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In United States aviation, a special flight rules area (SFRA) is a region in which the normal regulations of flight do not apply in whole or in part, especially regulations concerning
airspace Airspace is the portion of the atmosphere controlled by a country above its territory, including its territorial waters or, more generally, any specific three-dimensional portion of the atmosphere. It is not the same as aerospace, which is the ...
classification, altitude, course, and speed restrictions, and the like.


Washington, DC Special Flight Rules Area

Following the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, the airspace around Washington DC underwent a number of changes designed to restrict flying around the city. In 2003, a temporary flight rules area was created and was named the Washington DC Air Defense Identification Zone. In 2008 the temporary status of the ADIZ was removed and the rule was made permanent. In order to fly within the DC SFRA, pilots of
general aviation General aviation (GA) is defined by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) as all civil aviation aircraft operations with the exception of commercial air transport or aerial work, which is defined as specialized aviation services ...
aircraft are required to file a special flight rules flight plan, obtain a discrete transponder code, and remain in contact with air traffic control at all times. Special training is required in order to fly within 60 nm of the Washington DC ( KDCA)
VOR VOR or vor may refer to: Organizations * Vale of Rheidol Railway in Wales * Voice of Russia, a radio broadcaster * Volvo Ocean Race, a yacht race Science, technology and medicine * VHF omnidirectional range, a radio navigation aid used in a ...
.


Los Angeles Special Flight Rules Area

Long established in the
Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...
basin is the Los Angeles SFRA.
Los Angeles International Airport Los Angeles International Airport , commonly referred to as LAX (with each letter pronounced individually), is the primary international airport serving Los Angeles, California and its surrounding metropolitan area. LAX is located in the W ...
is surrounded by extensive Class B airspace, which is difficult for VFR traffic to navigate. In particular, the airport has four large runways running east/west that have airspace protection from 10,000 feet (3050 metres) down to the surface that is 25 statute miles wide (40 kilometres). This large swath of Class B airspace bisects Los Angeles and makes flights between the airports north of LAX and south of LAX require
air traffic control Air traffic control (ATC) is a service provided by ground-based air traffic controllers who direct aircraft on the ground and through a given section of controlled airspace, and can provide advisory services to aircraft in non-controlled airs ...
to route these flights. To alleviate this load on ATC, the SFRA over LAX defines two exceptions to the Class B airspace to allow VFR aircraft to transit without control from ATC. There are two routes, one for southeast-bound traffic and one for northwest-bound traffic. Both follow the 132° radial of the Santa Monica VOR between the
Santa Monica Airport Santa Monica Airport (Santa Monica Municipal Airport) is a general aviation airport largely in Santa Monica, California, United States. The airport is about from the Pacific Ocean (Santa Monica Bay) and north of Los Angeles International Air ...
and the intersection of Interstate 405 and
Imperial Highway The Imperial Highway is a west-east thoroughfare in the counties of Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Diego, and Imperial in California. The main portion of the existing route begins at Vista Del Mar in Los Angeles near the Los Angeles Inter ...
. Southeast-bound traffic flies at 3,500 feet (1050 metres). Northwest-bound traffic flies at 4,500 feet (1350 metres). Despite being in the Class B airspace, aircraft following the rules of this corridor need not communicate with ATC. The rules are fairly simple: Turn on all practical lights, day or night.
Squawk Squawk may refer to: * Bird vocalization * Squawk (sound), a sound produced by patients with various lung disorders * ''Squawk'' (album), hard rock band Budgie's second album, released in 1972 * Squawk code (more formally transponder code), a f ...
1201. Do not exceed 140 knots
IAS IAS may refer to: Science * Institute for Advanced Study, in Princeton, New Jersey, United States * Image Analysis & Stereology, the official journal of the International Society for Stereology & Image Analysis. * Iowa Archeological Society, Uni ...
. Monitor and self-report on 128.55 MHz. Have a copy of the Los Angeles TAC in the aircraft. No jets.


