the pilot chooses not to request
Class B services.
One commenter proposed that published instrument procedures be
altered to contain them within the Class B rather than expanding the
airspace.
The FAA assesses the feasibility of amending existing routes and
procedures prior to requesting an airspace modification. Instrument
procedures are designed based on standard criteria to ensure safe
flight. These criteria include factors such as flyability, obstruction
clearance, navigation aid guidance parameters, etc. Little leeway is
available to alter the design criteria. In the case of various
procedures serving LAS, the design criteria preclude altering the
procedures to remain within the existing Class B airspace. As discussed
above, FAA directives require that all instrument procedures be
contained within Class B airspace in order to reduce the potential for
midair collisions in the terminal area. Since aircraft are currently
exiting the Class B while flying the procedures, it is necessary to
amend the airspace to contain those aircraft.
Denial of Class B Services to VFR Aircraft
Three commenters stated that VFR aircraft are regularly denied
entry into the Las Vegas Class B airspace area. Consequently, VFR
pilots are required to fly around, under or above the Class B.
Class B service for VFR aircraft is an ``additional service'' that
ATC provides, subject to certain limitations. Higher priority duties
(such as preventing collision between aircraft operating in the system)
and other circumstances may prevent the provision of additional
services at certain times. Recognizing the above conditions, the
provision of additional services is not optional on the part of the
controller, but rather is required when the work situation permits.
Therefore, the decision to approve or deny requests from VFR pilots to
operate in Class B airspace is based on controller workload,
operational limitations and traffic conditions.
With the above guidelines in mind, VFR access to Las Vegas Class B
airspace is limited by numerous factors. The runway configurations and
IFR departure and arrival routings to each of the four current
configurations at LAS preclude a standard for approving Class B
transitions. In two of the four configurations, the potential to
transition over the top of LAS is not available due to departure and
arrival procedures and this option in the other two configurations is
based solely on sector capacity and IFR overflight traffic. Transitions
at higher altitudes (6,500 to 9,500 ft.) again are based on traffic
volume from the west and southwest routes. Furthermore, the proximity
of HND to the Runway 1L/R final approach courses and Runway 19 L/R
departure courses impacts ATC ability to provide Class B service during
times of moderate to heavy arrival or departure demand. The same
applies with the proximity of VGT to the Runway 19L/R final approach
courses and the Runway 1L/R departure courses. The FAA concurs that the
few available VFR charted routings are insufficient to cover every
aspect of the LAS operation. With the implementation of the new Class
B, FAA has committed to meet with the community and user groups to
develop additional charted VFR transition routes through the airspace.
These routes will be built based on GPS technology and, in many cases,
be configuration specific to meet the needs of the users and ATC.
NPRM Class B Chart
One person noted that the chart published with the NPRM appeared to
show two Area T's. On that chart, the letter designator for the area
around North Las Vegas Airport (Area I) did not print clearly and
appeared to be a ``T.'' This has been corrected in the chart attached
to this rule. The individual descriptions of Areas I and T as published
in the NPRM are correct.
Differences From the NPRM
Minor corrections to the latitude/longitude coordinates have been
added in the description of Areas D,G, I and P. This is the result of
more accurate digital plotting of the airspace.
[[Page 43776]]
The Rule
The FAA is amending Title 14 of the Code of Federal Regulations (14
CFR) part 71 by modifying the Las Vegas, NV, Class B airspace area.
This action (depicted on the chart in Figure 1--Modification of the Las
Vegas, NV Class B Airspace Area) modifies the lateral and vertical
limits of the Class B airspace to ensure the containment of large
turbine-powered aircraft and enhance safety in the Las Vegas terminal
area. This action modifies each of the original 15 subareas (A through
O) and adds five new areas (P through T). The Class B lateral limits
are expanded in several areas. To the east of LAS, Area P extends the
outer Class B limit from 25 NM out to 30 NM between the 115[deg]and
132[deg] radials. On the southeast, Area S moves the 20 NM radius to 30
NM between the 115[deg] and 132[deg] radials. To the south, in Area R,
the 20 NM radius changes to 23 NM between the 188[deg] and 225[deg]
radials. To the southwest in Area G, a small segment extends from the
10 NM out to 20 NM bounded by the 240[deg] radial.
This action also raises the ceiling of the entire Class B airspace
area from 9,000 feet MSL to 10,000 feet MSL. The specific Class B
subarea modifications are outlined below. All subareas extend upward
from the specified altitude to 10,000 feet MSL.
Area A. Area A extends upward from the surface. The southern
boundary of the area, in the vicinity of Henderson Executive Airport
(HND), is modified by moving the boundary that lies west of HND from
the 180[deg] radial to the 185[deg] radial. This provides more airspace
for operations at HND. In addition, the southeast corner of Area A is
shifted from the 115[deg] radial to the 119[deg] radial to ensure
containment of aircraft joining the ILS Runway 25L and 25R approaches.
