Intro to Airspace

Airspace: a (literally and figuratively) layered and complex subject, and imperative to master for countless safety and legal reasons. It can be intimidating but fear not, every educational journey, aviation-related and otherwise, must start somewhere. Know going into this particular area that airspace is not a simple subject that can be thoroughly versed quickly, but will take a series of sessions and revisits to entirely master. Set your expectations accordingly and you are already ahead of the curve.

For pilots in all training phases, it is/was almost something of a rite of passage to become fluent in domestic airspace classification. The correct tools combined with  tried-and-true techniques can help the national airspace system become a subject that you feel proficient and confident in. This post will explore a spread of airspace highlights and provide a brief introduction to each of the six classes; it is by no means a comprehensive study substitute but rather one of several studying supplements to help flesh out your well-rounded, multidimensional knowledge library.

Class A - the "above" airspace
Uncharted airspace beginning at 18,000 MSL extending up to 60,000 MSL, only IFR flight exists here, and our fleet cannot operate at these altitudes. That is a topic for another post though, as the concept of pressurized aircraft opens yet one more can of worms!

Class B - the "busy" or "big" airspace - think your Heartsfields and La Guardias
The airspace classified as bravo is designed to make congested airports more accessible, as they will have multiple parallel runways and serve a high volume of commercial passengers. These airports are not suitable training environments; they generally involve a workload that would be inefficient for a training scenario at best, and at worst, would be an overwhelming/problematic workload in a training situation. Student pilots may only fly inside bravo airspace if they have received specific training and been endorsed accordingly by their CFI - you can read the nitty-gritty in 14 CFR §61.95, although there are a dozen airports which no student pilot can operate in regardless of what training they've received, listed in the table below.

Flying inside class bravo airspace will also, unsurprisingly, require specific equipment, since ATC will need to stay acutely aware of your position. While there is no shortcut or workaround for equipment rules, some bravo airspace will include areas called VFR corridors, which are exactly what they sound like - channels allowing VFR flight in sensible corridors to minimize the workload for ATC and successfully giving pilots more flexibility in these desirable areas.

Another important aspect of bravo airspace is the existence of speed limits once inside or approaching it. While our fleet cannot reach these airspeeds under normal conditions, it is important to know them anyway. You can find the details in 14 CFR §91.117, and these may be more relevant in future aircraft that you'll fly.

Below is the list of the "Dirty Dozen" class bravo airports where student pilots are prohibited, regardless of what endorsements they have.

Class C - the "caution" or "communication" airspace, such as Chattanooga and Raleigh-Durham

Charlie airspace exists around airports which aren't handling the volume of aircraft of a bravo, but still need radar approach assistance to keep traffic flowing smoothly. Your first experience in class C airspace will feel busy and rigid; be prepared by having your destination's frequencies available (and loaded in the standby for rapid toggling, if possible) ahead of time and quickly once in the destination's vicinity, and review the pertinent airport diagrams well in advance to know what to expect when it comes to frequency changes and taxi instructions. Reminder: you can always request a progressive taxi! A class charlie could even be a good time to plan on asking for one if you haven't before. It is also especially important to have your head on a swivel even more than usual for any traffic ATC may tell you to look for, on the ground or in the air.

Class D - the "directions" airspace... like PDK and RYY
Class delta airports are common and serve many purposes - they are not too big but not too small. They are just large enough to necessitate a control tower, and you'll find that not all control towers are created equally. We'll humbly brag once again that we are very fortunate to operate alongside such an exemplary tower. What you can do to make flying into and out of delta airspace more simple includes things that apply when approaching/departing any other class of controlled airspace: staying aware of your distance and orientation to/from the airfield, maintaining visual contact with other aircraft, clearly communicating with ATC, and being proactive in order to stay ahead of the aircraft.

Class E - the "everywhere else" - airfields like CVC, PUJ, and CNI
Class echo is the leftover controlled airspace that isn't any of the previous classes. Much of our flight training occurs in echo airspace, so it is important to feel comfortable knowing the specifics of this class, like the weather minimums and relevant altitudes/floors, and being able to identify the boundaries on a sectional chart.

Class G - the "ground" airspace

Lastly we have Class G airspace which is uncontrolled airspace. This is the "wild west" for too many pilots, but you can be a good example and operate as a model of safety in golf airspace by opting for a few diligent decisions: monitor the VHF guard frequency on 121.5. Additionally, taking advantage of flight following should be an easy choice - you have everything to gain from this free ATC service and nothing to lose. "Fingers" or frequency 123.45 also gives pilots a casual way to informally connect and communicate, tune in on your next flight.

Misc

AGL vs. MSL

Above Ground Level vs. Mean Sea Level - in and around the Atlanta vicinity, this difference is not disastrously extreme as our airfield elevation is approximately 1k ft., but in much more mountainous terrain and varying geography like Denver, CO or Asheville, NC, the conversion becomes more significant, consequently extrapolating the results of your calculations and planning possibly detrimentally. Make sure you are knowledgeable in this distinction and never hesitate to ask ATC if they said "two-niner-eight-four" or "two-niner-one-four" if it wasn't totally clear.

Class echo arrival surface extensions

In some cases, an airport vicinity is designed to be able to utilize different classes of airspace for certain dimensions and distances. The purpose being for an (usually delta) airport which has frequently-used instrument approaches to extend radar services beyond the immediate shelf during applicable operating hours, without imposing communication requirements on VFR pilots.

Special Use Airspace

Other notable kinds of airspace

This is an overview of the national airspace system. We suggest spending time studying the PHAK and AIM for more detailed information.

As with any grueling topic, one approach/aide to mastery is misleadingly simple: talk about it with a fellow student/pilot/peer. Quiz each other, discuss trouble areas, and look at the concept through a similar lens but fresh perspective. Learning the VFR visibility requirements for each class of airspace can be especially perplexing, but there are several memory and visual aids to facilitate retention. Similarly, make sure you feel confident identifying how each kind is depicted on a sectional chart.

Never hesitate to reach out to your instructor with any/all questions, they're there to help give you the clarity you need! After all, they have been in your shoes once upon a time, and will understand how overwhelming the seemingly infinity of ground knowledge can be. Have an area of aviation and/or ground knowledge you would like to read more about? Send us an email and we'll work on adding it to our blog!