Department of Transportation May 3, 2018 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

These special conditions are issued for the Textron Aviation models B300, B300C, B300C (MC-12W), and B300C (UC-12W) series airplanes. The airplane, as modified by St. Louis Helicopter LLC, will have a novel or unusual design feature associated with the installation of a rechargeable lithium battery. The applicable airworthiness regulations do not contain adequate or appropriate safety standards for this design feature. These special conditions contain the additional safety standards the Administrator considers necessary to establish a level of safety equivalent to that established by the existing airworthiness standards.

This action proposes to amend Class D airspace, remove Class E airspace designated as an extension, and establish Class E airspace extending upward from 700 feet or more above the surface at Olive Branch Airport, Olive Branch, MS. The Olive Branch non-directional radio beacon (NDB) has been decommissioned, requiring the redesign of the airspace. This proposal would replace the outdated term Airport/ Facility Directory with the term Chart Supplement in the Class D legal description.

This action proposes to amend Class E surface airspace at Knoxville Downtown Island Airport, Knoxville, TN, by adding to the airspace description the exclusion of a 1-mile radius around University of Tennessee Medical Center Heliport, to allow helicopters departing from the heliport to no longer require a clearance. Also, the BENFI non-directional beacon (NDB) has been decommissioned, requiring redesign of Class E airspace extending upward from 700 feet above the surface at McGhee-Tyson Airport. Controlled airspace is necessary for the safety and management of instrument flight rules (IFR) operations at these airports. This action also would update the geographic coordinates of Knoxville Downtown Island Airport, McGhee Tyson Airport, and Gatlinburg-Pigeon Forge Airport in the associated Class E airspace areas to coincide with the FAA's aeronautical database.