What is the highest class of airspace?

Airspace at any altitude over FL600 (60,000 MSL) (the ceiling of Class A airspace) is designated Class E airspace. The U.S. does not use ICAO Class F. Class G (uncontrolled) airspace is mostly used for a small layer of airspace near the ground, but there are larger areas of Class G airspace in remote regions.



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Upper Class E airspace operations refer to those that take place over 60,000 feet above mean sea level (MSL) in the National Airspace System (NAS). Operations in upper Class E airspace have historically been limited due to the challenges faced by conventional fixed wing aircraft in reduced atmospheric density.

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In remote areas, Glass G may go up to (but not including) 14,500' MSL. In most places, G Airspace starts at the surface and goes up 700' AGL or 1200' AGL where Class E starts.

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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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(Instructor added note: FL 600 or Flight Level 600, means a flying altitude of 60,000 ft. MSL, for more details, check out this website .) Class B. Generally, airspace from the surface to 10,000 feet MSL surrounding the nation's busiest airports in terms of airport operations or passenger enplanements.

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Class G airspace will always start at the ground and go up to 14,500' msl as a maximum.

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All airspace above FL 600 is Class E airspace. Uncontrolled airspace or Class G airspace is the portion of the airspace that has not been designated as Class A, B, C, D, or E. It is therefore designated uncontrolled airspace. Class G airspace extends from the surface to the base of the overlying Class E 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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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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Jets are the primary user of Class A airspace. It ranges from 18,000 feet (Flight Level 180) to 60,000 feet (FL600). Altitudes 18,000 feet and above are called Flight Levels (FL). Class A airspace is not specifically charted on aeronautical charts.

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In the United States, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has the sole authority to regulate all navigable airspace exclusively determining the rules and requirements for its use.

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Unless otherwise authorized or required by ATC, no person may operate an aircraft at or below 2,500 feet above the surface within 4 nautical miles of the primary airport of a Class C airspace area at an indicated airspeed of more than 200 knots (230 mph).

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On a map, Class G's ceiling is the floor of Class E airspace. And, it's always exclusive. For example, if Class E starts at 700 feet AGL, Class G goes up to, but doesn't include, 700 feet AGL. Class G airspace is most easily found on a sectional map when a fading, thick blue line appears.

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It houses the president of the United States and his administration along with highly protected national intelligence. In fact, ever since the 9/11 terrorist attacks, the entire DC area is considered National Defense Airspace (NDA) and is the most restricted airspace in the country.

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In class E airspace, IFR aircraft are controlled by ATC. This might be a center facility (Air Route Traffic Control Center) or approach/departure facility. As a VFR aircraft, you aren't required to be in contact with ATC, but IFR aircraft must operate on an ATC clearance. That means the airspace is controlled.

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