Question for the real pilots on the board.

[DiabloTX]

Got an email from one of my brother's with this question in it:

"I'm trying to find out what government agency is the official repository
and dispensary for controlled and regulated airspace in the USA.
(Controlled is what you find around airports.  Regulated is what you
find over the Grand Canyon and Camp David.)  "Look at a sectional" is
not a valid answer, either!"

Can anyone help a brothah out?

[Dux]

If your question is "who is responsible for them?" I don't think there is a single answer.*

If your question is "who defines them?" then the answer is FAA.

If your question is "who keeps track of and catalogues them all?" then the answer would be NOAA.


* ranges from DoD to National Wildlife to Department of the Interior, etc. etc. etc.

[Chairboy]

Interesting question.  I'd assume that the US government is the next step up, because the DoD and fish & game and whatnot have their own regulated airspace chunks, and I think they coordinate via the FAA.

I'm interesting in the real answer too, if anyone knows.

[AKIron]

I think it's the Illuminati.

[Sandman]

You might find some answers here:

Range Commanders Council
https://wsmrc2vger.wsmr.army.mil/rcc/index.htm

You could also try reading up on MRTFB.

What range are you specifically interested in?

[DiabloTX]

It's not for me, it's for my brother.  He's a competition glider pilot out of Phoenix, Arizona.

[Sandman]

Hmmm... he's concerned about the Yuma ranges?

[DiabloTX]

I have no idea.  He was directing the email to my other brother (his twin) who works at Sky Harbor airport in Phoenix.  I figure someone here might now the answer to his question.  I don't think he's asking about one particular area as much as what gov't agency is the repository
and dispensary for controlled and regulated airspace in the USA.

[Sandman]

I think he'll find that control of restricted areas is fairly localized. Control is not centralized at all.

For example... China Lake controls R2505, R2506, and R2524. Fort Irwin controls R2502, and Edwards AFB controls R2515 and R2508. Yuma MCAS controls R2301W.

Same goes for the MOAs and Warning Areas.

[DiabloTX]

Thanks, I'll let him know!

[Casca]

Originally posted by DiabloTX
Got an email from one of my brother's with this question in it:

"I'm trying to find out what government agency is the official repository
and dispensary for controlled and regulated airspace in the USA.
(Controlled is what you find around airports.  Regulated is what you
find over the Grand Canyon and Camp David.)  "Look at a sectional" is
not a valid answer, either!"

Can anyone help a brothah out?

For all practical purposes that would be the FAA.  The FAA doesn't own it all but is the clearing house for getting the information to the pilot.  What the FAA considers to be "controlled" airspace (Class E) is, for the most part, any airspace above 1200' AGL in most of the country dropping to 700' AGL in the vicinity of an airport with a published instrument approach.  There is also a special case, Class E to the Surface.  There are very few areas of uncontrolled airspace left.  I get the feeling what you are thinking of as "controlled airspace" would actually be Class A, B, C or D where you have to actually be talking to someone (or in the case of Class A or B actually have a clearance) in order to operate there.  There are various flavors of SUA (special use airspace) which includes MOAs (typically you can fly through), Restricted Areas (contact the controlling agency listed in the Sectional overleaf if VFR, you are automatically cleared through IFR if the Restricted area is on your cleared route), Prohibited Areas (Camp David, don't even ask), Victor Airways, Alert Areas,  ADIZ, DEWIZ etc.  The Grand Canyon is a special case and is governed by a Special Federal Aviation Regulation (SFAR 50)  found in the appendix to Part 91 General Operating and Flight Rules.

[DiabloTX]

Again, it's not me, it's my brother.  Thanks for the information, I'll pass it along to him!