FAA Aeronautical Information Manual: Overview of Special Use Airspace Categories

The FAA Aeronautical Information Manual outlines seven Special Use Airspace categories, including Prohibited, Restricted, Warning, and Alert Areas, detailing charting, NOTAM and avoidance rules for each.

Original report
www.faa.gov

Industry impact

Airspace access for non-participating flights depends on how each Special Use Airspace type is published, charted or NOTAMed, making pre-flight checks a routing variable rather than a formality.

What happened

The FAA Aeronautical Information Manual sets out distinct rules for several categories of Special Use Airspace. Prohibited Areas bar aircraft flight entirely for national security or national welfare reasons and are published in the Federal Register and depicted on aeronautical charts. Restricted Areas limit flight, and temporary restricted areas are not charted, requiring pilots to consult the Federal NOTAM System NOTAM Search website, the FAA SUA website, or the appropriate ATC facility to determine effects along a route.

Warning Areas extend from three nautical miles off the U.S. coast and may cover domestic or international waters, warning nonparticipating pilots of potentially hazardous activity. Military Operations Areas designate airspace for military training and maneuvers, with temporary MOAs left uncharted. Alert Areas are charted to notify nonparticipating pilots of high volumes of pilot training or unusual aerial activity, and all operations within them must comply with federal regulations without waiver, with participating and transiting pilots sharing equal responsibility for collision avoidance.

Controlled Firing Areas contain activities considered hazardous to nonparticipating aircraft if conducted without controls; their activities are suspended immediately when spotter aircraft, radar, or ground lookouts indicate an aircraft may be approaching, and they are not charted because nonparticipating aircraft are not required to alter their flight paths. National Security Areas cover airspace established where increased security and safety of ground facilities is required; pilots are requested to voluntarily avoid flying through depicted NSAs, and flight may be temporarily prohibited under 14 CFR Section 99.7, with prohibitions issued by System Operations Security and disseminated via NOTAM.

Who this affects

• Business Charter Operators — Routes crossing Restricted Areas, Military Operations Areas or National Security Areas require a same-day NOTAM check since temporary status is not always charted.
• Charter Brokers — Clients booking routes near National Security Areas or Restricted Areas may face status changes that charts alone would not reveal.
• Air Traffic Management (ATM) Authorities — System Operations Security remains the sole issuer of temporary National Security Area flight prohibitions, disseminated only via NOTAM.