Area B. The floor of Area B remains at 4,500 feet MSL. The southern
boundary of the area moves from the 115[deg] radial to the 119[deg]
radial, with a segment along the 16-mile arc in order to retain
aircraft in Class B airspace as they descend to capture the ILS Runway
25L or 25R localizer.
Area C. The floor of Area C is lowered from 6,500 feet to 6,000
feet MSL. The southern boundary is moved from the 125[deg] radial to
the 083[deg] radial. On the east, the 20-mile arc is moved out to the
22-mile arc. These changes ensure that aircraft are kept in Class B
airspace and still allow for a stabilized approach to runways 19L and
19R. The FAA determined that not all of the Area C airspace must be
lowered to 6,000 feet MSL. Therefore, Area C is reduced in size by
shifting that portion south of the 083[deg] radial into Area D with a
floor of 6,500 feet MSL.
Area D. Area D is reconfigured by lowering the floor from 8,000
feet MSL to 6,500 feet MSL, resetting the boundaries between the 16-
and 22-mile arcs instead of the 20- and 25-mile arcs and incorporating
a portion of Area C, as described above. The changes support SUNST and
KEPEC RNAV arrivals being vectored to intercept the Runway 25L
localizer.
Area E. The floor of Area E remains at 6,000 feet MSL. The boundary
is moved from the 115[deg] radial to the 119[deg] radial. This change
is required to contain aircraft descending to the proper altitude to
capture the ILS approach for Runway 25L or 25R.
Area F. The floor of Area F is lowered from 8,000 feet MSL to 7,000
feet MSL and the eastern boundary is shifted from the 125[deg] radial
to the 185[deg] radial. This change contains aircraft that currently
exit Class B airspace on the ILS Runway 1L approach.
Area G. The floor of Area G remains at 5,000 feet MSL. The boundary
segment currently along the 235[deg] radial is moved to the 240[deg]
radial and the segment defined by the 295[deg] radial is shifted to the
255[deg] radial. The remaining segment between the 255[deg] radial and
the 295[deg] radial is redesignated as a new Area T, described below.
These changes allow aircraft to remain within Class B airspace while
descending for the ILS Runway 25L or 25R approaches and to contain the
SHEAD Departure Procedure.
Area H. The floor of Area H remains at 4,000 feet MSL. The northern
boundary moves from the 295[deg] radial to the 310[deg] radial and the
southern boundary moves from the 180[deg] radial to the 185[deg]
radial. The 185[deg] radial aligns with previously described area
modifications, while the 310[deg] boundary extends the 4,000-foot Class
B floor slightly northward (into the current Area I) to provide
separation from the STAAV departure procedure.
Area I. The floor of Area I remains at 4,500 feet MSL, but a small
segment in the southern corner of Area I is transferred into Area H
(with its 4,000-foot MSL floor) as described above.
Area J, Area K, Area L, Area M and Area N. The only change to these
areas is raising the ceiling from 9,000 feet MSL to 10,000 feet MSL.
Area O. The floor of Area O is lowered to 7,000 feet MSL instead of
the current 8,000 feet MSL. In addition, the boundaries are realigned
between the 22- and 25-mile arcs from the 046[deg] radial clockwise to
the 083[deg] radial. These changes ensure the containment of arrivals
executing the Runway 25L ILS approach, the GRNPA RNAV Arrival and
aircraft being vectored from the east to land on Runways 19L and 19R.
Area P. This is a new subarea with a floor of 8,000 feet MSL. It
extends from the 060[deg] radial clockwise to the 115[deg] radial and
bounded on the east by the 30-mile arc and on the west by Areas D and
O. Area P provides containment for four RNAV arrival procedures.
Area Q. This is a new subarea with a floor of 8,000 feet MSL. It
lies between the 15- and 20-mile arcs from the 132[deg] radial
clockwise to the 185[deg] radial. It consists of airspace currently in
the eastern half of Area F. Area Q contains aircraft being vectored
from the southeast to a point where they are turned north for a
straight-in approach.
Area R. Area R is a new subarea with a floor of 8,000 feet MSL. It
expands Class B airspace from the 20-mile arc out to the 23-mile arc,
between the 188[deg] radial clockwise to the 225[deg] radial. Area R
ensures the containment of aircraft being vectored for the ILS Runway
1L approach.
Area S. Area S is a new area with a floor of 7,000 feet MSL. It is
located southeast of LAS between the 15- and 27-mile arcs and between
the 115[deg] and 132[deg] radials. The area is required to ensure
containment of operational procedures into LAS.
