Proposed Establishment of Class D and Class E Airspace and Proposed Amendment of Class E Airspace; Nashville, TN, 55627-55628 [2020-19856]

Agencies

• Federal Aviation Administration
• DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 175 (Wednesday, September 9, 2020)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 55627-55628]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-19856]


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

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Aviation Administration

14 CFR Part 71

[Docket No. FAA-2020-0701; Airspace Docket No. 20-ASO-19]
RIN 2120-AA66


Proposed Establishment of Class D and Class E Airspace and 
Proposed Amendment of Class E Airspace; Nashville, TN

AGENCY: Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), DOT.

ACTION: Notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM).

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

SUMMARY: This action proposes to establish Class D and Class E airspace 
designated as an extension to Class D or E surface area, and amend 
Class E airspace extending upward from 700 feet above the surface for 
John C. Tune Airport, Nashville, TN, as a new air traffic control tower 
shall service the airport. This action would also update the geographic 
coordinates of the airport, as well as Sumner County Regional Airport, 
and Lebanon Municipal Airport, and Murfreesboro Municipal Airport. In 
addition, this action would establish Class E airspace extending upward 
from 700 feet above the surface for Vanderbilt University Hospital 
Heliport, as instrument approaches have been designed for the heliport. 
Controlled airspace is necessary for the safety and management of 
instrument flight rules (IFR) operations in the area.

DATES: Comments must be received on or before October 26, 2020.

ADDRESSES: Send comments on this proposal to: The U.S. Department of 
Transportation, Docket Operations, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE, West 
Building Ground Floor, Room W12-140, Washington, DC 20590-0001; 
Telephone: (800) 647-5527, or (202) 366-9826. You must identify the 
Docket No. FAA-2020-0701; Airspace Docket No. 20-ASO-19, at the 
beginning of your comments. You may also submit comments through the 
internet at https://www.regulations.gov.
    FAA Order 7400.11D, Airspace Designations and Reporting Points, and 
subsequent amendments can be viewed on line at https://www.faa.gov/air_traffic/publications/. For further information, you can contact the 
Airspace Policy Group, Federal Aviation Administration, 800 
Independence Avenue SW, Washington, DC, 20591; Telephone: (202) 267-
8783. The Order is also available for inspection at the National 
Archives and Records Administration (NARA). For information on the 
availability of FAA Order 7400.11D at NARA, email [email protected] 
or go to https://www.archives.gov/federal-register/cfr/ibr-locations.html.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: John Fornito, Operations Support 
Group, Eastern Service Center, Federal Aviation Administration, 1701 
Columbia Avenue, College Park, GA 30337; Telephone (404) 305-6364.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Authority for This Rulemaking

    The FAA's authority to issue rules regarding aviation safety is 
found in Title 49 of the United States Code. Subtitle I, Section 106 
describes the authority of the FAA Administrator. Subtitle VII, 
Aviation Programs, describes in more detail the scope of the agency's 
authority. This rulemaking is promulgated under the authority described 
in Subtitle VII, Part A, Subpart I, Section 40103. Under that section, 
the FAA is charged with prescribing regulations to assign the use of 
airspace necessary to ensure the safety of aircraft and the efficient 
use of airspace. This regulation is within the scope of that authority 
as it would establish Class D and Class E airspace, and amend Class E 
airspace for John C. Tune Airport, and establish Class E airspace for 
Vanderbilt University Hospital Heliport, Nashville, TN, to support IFR 
operations in the area.

