What's the best way to remember airspace?

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Giannid

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Gianni
I'm getting ready for my check ride this week and this airspace stuff is kind of confusing. Seems to me a,b and c are relatively easy. It's d, e and g that seem confusing. Anyone have a good way to remeber all of it without forgetting something important?
 
Truthfully, I know the regs and the airspaces and their restrictions around where I fly off memory, how that relates to the different "rules" for airspace dimensions, I long forgot. If I'm going out somewhere new or that I'm not familiar with, I dig it all out out of My Jeppesen book and get the sectionals out then write down what I will usually forget.

I know that's not helpful for your purpose of getting grilled by the examiner. I just did it the hard way and memorized the chart in the Jeppesen book. Also when I went in for my exam, I had stuff like that book marked in the FAR/AIM so instead of BSing the examiner, I could just fess up and say "Can't remember the exact dimensions for Class C but I know where to find it."
 
In my best John & Martha King voice...

G="Good" airspace- few rules! mostly in the "wild west"
E= is "Everywhere else" that's not the other airspaces
D="Dialog" air space- they have a control tower. They aren't "Big" ( B ) airports or "Crowded" (C) airports.
 
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Cap'n Jack said:
In my best John & Martha King voice...

G="Good" airspace- few rules! mostly in the "wild west"
E= is "Everywhere else" that's not the other airspaces
D="Dialog" air space- they have a control tower. They aren't "Big" (B) airports or "Crowded" (C) airports.
Click to expand...

A little bit different

A = Altitude. 18000 feet or above
B = Big. Big jets, big size, etc
C = Crowded (approach control, etc)
D = Dialog (Talk to the tower)
E = Everything Else (Anything not A, B, C or D)
G = Go for it! (Very few rules. Just go for it!)

Reviewing their videos before my checkride, so thought I would chime in.
 
A lot of my students find the visual reminders helpful.

airspace.jpg
 
Make up a set of flash cards. On each card, add in a factoid you need to know about that particular space (chart depiction, Day/Night VFR vis requirements, does it start on the ground, how high does it go, etc).

Flip through them as you find 10-15 minutes (*cough* throne room). Hand them to one of the kids and ask them to be the quiz master.


Add other cards to the deck from the other major PTS areas.
 
If you have Machado's book, check the end of the section on airspace for his "Triangle" depiction and memory device.
 
AggieMike88 said:
Make up a set of flash cards. On each card, add in a factoid you need to know about that particular space (chart depiction, Day/Night VFR vis requirements, does it start on the ground, how high does it go, etc).

Flip through them as you find 10-15 minutes (*cough* throne room). Hand them to one of the kids and ask them to be the quiz master.


Add other cards to the deck from the other major PTS areas.
Click to expand...

Good tip. ASI has created airspace flash cards that a lot of DPEs use on checkrides around here.
 
It's not really that hard. G = Ground, E = Everywhere. Start explaining it to yourself from the ground up. Pick random points on a sectional and ask yourself what airspace you would be in at various altitudes
 
Class B: 3 and clear. do what the man says.
Class C 3- 152s. That is 3 sm, 100 feet above, 500 feet below 2000 feet horizontal
Class D- 3 - 152.
Class E below 10,000, = 3 - 152s. Above 10K 5SM,1000, 1000, and 1 mile horizontal. or 5 111s

I don't ahve a good one for G. you just have to memorize that the basic clearance is still 3- 152s, which goes less when daytime and more above 10,000:

Day, 1 mile clear of clouds near surface (<1,200 feet above)
Night: 3 152s

Day > 1200 above surface but <10,000 - 1sm and 1- 152
Night 3 152s.

Above 1,200 above ground and >10,000: 5 152s.

These have been burned in for many many years.

Now that you've memorized it, how far away is that cloud over there there?
 
Meanee said:
A little bit different

A = Altitude. 18000 feet or above
B = Big. Big jets, big size, etc
C = Crowded (approach control, etc)
D = Dialog (Talk to the tower)
E = Everything Else (Anything not A, B, C or D)
G = Go for it! (Very few rules. Just go for it!)

Reviewing their videos before my checkride, so thought I would chime in.
Click to expand...
I just checked my old King tape...It's "Boeing Country" :rolleyes:
 
bbchien said:
Class B: 3 and clear. do what the man says.
Class C 3- 152s. That is 3 sm, 100 feet above, 500 feet below 2000 feet horizontal
Class D- 3 - 152.
Class E below 10,000, = 3 - 152s. Above 10K 5SM,1000, 1000, and 1 mile horizontal. or 5 111s

I don't ahve a good one for G. you just have to memorize that the basic clearance is still 3- 152s, which goes less when daytime and more above 10,000:

Day, 1 mile clear of clouds near surface (<1,200 feet above)
Night: 3 152s

Day > 1200 above surface but <10,000 - 1sm and 1- 152
Night 3 152s.