Area T. Area T is a new area with a floor of 5,500 feet MSL. Area T
lies west of LAS between the 8- and 10-mile arcs, and the 255[deg] and
the 295[deg] radials. This area is taken from a portion of the existing
Area G. (Area T was derived from Ad Hoc Committee discussions proposing
to raise the floor of the Class B west of LAS to at least 5,500 feet
MSL to provide additional airspace for terrain clearance and flight
above populated areas for general aviation operations).
In addition to the above, this action updates the McCarran
International Airport reference point (ARP); the Henderson Executive
Airport name and ARP; and the North Las Vegas Airport name and ARP to
reflect the current information in the FAA's National Airspace System
Resource database.
All radials in this rule are expressed in degrees relative to True
North.
Environmental Review
The FAA has determined that this action qualifies for categorical
exclusion under the National Environmental Policy Act in accordance
with FAA Order 1050.1E, ``Environmental Impacts: Policies and
Procedures,'' paragraph 311a. This airspace action is not expected to
cause any potentially significant environmental impacts, and
[[Page 43777]]
no extraordinary circumstances exist that warrant preparation of an
environmental assessment.
Paperwork Reduction Act
The Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. 3507(d)) requires
that the FAA consider the impact of paperwork and other information
collection burdens imposed on the public. We have determined that there
is no new information collection requirement associated with this rule.
Regulatory Evaluation Summary
Changes to Federal regulations must undergo several economic
analyses. First, Executive Order 12866 and Executive Order 13563
directs that each Federal agency shall propose or adopt a regulation
only upon a reasoned determination that the benefits of the intended
regulation justify its costs. Second, the Regulatory Flexibility Act of
1980 (Pub. L. 96-354) requires agencies to analyze the economic impact
of regulatory changes on small entities. Third, the Trade Agreements
Act (Pub. L. 96-39) prohibits agencies from setting standards that
create unnecessary obstacles to the foreign commerce of the United
States. In developing U.S. standards, the Trade Act requires agencies
to consider international standards and, where appropriate, that they
be the basis of U.S. standards. Fourth, the Unfunded Mandates Reform
Act of 1995 (Pub. L. 104-4) requires agencies to prepare a written
assessment of the costs, benefits, and other effects of proposed or
final rules that include a Federal mandate likely to result in the
expenditure by State, local, or tribal governments, in the aggregate,
or by the private sector, of $100 million or more annually (adjusted
for inflation with base year of 1995). This portion of the preamble
summarizes the FAA's analysis of the economic impacts of this final
rule.
Department of Transportation Order DOT 2100.5 prescribes policies
and procedures for simplification, analysis, and review of regulations.
If the expected cost impact is so minimal that a final rule does not
warrant a full evaluation, this order permits that a statement to that
effect and the basis for it be included in the preamble if a full
regulatory evaluation of the costs and benefits is not prepared. Such a
determination has been made for this final rule. The reasoning for this
determination follows:
In conducting these analyses, the FAA has determined that this
final rule:
(1) Imposes minimal incremental costs and provides benefits,
(2) Is not an economically ``significant regulatory action'' as
defined in section 3(f) of Executive Order 12866,
(3) Is not significant as defined in DOT's Regulatory Policies and
Procedures;
(4) Will not have a significant economic impact on a substantial
number of small entities;
(5) Will not have a significant effect on international trade; and
(6) Will not impose an unfunded mandate on state, local, or tribal
governments, or on the private sector by exceeding the monetary
threshold identified.
These analyses are summarized below.
This final rule modifies the Las Vegas, NV, Class B airspace area
to ensure the containment of large turbine-powered aircraft within
Class B airspace, reduce controller workload and reduce the potential
for midair collision in the Las Vegas terminal area. This final rule
modifies the original subareas, adds new subareas and raises the
ceiling of the entire Class B airspace from 9,000 feet MSL to 10,000
feet MSL.
This final rule will result in safety benefits and increased
operational efficiencies. This rule enhances safety by reducing the
number of Class B excursions and consequently reducing air traffic
controller workload and radio frequency congestion. By expanding the
Class B area where aircraft are subject to certain operating rules and
equipment requirements this rule also reduces the potential for midair
collisions and possibly reduces TCAS advisories by as much as 25%. The
modification of the class B airspace area provides operation advantages
as well, such as allowing more airspace for controllers to accomplish
sequencing and reducing the need for controllers to vector LAS arrivals
and departures to avoid nonparticipating traffic.
As described in the NPRM, the FAA expects that the costs of the
final rule may include the necessity for some VFR traffic to travel
alternative routes. However these alternative routes are not expected
to be appreciably longer than the routes with the previous airspace
design. This is expected to result in minimal cost overall, does not
require the updating of materials outside the normal update cycle, and
does not require the rerouting of IFR traffic.
