Pilot Courses of Instruction

Airspace & Related Information

Class, Visibility & Cloud Clearances, Bases & Upper Boundaries, Clearance, and Communications Requirements

Mode C

• >= 10,000 ft. QNH (excluding <= 2,500 ft. QFE)
• Within Class A
• Above/within Class B & C
• Within Class B 30-mile veil
• Within any "controlled" airspace if installed (any transponder, mode A or C)

Note:

Special Airspace: DC SFRA: See below.

Reference:

14 CFR 91.215.

Speed Limits

Oxygen

Part 91 Operations

Note:

Pressure altitudes, not MSL.

Reference:

14 CFR 91.211, et. seq.

Part 121 & Part 135 Operations

These parts are covered in 14 CFR 121.327, et. seq. and 14 CFR 135.89 & 135.157.

Detailed Oxygen requirements

(Excel workbook with two worksheets [navigate with tabs at bottom])

Hudson River Corridor/New York SFRA

• Operating rules now in 14 CFR 93, Subpart W
• Formally known as "New York Class B Airspace Hudson River and East River Exclusion Special Flight Rules Area"
• Two separate routings:
  1. The "Skyline Route"
     • Inside Class B Airspace
     • Obtain clearance prior to:
       • Verranzano Bridge, Northbound: 127.85 (Newark Tower)
       • Alpine Tower, Southbound: 126.05 (LaGuardia Tower)
  2. Hudson River Exclusion (VFR Corridor)
     • As of 19 November 2009, segmented into
       • local area (below 1,000 feet)
       • transient area (at or above 1,000 to to the floor of the overlying Class B airspace).
     • Airspeed not to exceed 140 knots IAS.
     • Anti-collision and position lights to be on; landing/taxi lights recommended
     • Self-announce on appropriate frequency at mandatory reporting points
       • Alpine Tower
       • George Washington Bridge
       • Intrepid
       • Goldman Sachs
       • Statue of Liberty
       • Verranzano Bridge
     • Right-hand passage north/south through the corridor.
     • Charts:
       • Required:
         • VFR Terminal Area Chart for N.Y. (a portion of the New York City Helicopter chart is on the back)
       • Strongly recommended:
         • New York City Helicopter Route Chart (especially if you wish to fly up the East River or around Manhattan Island by the East River or cross Manhattan towards FRG.)
       • Recommended:
         • N.Y. Sectional (for the area beyond the Terminal Area Chart; also, probably required for the circumstances of the flight to begin with).
     • Radio Frequencies:
       • Self Announce:
         • Hudson River: 123.05
         • East River: 123.075
       • Other Frequencies:
         • LaGuardia Tower: 126.05
         • Newark Tower: 127.85
         • New York Approach: 126.4
         • Emergency/Guard: 121.5 (is case, perish the thought, one is intercepted)

Before operating in the Hudson River Corridor (SFRA or Skyline Route)

• Read Part 93 and the requirements on the back of the Terminal Area Chart! (This link on the GPO website.)
• Take the optional New York City Special Flight Rules Area on-line course:
  • For optionsl training, see ALC-79: New York City Special Flight Rules Area (SFRA) on the FAA website.
• Review the Special Flight Rules Area (SFAR) (Skyline Route & Hudson River Exclusion)!
• Review the Special Flight Rules Area (SFAR) (below Class B airspace)!
• Review the Skyline Route handout (within Class B airspace)!
• Yankee Stadium TFR may be active:

  NOTAM: 3/1862

  Pursuant to 14 CFR Section 99.7, special security instructions, commencing one hour before the scheduled time of the event until one hour after the end of the event, all aircraft and parachute operations are prohibited at and below 3,000 ft. feet agl within a three nautical mile radius of any stadium having a seating capacity of 30,000 or more people in which a major league baseball, National Football League, NCAA Division One Football, or major motor speedway event is occurring.

  (See the N.Y. Yankees game schedule, and don't forget the Pinstripe Bowl).

  Let's all hope that this TFR is very active through the month of October, while there are no TFRs over Fenway Park.

Niagara Falls Part 93 Flight Restrictions

Flight restrictions exist in the area around Niagara Falls. There are two areas: one that amount to a non-flying zone (below 3,500 feet) and one that has specific flight operations procedures. There are two areas: one that amount to a non-flying zone (below 3,500 feet) and one that has specific flight operations procedures. . These areas are not exactly defined as a Special Flight Rules Area (SFRA) but are essentially the same, and -- with few exceptions -- all flights below 3,500 feet in the Flight Restrictions prohibited except for those made under an MOU with the Transport Canada.

