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Learn To Fly Small Planes - Sport Pilot
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Palm Beach Flight Training at 561 963-8821 |
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Weather Conditions
What weather conditions can a Sport Pilot
fly in?
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Airspace |
Elevation |
Visibility |
Cloud
Proximity |
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Class A |
At or above 18,000 ft MSL
Sport Pilot not permitted |
NA |
NA |
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Class B |
All |
3 Statue Miles |
Clear of clouds |
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Class C |
All |
3 Statue Miles |
500 ft below,
1000 ft above
2000 Ft horz |
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Class D |
All |
3 Statue Miles |
500 ft below,
1000 ft above
2000 Ft horz |
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Class E |
At or above 10,000 ft MSL
Sport Pilot not premitted |
NA |
NA |
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Class E |
Less than 10,000 ft above MSL |
3 Statue Miles |
500 ft below,
1000 ft above
2000 Ft horz |
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Class G |
At or above 10,000 ft MSL
Sport Pilot not permitted |
NA |
NA |
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Class G |
Above 1200 ft less than 10,000 ft
above MSL |
3 Statue Miles |
500 ft below,
1000 ft above
2000 Ft horz |
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Class G |
At or below 1200 ft AGL |
3 Statue Miles |
Clear of clouds |
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| Uncontrolled Airspace |
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In the early days of aviation, all airspace was uncontrolled,
what we today call Class G airspace. Way back when, there
were few airplanes, and none had the instruments necessary
to fly in clouds. Even at the busiest of airports, traffic
density was very low, and the airplanes flew slowly. Although
there were no standards for weather conditions that aircraft
could fly in, it was generally agreed that if you remained
clear of clouds and had at least one-mile visibility, you
could see other airplanes and terrain in time to avoid a collision.
This was called see and avoid. It formed the basis for VFR
flight and remains critical to preventing collisions.
As the aviation population gained experience flying in marginal
weather, pilots learned that because vision faded at night
and at altitude, better weather conditions were necessary
to see and avoid other traffic. This is the reason why higher
weather minimums exist at night and at altitude.
Minimum cloud clearance limits and flight visibilities worked
well for a time, but the aviation industry was booming, and
things were about to change. Except when flying in clouds, the
pilot in command is responsible at all times for aircraft separation,
even when operating in a radar environment or on an IFR flight
plan.
Many pilots do not know that IFR flight without a clearance
is permitted in uncontrolled airspace, provided that the pilot
is instrument-rated and the aircraft is equipped for instrument
flight.
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| Controlled
Airspace |
With the advent of inexpensive gyroscopic flight instruments,
travel through the clouds became possible. See and avoid was
useless in the soup, so procedures to ensure aircraft separation
were needed. This led to the creation of air traffic control
(ATC) and controlled, or Class E, airspace. The government established
a system of airways, each eight-nautical miles wide with base
altitudes of 1,200 feet above ground level (agl), and designated
the airspace within them as controlled airspace.
The airway system was defined by a network of radio beacons,
many of which were located on airports. More stringent weather
minimums for VFR operations were established for this controlled
airspace to further separate air traffic. In poor weather conditions,
pilots and aircraft had to be qualified and equipped for IFR
flight, file IFR flight plans, and coordinate their positions
with ATC. When weather conditions were good, pilots could still
fly on IFR flight plans, if they chose, but were responsible
to see and avoid other aircraft.
Some parcels of airspace contained many airways, so in those
areas, controlled airspace was established at 1,200 feet agl
to coincide with the airways, whether on an airway or not. When
VOR airways arrived in the 1950s, they were (and still are)
known as “Victor” airways.
Figure 1 shows how the airspace looked in those days. Contrary
to what many pilots believe, controlled airspace does not mean
that all flight within it is controlled. It means that IFR services
are available to qualified pilots who choose to use them. Pilots
operating under VFR may fly freely in controlled airspace as
long as weather conditions meet current regulatory requirements
for that airspace.
Air travel continued to expand, and the mixture of fast transport-category
aircraft and general aviation aircraft around major airports
was thought to be a safety risk. The FAA hastened the development
of radar and ATC following a midair collision between a Lockheed
Constellation and a Douglas DC-6 over the Grand Canyon in the
1950s. Similarly, the FAA accelerated its plans for more stringent
traffic separation and expanded use of controlled airspace after
a midair collision between a Boeing 727 and a Cessna 172 in
San Diego in 1978.
Prohibited areas are established for security reasons or for
national welfare and are identified on aviation charts by a
defined area marked with the letter “P,” followed
by a number. Prohibited areas are permanently “ off limits”.
An example of a prohibited area is the White House or Camp David.
Although these areas are charted, it is imperative to check
notices to airmen (notams) before you fly. Some prohibited areas
such as P-40 (Camp David in Thurmont, MD) may change often.
A pilot flying “GPS-direct” from Frederick, MD to
Hagerstown, MD was intercepted by fighter aircraft after penetrating
P-40’s expanded prohibited area. Pilots must be prepared
to divert from normal flight operations to avoid prohibited
areas. Check notams, even for local flights. |
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For
more detailed information at the source you can read
Electronic
Code of Federal Regulations
Title 14 Aeronautics and Space
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