The FAA received no comments on the FAA's request for comments on
the minimal cost determination. Therefore the FAA has determined that
this final rule is not a ``significant regulatory action'' as defined
in section 3(f) of Executive Order 12866, and is not ``significant'' as
defined in DOT's Regulatory Policies and Procedures.
Final Regulatory Flexibility Determination
The Regulatory Flexibility Act of 1980 (Pub. L. 96-354) (RFA)
establishes ``as a principle of regulatory issuance that agencies shall
endeavor, consistent with the objectives of the rule and of applicable
statutes, to fit regulatory and informational requirements to the scale
of the businesses, organizations, and governmental jurisdictions
subject to regulation. To achieve this principle, agencies are required
to solicit and consider flexible regulatory proposals and to explain
the rationale for their actions to assure that such proposals are given
serious consideration.'' The RFA covers a wide-range of small entities,
including small businesses, not-for-profit organizations, and small
governmental jurisdictions.
Agencies must perform a review to determine whether a rule will
have a significant economic impact on a substantial number of small
entities. If the agency determines that it will, the agency must
prepare a regulatory flexibility analysis as described in the RFA.
However, if an agency determines that a rule is not expected to
have a significant economic impact on a substantial number of small
entities, section 605(b) of the RFA provides that the head of the
agency may so certify and a regulatory flexibility analysis is not
required. The certification must include a statement providing the
factual basis for this determination, and the reasoning should be
clear.
In the Initial Regulatory Flexibility Analysis, the FAA determined
that the proposed rule would improve safety and efficiency by
redefining Class B airspace boundaries and would impose only minimal
costs because it would not require rerouting of IFR traffic, could
possibly cause some VFR traffic to travel alternative routes that are
not expected to be appreciably longer than with the current airspace
design, and would not require updating of materials outside the normal
update cycle. Therefore, the expected outcome would be a minimal
economic impact on small entities affected by this rulemaking action.
The FAA requested comments on this determination but received no
comments on small entity considerations.
Therefore, the FAA Administrator certifies that this final rule
will not have a significant economic impact on a substantial number of
small entities.
International Trade Impact Assessment
The Trade Agreements Act of 1979 (Pub. L. 96-39), as amended by the
[[Page 43778]]
Uruguay Round Agreements Act (Pub. L. 103-465), prohibits Federal
agencies from establishing standards or engaging in related activities
that create unnecessary obstacles to the foreign commerce of the United
States. Pursuant to these Acts, the establishment of standards is not
considered an unnecessary obstacle to the foreign commerce of the
United States, so long as the standard has a legitimate domestic
objective, such as the protection of safety, and does not operate in a
manner that excludes imports that meet this objective. The statute also
requires consideration of international standards and, where
appropriate, that they be the basis for U.S. standards.
The FAA assessed the potential effect of this proposed rule in the
NPRM and determined that it would have no effect on international
trade. The FAA received no comments on this determination.
Therefore, the FAA has determined that this final rule will have no
impact on international trade.
Unfunded Mandates Assessment
Title II of the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act of 1995 (Pub. L. 104-
4) requires each Federal agency to prepare a written statement
assessing the effects of any Federal mandate in a proposed or final
agency rule that may result in an expenditure of $100 million or more
(in 1995 dollars) in any one year by State, local, and tribal
governments, in the aggregate, or by the private sector; such a mandate
is deemed to be a ``significant regulatory action.'' The FAA currently
uses an inflation-adjusted value of $143.1 million in lieu of $100
million. This final rule does not contain such a mandate; therefore,
the requirements of Title II of the Act do not apply.
List of Subjects in 14 CFR Part 71
Airspace, Incorporation by reference, Navigation (air).
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
0
1. The authority citation for part 71 continues to read as follows:
Authority: 49 U.S.C. 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 the Federal
Aviation Administration Order 7400.9W, Airspace Designations and
Reporting Points, dated August 8, 2012, and effective September 15,
2012, is amended as follows:
Paragraph 3000 Subpart B--Class B Airspace.
* * * * *
AWP NV B Las Vegas, NV
McCarran International Airport (Primary Airport)
(Lat. 36[deg]04'48'' N., long. 115[deg]09'08'' W.)
Las Vegas VORTAC
(Lat. 36[deg]04'47'' N., long. 115[deg]09'35'' W.)
Henderson Executive Airport
(Lat. 35[deg]58'22'' N., long. 115[deg]08'04'' W.)
North Las Vegas Airport
(Lat. 36[deg]12'39'' N., long. 115[deg]11'40'' W.)
Boundaries
Area A. That airspace extending upward from the surface to and
including 10,000 feet MSL within an area bounded by a line beginning
at the Las Vegas VORTAC 020[deg] radial at 15 DME (lat.
36[deg]18'54'' N., long. 115[deg]03'14'' W.); thence along a line
direct to the Las Vegas VORTAC 033[deg] radial at 20 DME (lat.
