Federal Aviation Administration September 22, 2023 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

This action establishes Area Navigation (RNAV) routes T-469 and T-472 in the southwest United States. The new RNAV routes expand the availability of the enroute structure and provide additional RNAV routing within the National Airspace System (NAS) in support of transitioning it from ground-based to satellite-based navigation.

This action revokes Very High Frequency Omnidirectional Range (VOR) Federal airway V-456 and the Mankato, MN, Low Altitude Reporting Point. The FAA is taking this action due to the planned decommissioning of the VOR portion of the Mankato, MN (MKT), VOR/Distance Measuring Equipment (VOR/DME) navigational aid (NAVAID). The Mankato VOR is being decommissioned in support of the FAA's VOR Minimum Operational Network (MON) program.

This action amends Very High Frequency Omnidirectional Range (VOR) Federal airways V-469 and V-501, and revokes V-474. The FAA is taking this action due to the planned decommissioning of the VOR portion of the St. Thomas, PA (THS), VOR/Tactical Air Navigation (VORTAC) navigational aid (NAVAID). The St. Thomas VOR is being decommissioned in support of the FAA's VOR Minimum Operational Network (MON) program.

The FAA is adopting a new airworthiness directive (AD) for all The Boeing Company Model 737-600, -700, -700C, -800, -900, and -900ER series airplanes. This AD was prompted by a report indicating fuselage skin lap splice cracking was found between stations (STA) 767 and STA 787, just below S-14R fuselage skin lap splice, where a lower skin panel buckle intersected the upper skin of the lap splice. Cracking was also found just below S-14R between STA 747 and STA 767. This AD requires an inspection for any repair at certain skin lap splices at S- 4, S-14, and S-24 and depending on the configuration, repetitive inspections for buckling, wrinkling, or bulging at affected skin lap splices and repair, repetitive inspections for cracking at affected locations common to fuselage skin on the left and right sides and repair, and alternative inspections and on-condition actions. The FAA is issuing this AD to address the unsafe condition on these products.

On December 7, 2021, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) published a final rule in the Federal Register to extend the Special Federal Aviation Regulation (SFAR) prohibiting certain flights in the specified areas of the Sanaa Flight Information Region (FIR) (OYSC) by all: U.S. air carriers; U.S. commercial operators; persons exercising the privileges of an airman certificate issued by the FAA, except when such persons are operating U.S.-registered aircraft for a foreign air carrier; and operators of U.S.-registered civil aircraft, except when the operator of such aircraft is a foreign air carrier. Subsequently, the FAA became aware that the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) amended waypoints the FAA uses to demarcate the boundary between the airspace in which U.S. operators are prohibited from conducting operations and the airspace in which U.S. operators are permitted to operate. The FAA is publishing this technical amendment to update its regulations to reflect the current waypoint names and locations.

The FAA has accepted for review the application for Avon Park Executive Airport's (AVO) participation in the Airport Investment Partnership Program (AIPP), under the terms and conditions of the AIPP and the FAA's Notice of AIPP Application Procedures. The filing date for AVO's application is noted as July 7, 2023. The City of Avon Park, the airport sponsor, selected Florida Airport Management as the private operator and negotiated a draft agreement for FAA review. The FAA has determined that the final application is substantially complete and accepted for review. The determination that the application is substantially complete results in the commencement of the FAA's review and is not an approval or disapproval of the proposed privatization application. The FAA is seeking information and comments from interested parties on the final application. The FAA will review the application, public comments, and any other relevant additional submission by the applicant or the public and issue a decision approving or disapproving the application. The AVO application is available for public review at https://www.regulations.gov. The docket number is FAA Docket Number 2023-1724.