90 FR 74 pgs. 16459-16460 - Amendment of Class E Airspace; Beckley, WV
Type: RULEVolume: 90Number: 74Pages: 16459 - 16460
Pages: 16459, 16460Docket number: [Docket No. FAA-2025-0062; Airspace Docket No. 25-AEA-1]
FR document: [FR Doc. 2025-06688 Filed 4-17-25; 8:45 am]
Agency: Transportation Department
Sub Agency: Federal Aviation Administration
Official PDF Version: PDF Version
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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Federal Aviation Administration
14 CFR Part 71
[Docket No. FAA-2025-0062; Airspace Docket No. 25-AEA-1]
RIN 2120-AA66
Amendment of Class E Airspace; Beckley, WV
AGENCY:
Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), DOT.
ACTION:
Final rule.
SUMMARY:
This action amends the Class E airspace at Beckley, WV. This action is the result of an airspace review conducted due to the decommissioning of the Beckley very high frequency omnidirectional range (VOR) as part of the VOR Minimum Operational Network (MON) Program. This action brings the airspace into compliance with FAA orders and supports instrument flight rule (IFR) procedures and operations.
DATES:
Effective 0901 UTC, August 7, 2025. 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 JO 7400.11 and publication of conforming amendments.
ADDRESSES:
A copy of the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM), all comments received, this final rule, and all background material may be viewed online at www.regulations.gov using the FAA Docket number. Electronic retrieval help and guidelines are available on the website. It is available 24 hours each day, 365 days each year.
FAA Order JO 7400.11J, Airspace Designations and Reporting Points, and subsequent amendments can be viewed online at www.faa.gov/air_traffic/publications/. You may also contact the Rules and Regulations Group, Office of Policy, Federal Aviation Administration, 800 Independence Avenue SW, Washington, DC 20591; telephone: (202) 267-8783.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Jeffrey Claypool, Federal Aviation Administration, Operations Support Group, Central Service Center, 10101 Hillwood Parkway, Fort Worth, TX 76177; telephone (817) 222-5711.
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 amends the Class E surface airspace and Class E airspace extending upward from 700 feet above the surface at Raleigh County Memorial Airport, Beckley, WV, to support IFR operations at this airport.
History
The FAA published an NPRM for Docket No. FAA-2025-0062 in the Federal Register (90 FR 4681; January 16, 2025) proposing to amend the Class E airspace at Beckley, WV. Interested parties were invited to participate in this rulemaking effort by submitting written comments on the proposal to the FAA. One comment was received supporting this action, citing purported safety enhancements and cost savings as a result of the proposed rule. No response is provided.
Incorporation by Reference
Class E airspace designations are published in paragraphs 6002 and 6005 of FAA Order JO 7400.11, Airspace Designations and Reporting Points, which is incorporated by reference in 14 CFR 71.1 on an annual basis. This document amends the current version of that order, FAA Order JO 7400.11J, dated July 31, 2024, and effective September 15, 2024. These amendments will be published in the next update to FAA Order JO 7400.11. FAA Order JO 7400.11J is publicly available as listed in the ADDRESSES section of this document.
FAA Order JO 7400.11J lists Class A, B, C, D, and E airspace areas, air traffic service routes, and reporting points.
Differences From the NPRM
Subsequent to publication it was discovered that incorrect coordinates were published for the Raleigh County MEML: RWY 19-LOC: "(Lat 37°46'42? N, long 81°07'36? W)" should be "(Lat 37°46'42? N, long 81°07'35? W)". Additionally, a typographic error was discovered in the Class E airspace extending upward from 700 feet above the surface airspace legal description: ". . . within a 7-mile radius of Raleigh County Memorial Airport . . ." should be ". . . within a 6.8-mile radius of Raleigh County Memorial Airport . . ." As the errors do not affect the airspace as proposed, they are corrected in this action.