Comments Invited

    Interested persons are invited to comment on this proposed 
rulemaking by submitting such written data, views, or arguments, as 
they may desire. Comments that provide the factual basis supporting the 
views and suggestions presented are particularly helpful in developing 
reasoned regulatory decisions on the proposal. Comments are 
specifically invited on the overall regulatory, aeronautical, economic, 
environmental, and energy-related aspects of the proposal.
    Communications should identify both docket numbers (Docket No. FAA-
2020-0701 and Airspace Docket No. 20-ASO-19) and be submitted in 
triplicate to DOT Docket Operations (see ADDRESSES section for the 
address and phone number). You may also submit comments through the 
internet at https://www.regulations.gov.
    Persons wishing the FAA to acknowledge receipt of their comments on 
this action must submit with those comments a self-addressed stamped 
postcard on which the following statement is made: ``Comments to FAA 
Docket No. FAA-2020-0701; Airspace Docket No. 20-ASO-19''. The postcard 
will be date/time stamped and returned to the commenter.
    All communications received before the specified closing date for 
comments will be considered before taking action on the proposed rule. 
The proposal contained in this document may be changed in light of the 
comments received. All comments submitted will be available for 
examination in the public docket both before and after the comment 
closing date. A report summarizing each substantive public contact with 
FAA personnel concerned with this rulemaking will be filed in the 
docket.

Availability of NPRMs

    An electronic copy of this document may be downloaded through the 
internet at https://www.regulations.gov. Recently published rulemaking 
documents can also be accessed through the FAA's web page at https://www.faa.gov/air_traffic/publications/airspace_amendments/.
    You may review the public docket containing the proposal, any 
comments received and any final disposition in person in the Dockets 
Office (see the ADDRESSES section for address and phone number) between 
9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday, except federal 
holidays. An informal docket may also be examined between 8:00 a.m. and 
4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, except federal holidays

[[Page 55628]]

at the office of the Eastern Service Center, Federal Aviation 
Administration, Room 350, 1701 Columbia Avenue, College Park, GA 30337.

Availability and Summary of Documents for Incorporation by Reference

    This document proposes to amend FAA Order 7400.11D, Airspace 
Designations and Reporting Points, dated August 8, 2019, and effective 
September 15, 2019. FAA Order 7400.11D is publicly available as listed 
in the ADDRESSES section of this document. FAA Order 7400.11D lists 
Class A, B, C, D, and E airspace areas, air traffic service routes, and 
reporting points.

The Proposal

    The FAA proposes an amendment to Title 14 Code of Federal 
Regulations (14 CFR) part 71 to establish Class D and Class E airspace 
designated as an extension to Class D airspace for John C. Tune 
Airport, Nashville, TN, as a new air traffic control tower shall 
service the airport. Also, the FAA proposes to increase the existing 
Class E airspace extending upward from 700 feet above the surface, from 
8-miles to 8.6-miles, due to a reevaluation of the airspace. In 
addition, the FAA proposes to update the geographic coordinates of the 
airport, as well as Sumner County Regional Airport, and Lebanon 
Municipal Airport, and Murfreesboro Municipal Airport, to coincide with 
the FAA's aeronautical database. Also, the FAA proposes to establish 
Class E airspace extending upward from 700 feet above the surface for 
Vanderbilt University Hospital Heliport, as instrument approaches have 
been designed for the heliport.
    Class D and Class E airspace designations are published in 
Paragraphs 5000, 6004, and 6005, respectively, of FAA Order 7400.11D, 
dated August 8, 2019, and effective September 15, 2019, which is 
incorporated by reference in 14 CFR 71.1. The Class E airspace 
designations listed in this document will be published subsequently in 
the Order.
    FAA Order 7400.11, Airspace Designations and Reporting Points, is 
published yearly and effective on September 15.

Regulatory Notices and Analyses

    The FAA has determined that this proposed regulation only involves 
an established body of technical regulations for which frequent and 
routine amendments are necessary to keep them operationally current. 
It, therefore: (1) Is not a ``significant regulatory action'' under 
Executive Order 12866; (2) is not a ``significant rule'' under DOT 
Regulatory Policies and Procedures (44 FR 11034; February 26, 1979); 
and (3) does not warrant preparation of a Regulatory Evaluation as the 
anticipated impact is so minimal. Since this is a routine matter that 
will only affect air traffic procedures and air navigation, it is 
certified that this proposed rule, when promulgated, will not have a 
significant economic impact on a substantial number of small entities 
under the criteria of the Regulatory Flexibility Act.