36[deg]21'34'' N., long. 114[deg]56' 06'' W.); thence northeast
along that radial to the 25 DME point (lat. 36[deg]25'46'' N., long.
114[deg]52'43'' W.); thence clockwise along the 25 DME arc to the
Las Vegas VORTAC 046[deg] radial (lat. 36[deg]22'08'' N., long.
114[deg]47'19'' W.); thence southwest along that radial, to the 10
DME point (lat. 36[deg]11'44'' N., long. 115[deg]00'42'' W.); thence
clockwise along the 10 DME arc to the Las Vegas VORTAC 119[deg]
radial (lat. 35[deg]59' 55'' N., long. 114[deg]58'49'' W.); thence
west along a line direct to the Las Vegas VORTAC 185[deg] radial at
4.4 DME (lat. 36[deg]00'24'' N., long. 115[deg]10'04'' W.); thence
south along that radial to the 6 DME point (lat. 35[deg]58'48'' N.,
long. 115[deg]10'14'' W.); thence clockwise along the 6 DME arc to
(lat. 36[deg]10'19'' N., long. 115[deg]12'29'' W.); thence
counterclockwise along the 2.4-mile radius arc of North Las Vegas
Airport to lat. 36[deg]12'04'' N., long. 115[deg]08'47'' W.; thence
north along the Las Vegas VORTAC 005[deg] radial to 15 DME (lat.
36[deg]19'45'' N., long. 115[deg]07'58'' W.); thence clockwise along
the 15 DME arc to the point of beginning.
Area B. That airspace extending upward from 4,500 feet MSL to
and including 10,000 feet MSL within an area bounded by a line
beginning at the Las Vegas VORTAC 046[deg] radial at 10 DME, (lat.
36[deg]11'44'' N., long 115[deg]00'42'' W.); thence northeast along
that radial to 15 DME (lat. 36[deg]15'12'' N., long. 114[deg]56'15''
W.); thence clockwise along the 15 DME arc to the Las Vegas VORTAC
083[deg] radial (lat. 36[deg]06'35'' N., long. 114[deg]51'13'' W.);
thence east along that radial to 16 DME (lat. 36[deg]06'43'' N.,
long. 114[deg]49'59'' W.); thence clockwise along the 16 DME arc to
the Las Vegas VORTAC 115[deg] radial (lat. 35[deg]57'59'' N., long.
114[deg]51'43'' W.); thence northwest along that radial to 15 DME
(lat. 35[deg]58'25'' N., long. 114[deg]52'50'' W.); thence clockwise
along the 15 DME arc to the Las Vegas VORTAC 119[deg] radial (lat.
35[deg]57'29'' N., long. 114[deg]53'26'' W.); thence northwest along
that radial to 10 DME (lat. 35[deg]59'55'' N., long. 114[deg]58'49''
W.); thence counterclockwise along the 10 DME arc to the point of
beginning.
Area C. That airspace extending upward from 6,000 feet MSL to
and including 10,000 feet MSL within an area bounded by a line
beginning at the Las Vegas VORTAC 046[deg] radial at 15 DME (lat.
36[deg]15'12'' N., long. 114[deg]56'15'' W.); thence northeast along
that radial to 22 DME (lat. 36[deg]20'04'' N., long.114[deg]50'00''
W.); thence clockwise along the 22 DME arc to the Las Vegas VORTAC
083[deg] radial (lat. 36[deg]07'25'' N., long. 114[deg]42'38'' W.);
thence northwest along that radial to 15 DME (lat. 36[deg]06'35''
N., long. 114[deg]51'13'' W.); thence counterclockwise along the 15
DME arc to the point of beginning.
Area D. That airspace extending upward from 6,500 feet MSL to
and including 10,000 feet MSL within an area bounded by a line
beginning at the Las Vegas VORTAC 083[deg] radial at 16 DME (lat.
36[deg]06'43'' N., long. 114[deg]49'59'' W.); thence northeast along
that radial to 23 DME (lat. 36[deg]07'32'' N., long. 114[deg]41'24''
W.); thence clockwise along the 23 DME arc to the Las Vegas VORTAC
115[deg] radial (lat. 35[deg]55'00'' N., long. 114[deg]43'55'' W.);
thence west along that radial to 16 DME (lat. 35[deg]57'59'' N.,
long. 114[deg]51'43'' W.); thence counterclockwise along the 16 DME
arc to the point of beginning.
Area E. That airspace extending upward from 6,000 feet MSL to
and including 10,000 feet MSL within an area bounded by a line
beginning at the Las Vegas VORTAC 119[deg] radial at 10 DME (lat.
