What does Class A airspace start at?

Class A airspace generally begins from 18,000 feet mean sea level up to and including 60,000 feet. Operations in Class A are generally conducted under Instrument Flight Rules and primarily used by higher performance aircraft, airline and cargo operators, etc.



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Class A airspace begins at 18,000 feet above sea level known as mean sea level, or msl, and goes up to 60,000 feet msl. This airspace covers both the 48 contiguous states and Alaska and extends offshore 12 nautical miles.

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The upper limit of the airspace should not exceed 10,000 feet MSL. However, high airport field elevation, adjacent high terrain, or operational factors may warrant a ceiling above 10,000 feet MSL.

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FL180 is the altitude at or above which, in North America, all aircraft altimeters should be set at 29.92, and below which they should be set to the current barometric pressure of the nearest reporting station.

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Recall that the thick and fuzzy magenta circle or set of lines indicate Class E airspace starting at 700 ft. AGL. Everywhere else, meaning anytime you're outside of the thick and fuzzy magenta circle or set of lines, or nothing is being indicated on the sectional chart, Class E airspace starts at 1,200 ft.

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There's one more thing to keep in mind when you're operating in Class B airspace: in general, you need to be at least a private pilot to enter the airspace. Student, sport and recreational pilots can enter specific Class B airspaces, but only after they receive training and an endorsement from an instructor.

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There are two categories of airspace or airspace areas: Regulatory (Class A, B, C, D, and E airspace areas, restricted and prohibited areas). Nonregulatory (military operations areas [MOA], warning areas, alert areas, controlled firing areas [CFA], and national security areas [NSA]).

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In the 1900s, Hungarian physicist Theodore von Kármán determined the boundary to be around 50 miles up, or roughly 80 kilometers above sea level. Today, though, the Kármán line is set at what NOAA calls “an imaginary boundary” that's 62 miles up, or roughly a hundred kilometers above sea level.

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You should advise ATC before any altitude change when operating VFR-on-top. This ensures ATC can provide accurate traffic information and separation. VFR-on-top is not permitted in Class A airspace.

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In short, the real purpose of Class F is to allow flights to remain IFR in uncontrolled environments. Since this is a sort of mix between Class E and Class G airspace, there is no Class F inside the United States.

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For the purpose of clarification: Class A airspace is more restrictive than Class B, Class C, Class D, Class E, or Class G airspace. Class B airspace is more restrictive than Class C, Class D, Class E, or Class G airspace.

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