Jordan Ilagan
Date of submission: 03 SEPT 2012
Discussion topic: Airports,Airspace, and traffic control
Airspace
Airspace is one of the most important facts you should know,understand, and follow by heart in the professional aviation field. How important do you think airspace is? Well it’s amazing when you’re observing airplanes flying in the sky looking from the ground. Most people don’t realize the preparations that happens before a flight. Checking weather,flight planning, and understanding the rules and regulations of you’re route of flight. Like I said, looks can be deceiving when admiring from earth. A pilot needs to know the highest mountain peak in the area of flight, the route in and out of departing and arriving of airports airspace. As a manager of an airline you have to understand how important airspace is, so that you can understand the importance of hiring good pilots. The first airspace I want to discuss is class A airspace or ALPHA. This airspace is very simple. It starts from FL180 MSL (flight level 18,000 feet mean sea level) and extends up to FL600 as its ceiling. The only aircrafts that can operate in this airspace are aircrafts under IFR. This airspace is as similar as a highway for cars, but a highway for airplanes flying at 500 plus knots. This airspace is generally used by only commercial airliners and other large turbine jets. The second airspace is class B airspace or BRAVO. This ones a little more complex and tricky then the rest of them, but i’ll make it easy to understand in a managers perspective. This particular airspace starts from the surface and extends up to 10,000 feet MSL. Most BRAVO airspace resemble an upside down wedding cake. Its shaped this way to accommodate for all published instrument procedures and sizes of aircraft, when an aircraft enters airspace. Ever pilot needs an Air Traffic Controller clearance to operator his/her aircraft in BRAVO. For VFR pilots cloud clearance needs to be, clear of clouds. All pilots should not request clearance if their weather minimums aren’t met. A mode C veil is required to operate in area. The third airspace is class C airspace or CHARLIE. This type of airspace starts from the surface of an airport and extends up to 4,000 feet MSL. This airspace is a little bit different from BRAVO airspace, it does not resemble an upside down wedding cake but is similar. The airspace usually consist of a 5 nautical mile radius core and extends to 4,000 feet above MSL of the airport. The secondary shell of this airspace is 10 nautical miles and extends from 1,200 feet up too 4,000 feet above MSL of the airport. Its a bit tricky too visualize but it’s easier seen drawing a picture out then trying to imagine it. The type of equipment needed to operate your aircraft in this area is a two-way radio and a transponder. The fourth airspace i’m about to discuss is class D airspace or DELTA. This airspace starts from surface and extends to 2,500 feet MSL. You need to be sure to check you’re sectional map and see how this airspace is tailored, because every airport is different. The only equipment needed to operate your aircraft in this specific airspace is a two-way radio. Contact with operating tower should be made entering and departing airspace. Unlike class B airspace, which provides VFR separation services, This specific one does not or at least not required to do so. The fifth type of airspace is class E or ECHO. This airspace is very basic to understand. Generally, it is class E airspace when the airspace is not the following, Class A, Class B, Class C, Class D, and is a controlled airspace. Their are no equipment requirements to operate you’re aircraft within this area and no procedures necessary to enter airspace. The only thing to remember when operating in this area is that except 18,000 feet MSL, the class E airspace has no defined vertical limit. Last but not least it’s class G or GOLF airspace. This ones is also very simple to remember as a pilot or manager. Class G airspace is an uncontrolled portion of airspace that has not been designated for class A, class B, class C, class D, and class E airspace. Their is one important thing to remember when flying in this area and its one of the only rules or at least the biggest rule. That is Altitudes in this area, If your magnetic course is 0° to 179° and your are flying below 18,000 feet MSL then you need to fly at an odd thousands MSL, for example 3000;5000;7000 feet etc. If your flying a magnetic course 180° to 359° and again flying below 18,000 feet, you need to fly your aircraft at even thousands MSL. For example 2000;4000;6000 feet etc. Understanding the rules of flying is not only for aviators, they also apply to managers too. Put yourself in the shoes of a manager hiring new pilots for there company that carries the most precious cargo on this planet, people. Being the manager in the interview you have too know the right questions to ask if you want to hire the bright and smart pilots. Pilots that know what they’re talking about by heart and not by thinking. You also want to hire a pilot that knows all of his or her regulations and understands airspace because it is so critical to know it by heart. So yes! in a managers perspective it is very important to know some pilot information in cases like this where you have too have some idea of what goes on in the cockpit.