Above 1,200 above ground and >10,000: 5 152s.

These have been burned in for many many years.

Now that you've memorized it, how far away is that cloud over there there?
Click to expand...

I think you meant 1000 feet above:)
 
jesse said:
It's not really that hard. G = Ground, E = Everywhere. Start explaining it to yourself from the ground up. Pick random points on a sectional and ask yourself what airspace you would be in at various altitudes
Click to expand...

Related to this concept was what my DPE did. We got out the sectional and he drew a course line from an airport west of DFW, through the bravo, across some D space, on to a destination in east Texas. Then as we "flew" the line, he used the chart depictions to ask what space are we in, what is the floor and top, what are the VFR vis requirements, do we need to be talking to anyone, etc.

It was a good way of taking the knowledge info and applying to a practical situation.

The OP might consider adding this idea to his preparation quizzes.
 
AggieMike88 said:
Related to this concept was what my DPE did. We got out the sectional and he drew a course line from an airport west of DFW, through the bravo, across some D space, on to a destination in east Texas. Then as we "flew" the line, he used the chart depictions to ask what space are we in, what is the floor and top, what are the VFR vis requirements, do we need to be talking to anyone, etc.

It was a good way of taking the knowledge info and applying to a practical situation.

The OP might consider adding this idea to his preparation quizzes.
Click to expand...

Exactly how I conduct every flight review.
 
I'm sure someone will point out errors, but attached is what I put together to help study for the checkride oral.
 

Attachments

  • Air Space v2.doc
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3 miles / 500/1000/2000 applies most of the time. All you have to do is memorize the exceptions.
 
Meanee said:
A little bit different

A = Altitude. 18000 feet or above
B = Big. Big jets, big size, etc
C = Crowded (approach control, etc)
D = Dialog (Talk to the tower)
E = Everything Else (Anything not A, B, C or D)
G = Go for it! (Very few rules. Just go for it!)

Reviewing their videos before my checkride, so thought I would chime in.
Click to expand...
You're correct, of course.

I didn't go throught the whole thing since he only asked about a subset of them.
 
The Gold Seal Online Ground School has some good ways to memorize airspace. Check out Airports & Airspaces and VFR minimums here. Just have to register and some of the videos are free.
 
jesse said:
It's not really that hard. G = Ground, E = Everywhere. Start explaining it to yourself from the ground up. Pick random points on a sectional and ask yourself what airspace you would be in at various altitudes
Click to expand...

My private DPE used this on my checkride. He found a Class E airport under a ring of Charlotte's Class B airspace, and said "If you shot a rocket straight up from this airport, what airspace(s) would you be in, and at what altitudes?" It was a good exercise.
 
HPNPilot1200 said:
A lot of my students find the visual reminders helpful.

airspace.jpg
Click to expand...

If you are visual learning practice drawing the above image and do it several times until you can do it from memory.
Add visibility requirements and transponder requirements to the image portion of it. Dont' try to draw the legend.

Then describe it to someone while you draw it..

Brian
CFIIG/ASEL
 
GCA319 said:
I just checked my old King tape...It's "Boeing Country" :rolleyes:
Click to expand...
That's funny -- because don't the Boeing (and Airbus) drivers call it "Indian country"? Full of Cherokees, Navajos, Apaches, Lances and Arrows...
 
nddons said:
My private DPE used this on my checkride. He found a Class E airport under a ring of Charlotte's Class B airspace, and said "If you shot a rocket straight up from this airport, what airspace(s) would you be in, and at what altitudes?" It was a good exercise.
Click to expand...


I read that and thought, "I'd be in a FSDO's office airspace handing over my license. You cant go shooting rockets into class B airspace!"


Honestly though, that is a super exercise. It can be done by yourself or with a CFI. I'd recommend CFIs play that game once every flight.
 
This is the chart I use with written references added to help memorize...

001.jpg

Click on image to enlarge
 
nddons said:
My private DPE used this on my checkride. He found a Class E airport under a ring of Charlotte's Class B airspace, and said "If you shot a rocket straight up from this airport, what airspace(s) would you be in, and at what altitudes?" It was a good exercise.
Click to expand...

I wrote a fake IFR departure clearance for the Shuttle once. It started with, cleared to the top of Class Alpha airspace via Ballistic Trajectory Direct...
 
I learn & remember stuff like this by making a diagram and redrawing it over and over and over and over and over . . .

I review this stuff by pulling out mo old diagram, confim nothing has changed, then redrawing it over and over and over and over and over . . .

Repetition works wonders for me.
 
nddons said:
My private DPE used this on my checkride. He found a Class E airport under a ring of Charlotte's Class B airspace, and said "If you shot a rocket straight up from this airport, what airspace(s) would you be in, and at what altitudes?" It was a good exercise.
Click to expand...
Looks like a trick question to me.:rolleyes: It seems to me I'd still be in Class E airspace for the full time the rocket was flying.
 
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