Ground school lesson
US airspace, class by class
American airspace is a stack of shapes with letters. Learn the shape and the letter stops being alphabet soup.
What you will be able to do
- Name the six classes and say roughly where each one sits.
- Know which classes need radio contact or a clearance.
- Know which ones you need an endorsement for as a sport pilot.
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Step 1 of 3
The stack, in one picture
Busy airports sit under upside-down wedding cakes of controlled airspace. The busier the airport, the bigger the cake. Everything not inside one of those shapes, and below the general controlled airspace, is uncontrolled.
Bigger airport, bigger cake. Exact dimensions are on the chart, never assumed. -
Step 2 of 3
What each letter asks of you
Class Where What you need A 18,000 ft MSL and above IFR only. Not available to sport pilots. B Around the very busiest airports, typically to 10,000 ft MSL An explicit ATC clearance. You must hear "cleared into the Bravo". C Around busy airports, typically to about 4,000 ft above the field Two-way radio contact established before entry. D Around towered airports, typically to about 2,500 ft above the field Two-way radio contact established before entry. E Controlled airspace that is not A, B, C or D Nothing special for VFR, but weather minimums apply. G Uncontrolled, from the surface up to the base of E No clearance and no radio requirement. Weather minimums still apply. Those altitudes are the usual shape, not a rule you can fly by. The real floors and ceilings for any given airport are printed on the sectional chart.
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Step 3 of 3
The sport pilot endorsement
A sport pilot certificate does not by itself allow you into Class B, C or D airspace, or to an airport with a control tower. You need a logbook endorsement from an authorised instructor for that, given after training in the specific airspace.
In practice
- Most early gyroplane flying happens in Class G and E, away from the cakes, which is exactly where a slow aircraft is happiest.
- Getting the endorsement is normal and worth doing. It opens up the airports you would otherwise have to route around.
- Class A is closed to you regardless of endorsement, and at 18,000 ft it is well above where a gyroplane operates anyway.
Airspace is the part of the syllabus most worth going over with your instructor and a paper chart on the table. A diagram teaches the shape; the chart teaches your airport.
Check yourself
3 questions. Pick an answer to see whether it is right and why.
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Which class of airspace requires an explicit ATC clearance before you may enter?
Class B needs a clearance: you must actually hear that you are cleared in. Classes C and D need two-way radio contact established, which is a lower bar.
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Which airspace is uncontrolled?
Class G is uncontrolled airspace, running from the surface up to the base of the controlled airspace above it. Weather minimums still apply there.
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As a sport pilot, what do you need before operating at a towered airport?
Sport pilots need a specific instructor endorsement for Class B, C and D airspace and for airports with a control tower.
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FAA Aeronautical Information Manual and 14 CFR Part 91 (public domain). Actual airspace dimensions for any airport are on the current sectional chart.