Tonight's class was about airspace. First, though, Kris Helms returned the tests we took last week. It was an interesting experience for me--the first time in 25 or 30 years that I had to sit among classmates while a teacher handed back graded tests. Even though there had been only one of two questions I'd been at all unsure about, I felt uncomfortable and found myself hoping I wouldn't feel like some kind of moron. My test had "100%" written in red ink on the first page, so I was okay. As I slipped it under my notebook, I noticed the guy sitting beside me look to see what my grade was. I didn't see his; but I did get the impression that at least a couple of the others were looking at their own tests to see which questions they'd missed.
I don't know whether or not it's essential to test students on their knowledge and understading--probably in a course like this it is--but I don't believe that the returning-papers ritual is useful.
Then it was on to the subject for the evening, getting straight on airspace, a very complicated subject because the rules are all interrelated, but seem arbitrary.
I'm going to paste in my most recent attempt at getting is straight (below) and later go back to add to the table I began last week in Lesson 8.
But first, here are a couple of those nifty little mnemonic devices that help to clarify things. Kris Helms said that a good way to remember some of the VFR requirements is to think of airplanes--so it's three 152's and three F111's, meaning three statute miles visibility, 1,000 feet above clouds, 500 feet below clouds, and 2,000 feet horizontally from clouds. And (in other situations which???) three miles visibility, 1,000, 1,000, and 1 mile horizontally.
Well, one other things he said is that the reason there's no class F airspace is that there isn't any in the U.S.A., but that some other countries have them. The F, he said, is for "fee."
Here's my latest try at airspace:
Class A
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Levels 18,000 - 60,000 MSL
VFR NoVFR allowed
Req. IFR, IFR flight plan, DME at 24,000+
Class B
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Radius 15 - 30 nm radius
Req 4 C's (commo, mode C, certificated, clearance)
VFR 3 sm visibility
clear of clouds
Speed 200 kts max underneath class B airspace and in VFR corridor through
class B airspace
Class C
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Radius 5, 10, 20 nm
Levels 1,200 and 4,000 AGL
Req. 3 C's (commo, mode C, certificated)
VFR 3 152's (3 m vis, 1,000 above, 500 below, 2,000 horizontal)
Speed 250 kts at or below 2,500 AGL
200 kts within 4 nm of primary airport
Class D
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Radius
Top 2,500 AGL
tower and weather observer, but no radar
(no tower=E)
(no weather observer=G)
VFR 3 152's
Speed 250 kts at or below 2,500 AGL
200 kts within 4 nm of primary airport
Class E
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Levels 14,500 - 17,999 AGL and 60,000+ AGL
1,200 AGL - 18,000 x 8 m wide (V airway)
SRF or 700 AGL (IAP)
VFR < 10,000 3 152's (3 sm, 1,000 above, 500 below, 2,000 horizontal)
> 10,000 5 111's (5 sm, 1,000, 1,000, 1 sm horizontal)
Req. 3 C's at and above 2,000 AGL
Class G
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Levels SRF - 14,500 AGL
< 1,200 AGL day 1 sm, clear of clouds
night 3 152
1,200 - 10,000 MSL day 1 152
night 3 152
> 10,000 MSL and > 1,200 AGL d & n 5 111 (1,000; 1,000;
1 sm horiz)