Hudson River Special Flight Rules Area

On November 19, 2009, the FAA effected an SFRA in the New York City Class B airspace, motivated largely by the mid-air collision of a private general aviation aircraft and a sightseeing helicopter ride along the Hudson River VFR corridor in the summer of 2009. The
Hudson River The Hudson River is a river that flows from north to south primarily through eastern New York. It originates in the Adirondack Mountains of Upstate New York and flows southward through the Hudson Valley to the New York Harbor between N ...
Class B exclusion area is formed from the airspace above the Hudson River between the Alpine Tower and the
Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge The Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge ( ) is a suspension bridge connecting the New York City boroughs of Staten Island and Brooklyn. It spans the Narrows, a body of water linking the relatively enclosed New York Harbor with Lower New York Bay and th ...
. It is bounded by the banks of the Hudson river and runs from the surface of the river up to 1,300 feet (320 metres). Aircraft fly along the right-hand bank to separate northbound and southbound traffic. Aircraft transiting the entire corridor fly between 1,000' (350 metres) and 1,300' (400 metres). Aircraft performing local operations (mostly landing and taking off) inside the area fly under 1,000' (350 metres). Aircraft need not communicate with ATC, but they must make certain mandatory self-reports at certain charted points. In addition, there is a further Class B exclusion area over the
East River The East River is a saltwater tidal estuary in New York City. The waterway, which is actually not a river despite its name, connects Upper New York Bay on its south end to Long Island Sound on its north end. It separates the borough of Queens ...
between the Hudson river and just past the
Queensboro Bridge The Queensboro Bridge, officially named the Ed Koch Queensboro Bridge, is a cantilever bridge over the East River in New York City. Completed in 1909, it connects the neighborhood of Long Island City in the borough of Queens with the Upper East ...
. This length cannot be transited, as the Queensboro end of the corridor ends inside the Class B airspace. Additionally, aircraft not landing or taking off inside the East river exclusion must be in contact with ATC.


Other Examples

Other examples of SFRAs include: *
Grand Canyon The Grand Canyon (, yuf-x-yav, Wi:kaʼi:la, , Southern Paiute language: Paxa’uipi, ) is a steep-sided canyon carved by the Colorado River in Arizona, United States. The Grand Canyon is long, up to wide and attains a depth of over a m ...
*
Ketchikan, Alaska Ketchikan ( ; tli, Kichx̱áan) is a city in and the borough seat of the Ketchikan Gateway Borough of Alaska. It is the state's southeasternmost major settlement. Downtown Ketchikan is a National Historic District. With a population at the 202 ...
*
Valparaiso, Florida Valparaiso is a city in Okaloosa County, Florida, Okaloosa County, Florida, United States. As of the United States Census, 2010, 2010 census, the city population was 5,036. According to the U.S. Census Bureau's 2018 estimates, the city had a popul ...
(community of
Eglin Air Force Base Eglin Air Force Base is a United States Air Force (USAF) base in the western Florida Panhandle, located about southwest of Valparaiso in Okaloosa County. The host unit at Eglin is the 96th Test Wing (formerly the 96th Air Base Wing). The ...
) * Within the
Class C airspace The world's navigable airspace is divided into three-dimensional segments, each of which is assigned to a specific class. Most nations adhere to the classification specified by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and described be ...
of
Anchorage International Airport Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport is a major airport in the U.S. state of Alaska, located southwest of downtown Anchorage. The airport is named for Ted Stevens, a U.S. senator from Alaska in office from 1968 to 2009. It is include ...
and
Elmendorf AFB Elmendorf Air Force Base is a United States Air Force (USAF) facility in Anchorage, Alaska. Originally known as Elmendorf Field, it became Elmendorf Air Force Base after World War II. It is the home of the Headquarters, Alaskan Air Command (AL ...
*
Luke AFB Luke Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base in Maricopa County, Arizona, United States., effective 20 December 2007 It is located west of the central business district of Glendale, and west of Phoenix. Luke AFB is a major training ...
https://www.federalregister.gov/citation/74-FR-69278


References

{{Reflist Air traffic control