The FAA today issued a final rule making changes to the Memphis, Tennessee, Class B airspace. The changes incorporate an AOPA recommendation that the airspace be centered on the Memphis Vortac to make it easier for pilots to locate the airspace boundaries.
In early fact-finding meetings regarding possible changes to the airspace, AOPA expressed concern that in the original proposal, "the Memphis airspace is centered on a point in space, leaving many non-GPS-equipped VFR aircraft with no radial and distance bearing information for circumnavigating the airspace." The FAA fixed that in the final rule. AOPA noted that the FAA's action in Memphis indicates that it is willing to accommodate the diversity of navigation equipment used by general aviation.
Other changes to the Class B airspace include a slight expansion of the lateral dimensions of existing areas A, B, and C airspace. In addition, the floor has been lowered from 5,000 feet to 4,000 feet msl in a portion of the existing area D. These modifications have been made to accommodate simultaneous parallel ILS approach procedures and simultaneous intersecting runway operations. Final changes go into effect on October 3, 2002.
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