35[deg]59'55'' N., long. 114[deg]58'49'' W.); thence southeast along
that radial to 15 DME (lat. 35[deg]57'29'' N., long. 114[deg]53'26''
W.); thence clockwise along the 15 DME arc to the Las Vegas VORTAC
185[deg] radial (lat. 35[deg]49'49'' N., long. 115[deg]11'12'' W.);
thence north along that radial to 10 DME (lat. 35[deg]54'48'' N.,
long. 115[deg]10'40'' W.); thence counterclockwise along the 10 DME
arc to the point of beginning.
Area F. That airspace extending upward from 7,000 feet MSL to
and including 10,000 feet MSL within an area bounded by a line
beginning at the Las Vegas VORTAC 185[deg] radial at 15 DME (lat.
35[deg]49'49'' N., long. 115[deg]11'12'' W.); thence south along
that radial to 20 DME (lat. 35[deg]44'50'' N., long. 115[deg]11'44''
W.); thence clockwise along the 20 DME arc to the Las Vegas VORTAC
235[deg] radial (lat. 35[deg]53'16'' N., long. 115[deg]29'45'' W.);
thence northeast along that radial to 15 DME (lat. 35[deg]56'09''
N., long. 115[deg]24'43'' W.); thence counterclockwise along the 15
DME arc to the point of beginning.
Area G. That airspace extending upward from 5,000 feet MSL to
and including 10,000 feet MSL within an area bounded by a line
beginning at the Las Vegas VORTAC 119[deg] radial at 10 DME (lat.
35[deg]59'55'' N., long. 114[deg]58'49'' W.); thence clockwise along
the 10 DME arc to the Las Vegas VORTAC 185[deg] radial (lat.
35[deg]54'48'' N., long. 115[deg]10'40'' W.); thence south along
that radial to 15 DME (lat. 35[deg]49'49'' N., long. 115[deg]11'12''
W.); thence clockwise along the 15 DME arc to the Las Vegas 240[deg]
radial (lat. 35[deg]57'15'' N., long. 115[deg]25'35'' W.); thence
northeast along that radial to 10 DME (lat. 35[deg]59'46'' N., long.
[[Page 43779]]
115[deg]20'16'' W.); thence clockwise along the 10 DME arc to the
Las Vegas VORTAC 255[deg] radial (lat. 36[deg]02'11'' N., long.
115[deg]21'30'' W.); thence east along that radial to 8 DME (lat.
36[deg]02'42'' N., long. 115[deg]19'07'' W.); thence
counterclockwise along the 8 DME arc to the Las Vegas VORTAC
185[deg] radial (lat. 35[deg]56'48'' N., long. 115[deg]10'27'' W.);
thence north along that radial to the Las Vegas VORTAC 185[deg]
radial at 4.4 DME (lat. 36[deg]00'24'' N., long. 115[deg]10'04''
W.); thence east along a line direct to the point of beginning.
Area H. That airspace extending upward from 4,000 feet MSL to
and including 10,000 feet MSL within an area bounded by a line
beginning at the Las Vegas 310[deg] radial at 8 DME (36[deg]09'56''
N., long. 115[deg]17'09'' W.); thence southeast along that radial to
6 DME (lat. 36[deg]08'39'' N., long. 115[deg]15'16'' W.); thence
counterclockwise along the 6 DME arc to the Las Vegas VORTAC
185[deg] radial (lat. 35[deg]58'48'' N., long. 115[deg]10'14'' W.);
thence south along that radial to 8 DME (lat. 35[deg]56'48'' N.,
long. 115[deg]10'27'' W.); thence clockwise along the 8 DME arc to
the point of beginning.
Area I. That airspace extending upward from 4,500 feet MSL to
and including 10,000 feet MSL within an area bounded by a line
beginning at the Las Vegas VORTAC 310[deg] radial at 6 DME (lat.
36[deg]08'39'' N., long. 115[deg]15'16'' W.); thence northwest along
that radial to 8 DME (lat. 36[deg]09'56'' N., long. 115[deg]17'09''
W.); thence counterclockwise along the 8 DME arc to the Las Vegas
VORTAC 295[deg] radial (lat. 36[deg]08'10'' N., long.
115[deg]18'32'' W.); thence northwest along that radial to 10 DME
(lat. 36[deg]09'00'' N., long. 115[deg]20'47'' W.); thence clockwise
along the 10 DME arc to lat. 36[deg]14'10'' N., long.115[deg]13'52''
W.; thence northwest along US Highway 95 to lat. 36[deg]15'04'' N.,
long. 115[deg]14'28'' W.; thence clockwise along the Las Vegas
VORTAC 11 DME arc to the Las Vegas VORTAC 005[deg] radial (lat.
36[deg]15'45'' N., long. 115[deg]08'24'' W.); thence south along the
Las Vegas VORTAC 005[deg] radial to lat. 36[deg]12'04'' N., long.