Environmental Review

    This proposal will be subject to an environmental analysis in 
accordance with FAA Order 1050.1F, ``Environmental Impacts: Policies 
and Procedures'' prior to any FAA final regulatory action.

Lists of Subjects in 14 CFR Part 71

    Airspace, Incorporation by reference, Navigation (air).

The Proposed Amendment

    In consideration of the foregoing, the Federal Aviation 
Administration proposes to amend 14 CFR part 71 as follows:

PART 71--DESIGNATION OF CLASS A, B, C, D, AND E AIRSPACE AREAS; AIR 
TRAFFIC SERVICE ROUTES; AND REPORTING POINTS

0
1. The authority citation for part 71 continues to read as follows:

    Authority:  49 U.S.C. 106(f), 106(g); 40103, 40113, 40120; E.O. 
10854, 24 FR 9565, 3 CFR, 1959-1963 Comp., p. 389.


Sec.  71.1   [Amended]

0
2. The incorporation by reference in 14 CFR 71.1 of Federal Aviation 
Administration Order 7400.11D, Airspace Designations and Reporting 
Points, dated August 8, 2019, and effective September 15, 2019, is 
amended as follows:

Paragraph 5000 Class D Airspace.

* * * * *

ASO TN D Nashville, TN [New]

John C. Tune Airport, TN
    (Lat. 36[deg]10'59'W'' N, long. 86[deg]53'11'' W)

    That airspace extending upward from the surface to and including 
2,300 feet MSL, within a 4.1-mile radius of John C. Tune Airport. 
This Class D airspace area is effective during the specific dates 
and times established in advance by a Notice to Airmen. The 
effective date and time will thereafter be continuously published in 
the Chart Supplement.

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

* * * * *

ASO TN E4 Nashville, TN [New]

John C. Tune Airport, TN
    (Lat. 36[deg]10'59'W'' N, long. 86[deg]53'11'' W)

    That airspace extending upward from the surface within 1.2-miles 
each side of the 198[deg] bearing from the airport, extending from 
the 4.1-mile radius to 6.1-miles south of the airport, and within 
1.2-miles each side of the 018[deg] bearing from the airport, 
extending from the 4.1-mile radius to 6.1-miles north of the 
airport.

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

* * * * *

ASO TN E5 Nashville, TN [Amended]

Nashville International Airport, TN
    (Lat. 36[deg]07'28'' N, long. 86[deg]40'41'' W)
Smyrna Airport
    (Lat. 36[deg]00'32'' N, long. 86[deg]31'12'' W)
Sumner County Regional Airport
    (Lat. 36[deg]22'30'' N, long. 86[deg]24'30'' W)
Lebanon Municipal Airport
    (Lat. 36[deg]11'25'' N, long. 86[deg]18'56'' W)
Murfreesboro Municipal Airport
    (Lat. 35[deg]52'43'' N, long. 86[deg]22'39'' W)
John C. Tune Airport
    (Lat. 36[deg]10'59'' N, long. 86[deg]53'11'' W)
Vanderbilt University Medical Center Hospital, Point In Space 
Coordinates
    (Lat. 36[deg]08'30'' N, long. 86[deg]48'6'' W)
    That airspace extending upward from 700 feet above the surface 
within a 15 mile radius of Nashville International Airport, and 
within a 9-mile radius of Smyrna Airport, and within a 7-mile radius 
of Sumner County Regional Airport, and within a 10-mile radius of 
Lebanon Municipal Airport, and within a 9-mile radius of 
Murfreesboro Municipal Airport, and within an 8.6-mile radius of 
John C. Tune Airport, and that airspace within a 6-mile radius of 
the Point In Space serving Vanderbilt University Medical Center 
Hospital.

    Issued in College Park, Georgia, on September 2, 2020.
Matthew N. Cathcart,
Manager, Airspace & Procedures Team North, Eastern Service Center, Air 
Traffic Organization.
[FR Doc. 2020-19856 Filed 9-8-20; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-13-P