The restricted airspace is defined as within a line from

1. The Whirlpool Rapids Bridge (the first bridge to the north of the Rainbow Bridge); then to
2. The Niagara River Inlet (the significant indent on the north shore of the river immediately east of the trumpet interchange on the Robert s Parkway, just east of Goat Island); then to
3. The International Control Dam (where it intersects with the international border); then
4. The United States/Canadian Border west and north to the Whirlpool Rapids Bridge. .

Generally, no flight is permitted below 3,500 feet MSL.

1. No flight is authorized below 3,500 feet MSL except for
   1. aircraft operations conducted directly to or from an airport/heliport within the area,
   2. aircraft operating on an ATC-approved IFR flight plan,
   3. aircraft operating the "Scenic Falls" route pursuant to approval of Transport Canada
2. The operations referenced in 1(c) above are commercial air tour operations approved by Transport Canada, which will be conducting a north/south orbit of the Niagara Falls area below 3,500 feet MSL over the Niagara River.

The minimum altitude for VFR flight over the Scenic Falls area is 3,500 feet MSL. The following procedures are mandatory for flights over the area:

1. Fly a clockwise pattern;
2. Do not proceed north of the Rainbow Bridge;
3. Prior to joining the pattern, broadcast flight intentions on frequency 122.05 Mhz, giving altitude and position, and monitor the frequency while in the pattern;
4. Use the Niagara Falls airport altimeter setting. Contact Niagara Falls Airport Traffic Control Tower to obtain the current altimeter setting, to facilitate the exchange of traffic advisories/restrictions, and to reduce the risk of midair collisions between aircraft operating in the vicinity of the Falls. If the Control Tower is closed, use the appropriate Automatic Terminal Information Service (ATIS) Frequency;
5. Do not exceed 130 knots;

Also be aware of the following:

1. Anticipate heavy congestion of VFR traffic at or above 3,500 feet MSL; and
2. Use caution to avoid high-speed civil and military aircraft transiting the area to or from Niagara Falls Airport.

One noteworthy point is that Part 93 does not describe the ceiling of the "Flight Restrictions Area" whose base is 3,500 feet. Clearly, transient flights at 10,000 feet should not have a limitation on them; however, is five thousand above the circuit? One might assume that most traffic would be right at 3,500, maybe up to 4,000, so then what? So what is the minimum altitude for VFR flight that simply crosses through this airspace? Goat Island is at about 550 feet, while both cities (U.S. & Canada) are between 550 and 650 feet; therefore, the lowest altitude at whcih the hemispheric rule applies is 4,500 feet; so, one might guess 4,500 on westerly headings and 5,500 on easterly headings, but be careful at 4,500.

References:

14 CFR 93, Subpart E, "Flight Restrictions in the Vicinity of Niagara Falls, New York," 93.71, et. seq..

Airport/Facility Directory: Special Notices (retrieved from "NE, 20 SEP 2012 to 15 NOV 2012" edition, page 373).

Canadian Airspace Restrictions

Transport Canada has instituted similar restrictions in Canadian airspace with a restricted area, CYR518, which similarly exists below 3,500 feet.

The only operations permitted below 3,500 feet in either the U.S. Part 93 Restricted Area or in Canadian Restricted Airspace CYR518 are sightseeing aircraft operating on the Canadian side of the river under an MOU with Transport Canada.

Reference:

Canada Flight Supplement, Niagara Falls VFR Terminal Procedures Chart

DC SFRA

ADS-B

Automatic dependent surveillance: broadcast (ADS-B) is a surveillance technology in which an aircraft determines its position via satellite navigation and periodically broadcasts it, enabling it to be tracked. The information can be received by air traffic control ground stations as a replacement for secondary surveillance radar, as no interrogation signal is needed from the ground. It can also be received by other aircraft to provide situational awareness and allow self-separation. This is basically an airborne collision avoidance system

ADS-B is

• "automatic" in that it requires no pilot or external input.
• "dependent" in that it depends on data from the aircraft's navigation system.
• "surveilance" in that it monitors the postion of the aircraft for use by other entities.
• "broadcast" in that it broadcasts the aircraft's position to other users.

The requirement for ADS-B "out" became effective on 1 January 2020 (that is, an ADS-B system that transmits data); there is no requirement for ADS-B "in" (that is, an ADS-B system that receives data). The FAA airspace requirements intentionally exclude some airspace that is frequently used by general aviation.

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