115[deg]08'47'' W.; thence clockwise along the 2.4-mile radius arc
of the North Las Vegas Airport to lat. 36[deg]10'19'' N., long.
115[deg]12'29'' W.; thence counterclockwise along the Las Vegas
VORTAC 6 DME arc to the point of beginning.
Area J. That airspace extending upward from 5,000 feet MSL to
and including 10,000 feet MSL within an area bounded by a line
beginning at the Las Vegas VORTAC 005[deg] radial at 11 DME (lat.
36[deg]15'45'' N., long. 115[deg]08'24'' W.); thence north along
that radial to 15 DME (lat. 36[deg]19'45'' N., long. 115[deg]07'58''
W.); thence counterclockwise along the 15 DME arc to US Highway 95
(lat. 36[deg]18'22'' N., long. 115[deg]17'31'' W.); thence southeast
along US Highway 95 to the 11 DME arc (lat. 36[deg]15'04'' N., long.
115[deg]14'28'' W.); thence clockwise along the 11 DME arc to the
point of beginning.
Area K. That airspace extending upward from 6,500 feet MSL to
and including
10,000 feet MSL within an area beginning at the intersection of
U.S. Highway 95 and the Las Vegas VORTAC 15 DME arc (lat.
36[deg]18'22'' N., long. 115[deg]17'31'' W.); thence northwest along
U.S. Highway 95 to intersect the Las Vegas VORTAC 20 DME arc (lat.
36[deg]22'11'' N., long. 115[deg]21'49'' W.); thence clockwise along
the 20 DME arc to the Las Vegas VORTAC 033[deg] radial (lat.
36[deg]21'34'' N., long. 114[deg]56'06'' W.); thence via a line
direct to the Las Vegas VORTAC 020[deg] radial at 15 DME (lat.
36[deg]18'54'' N., long. 115[deg]03'14'' W.); thence
counterclockwise along the 15 DME arc to the point of beginning.
Area L. That airspace extending upward from 7,500 feet MSL to
and including 10,000 feet MSL bounded by a line beginning at the Las
Vegas VORTAC 033[deg] radial at 36 DME (lat. 36[deg]34'59'' N.,
long. 114[deg]45'15'' W.); thence southwest along that radial to 20
DME (lat. 36[deg]21'34'' N., long. 114[deg]56'06'' W.); thence
counterclockwise along the 20 DME arc to U.S. Highway 95 (lat.
36[deg]22'11'' N., long. 115[deg]21'49'' W.); thence direct to the
Las Vegas VORTAC 005[deg] radial at 36 DME (lat. 36[deg]40'42'' N.,
long. 115[deg]05'41'' W.); thence clockwise along the 36 DME arc to
the point of beginning.
Area M. That airspace extending upward from 5,000 feet MSL to
and including 10,000 feet MSL within an area bounded by a line
beginning at the Las Vegas VORTAC 033[deg] radial at 30 DME (lat.
36[deg]29'57'' N., long. 114[deg]49'19'' W.); thence clockwise along
the 30 DME arc to the Las Vegas VORTAC 046[deg] radial (lat.
36[deg]25'36'' N., long. 114[deg]42'51'' W.); thence southwest along
that radial to 25 DME (lat. 36[deg]22'08'' N., long. 114[deg]47'19''
W.); thence counterclockwise along the 25 DME arc to the Las Vegas
VORTAC 033[deg] radial (lat. 36[deg]25'46'' N., long.
114[deg]52'43'' W.); thence northeast along that radial to the point
of beginning.
Area N. That airspace extending upward from 7,000 feet MSL to
and including 10,000 feet MSL within an area bounded by a line
beginning at the Las Vegas VORTAC 033[deg] radial at 36 DME (lat.
36[deg]34'59'' N., long. 114[deg]45'15'' W.); thence clockwise along
the 36 DME arc to the Las Vegas VORTAC 046[deg] radial (lat.
36[deg]29'45'' N., long. 114[deg]37'28'' W.); thence southwest along
that radial to 30 DME (lat. 36[deg]25'36'' N., long. 114[deg]42'51''
W.); thence counterclockwise along the 30 DME arc to the Las Vegas
VORTAC 033[deg] radial (lat. 36[deg]29'57'' N., long.
114[deg]49'19'' W.); thence northeast along that radial to the point
of beginning.
Area O. That airspace extending upward from 7,000 feet MSL to
and including 10,000 feet MSL within an area bounded by a line
beginning at the Las Vegas VORTAC 046[deg] radial at 25 DME (lat.
36[deg]22'08'' N., long. 114[deg]47'19'' W.); thence clockwise along
the 25 DME arc to the Las Vegas VORTAC 083[deg] radial (lat.