The Rule
This amendment to 14 CFR part 71:
Modifies the Class E surface airspace at Raleigh County Memorial Airport, Beckley, WV, by removing the Beckley VORTAC and all associated extensions from the airspace legal description; adds an extension within 1 mile each side of the 007° bearing from the Raleigh County MEML: RWY 19-LOC extending from the 4.3-mile radius to 5.2 miles north of the Raleigh County MEML: RWY 19-LOC; adds an extension within 1 mile each side of the 008° bearing from the airport extending from the 4.3-mile radius to 4.9 miles north of the airport; adds an extension 1 mile each side of the 048° bearing from the airport extending from the 4.3-mile radius to 5 miles northeast of the airport; and adds an extension 1 mile each side of the 187° bearing from the airport extending from the 4.3-mile radius to 5.1 miles south of the airport;
And modifies the Class E airspace extending upward from 700 feet above the surface to within a 6.8-mile (reduced from a 7-mile) radius of Raleigh County Memorial Airport; removes the Beckley VORTAC and associated extensions from the airspace legal description; adds an extension 2 miles each side of the 048° bearing from the airport extending from the 6.8-mile radius to 8.9 miles northeast of the airport; and adds an extension 2 miles each side of the 187° bearing from the airport extending from the 6.8-mile radius to 8.8 miles south of the airport.
Regulatory Notices and Analyses
The FAA has determined that this 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 only affects air traffic procedures and air navigation, it is certified that this rule, when promulgated, does not have a significant economic impact on a substantial number of small entities under the criteria of the Regulatory Flexibility Act.
Environmental Review
[top] The FAA has determined that this action qualifies for categorical exclusion
Lists of Subjects in 14 CFR 71
Airspace, Incorporation by reference, Navigation (air).
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
1. The authority citation for 14 CFR part 71 continues to read as follows:
Authority:
49 U.S.C. 106(f), 106(g); 40103, 40113, 40120; E.O. 10854, 24 FR 9565, 3 CFR, 1959-1963 Comp., p. 389.
§?71.1 [Amended]
2. The incorporation by reference in 14 CFR 71.1 of FAA Order JO 7400.11J, Airspace Designations and Reporting Points, dated July 31, 2024, and effective September 15, 2024, is amended as follows:
Paragraph 6002 Class E Airspace Areas Designated as Surface Areas.
AEA WV E2 Beckley, WV [Amended]
Raleigh County Memorial Airport, WV
(Lat. 37°47'14? N, long. 81°07'27? W)
Raleigh County MEML: RWY 19-LOC
(Lat. 37°46'42? N, long. 81°07'35? W)
Within a 4.3-mile radius of Raleigh County Memorial Airport; and within 1 mile each side of the 007° bearing from the Raleigh County MEML: RWY 19-LOC extending from the 4.3-mile radius to 5.2 miles north of the Raleigh County MEML: RWY 19-LOC; and within 1 mile each side of the 008° bearing from the airport extending from the 4.3-mile radius to 4.9 miles north of the airport; and within 1 mile each side of the 048° bearing from the airport extending from the 4.3-mile radius to 5 miles northeast of the airport; and within 1 mile each side of the 187° bearing from the airport extending from the 4.3-mile radius to 5.1 miles south of the airport.
Paragraph 6005 Class E Airspace Areas Extending Upward From 700 Feet or More Above the Surface of the Earth.
AEA WV E5 Beckley, WV [Amended]
Raleigh County Memorial Airport, WV
(Lat. 37°47'14? N, long. 81°07'27? W)
That airspace extending upward from 700 feet above the surface within a 6.8-mile radius of Raleigh County Memorial Airport; and within 2 miles each side of the 048° bearing from the airport extending from the 6.8-mile radius to 8.9 miles northeast of the airport; and within 2 miles each side of the 187° bearing from the airport extending from the 6.8-mile radius to 8.8 miles south of the airport.
Issued in Fort Worth, Texas, on April 15, 2025.
Wayne L. Eckenrode,
Acting Manager, Operations Support Group, ATO Central Service Center.
[FR Doc. 2025-06688 Filed 4-17-25; 8:45 am]
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