36[deg]07'46'' N., long. 114[deg]38'57'' W.); thence west along that
radial to 22 DME (lat. 36[deg]07'25'' N., long. 114[deg]42'38'' W.);
thence counterclockwise along the 22 DME arc to the Las Vegas VORTAC
046[deg] radial (lat. 36[deg]20'04'' N., long 114[deg]50'00'' W.);
thence northeast along that radial to the point of beginning.
Area P. That airspace extending upward from 8,000 feet MSL to
and including 10,000 feet MSL within an area bounded by a line
beginning at the Las Vegas VORTAC 060[deg] radial at 25 DME (lat.
36[deg]17'15'' N., long. 114[deg]42'48'' W.); thence northeast along
that radial to 30 DME (lat. 36[deg]19'44'' N., long. 114[deg]37'26''
W.); thence clockwise along the 30 DME arc to the Las Vegas VORTAC
115[deg] radial (lat. 35[deg]52'00'' N., long. 114[deg]36'08'' W.);
thence northwest along that radial to 23 DME (lat. 35[deg]55'00''
N., long. 114[deg]43'55'' W.); thence counterclockwise along the 23
DME arc to the Las Vegas VORTAC 083[deg] radial (lat. 36[deg]07'32''
N., long. 114[deg]41'24'' W.); thence east along that radial to 25
DME (lat. 36[deg]07'46'' N., long. 114[deg]38'57'' W.); thence
counterclockwise along the 25 DME arc to the point of beginning.
Area Q. That airspace extending upward from 8,000 feet MSL to
and including 10,000 feet MSL within an area bounded by a line
beginning at the Las Vegas VORTAC 132[deg] radial at 15 DME (lat.
35[deg]54'43'' N., long. 114[deg]55'52'' W.); thence southeast along
that radial to 20 DME (lat. 35[deg]51'21'' N., long. 114[deg]51'18''
W.); thence clockwise along the 20 DME arc to the Las Vegas VORTAC
185[deg] radial (lat. 35[deg]44'50'' N., long. 115[deg]11'44'' W.);
thence north along that radial to 15 DME (lat. 35[deg]49'49'' N.,
long. 115[deg]11'12'' W.); thence counterclockwise along the 15 DME
arc to the point of beginning.
Area R. That airspace extending upward from 8,000 feet MSL to
and including 10,000 feet MSL within an area bounded by a line
beginning at Las Vegas VORTAC 188[deg] radial at 20 DME (lat.
35[deg]44'57'' N., long. 115[deg]13'00'' W.); thence south along
that radial to 23 DME (lat. 35[deg]41'58'' N., long. 115[deg]13'31''
W.); thence clockwise along the 23 DME arc to the Las Vegas VORTAC
225[deg] radial (lat. 35[deg]48'28'' N., long. 115[deg]29'35'' W.);
thence northeast along that radial to 20 DME (lat. 35[deg]50'36''
N., long. 115[deg]26'59'' W.); thence counterclockwise along the 20
DME arc to the point of beginning.
Area S. That airspace extending upward from 7,000 feet MSL to
and including 10,000 feet MSL within an area bounded by a line
beginning at the Las Vegas VORTAC 115[deg] radial at 15 DME (lat.
35[deg]58'25'' N., long. 114[deg]52'50'' W.); thence southeast along
that radial to 27 DME (lat. 35[deg]53'18'' N., long. 114[deg]39'28''
W.); thence clockwise along the 27 DME arc to the Las Vegas VORTAC
132[deg] radial (lat. 35[deg]46'39'' N., long. 114[deg]44'56'' W.);
thence northwest along that radial to 15 DME (lat. 35[deg]54'43''
N., long. 114[deg]55'52'' W.); thence counterclockwise along the 15
DME arc to the point of beginning.
Area T. That airspace extending upward from 5,500 feet MSL to
and including 10,000 feet MSL within an area bounded by a line
beginning at the Las Vegas VORTAC 255[deg] radial at 8 DME (lat.
36[deg]02'42'' N., long. 115[deg]19'07'' W.); thence west along that
radial to 10 DME (lat. 36[deg]02'11'' N., long. 115[deg]21'30'' W.);
thence clockwise along the 10 DME arc to the Las Vegas VORTAC
295[deg] radial (lat. 36[deg]09'00'' N., long. 115[deg]20'47'' W.);
thence southeast along that radial to 8 DME (lat. 36[deg]08'10'' N.,
long. 115[deg]18'32'' W.); thence counterclockwise along the 8 DME
arc to the point of beginning.
Issued in Washington, DC, on July 10, 2013.
Gary A. Norek,
Manager, Airspace Policy and ATC Procedures Group.
[[Page 43780]]
[GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] TR22JY13.000
[FR Doc. 2013-17477 Filed 7-19-13; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-13-P