Welcome Guest. Sign in or Signup

1 Answers

Communication with tower

Asked by: 3685 views , ,
Airspace, Commercial Pilot, FAA Regulations, Flight Instructor, Instrument Rating, Private Pilot, Student Pilot

The AIM states that when we are  outside the Class B, Class C, and class D surface areas, it is not necessary to request permission to leave the tower frequency. What is the definition of the SURFACE areas (i.e. the inner ring only)? Is it the airspace extending from the ground to the top of the airspace or is it the complete volume of the airspace of an airport (e.i. inner and outer rings?

Ace Any FAA Written Test!
Actual FAA Questions / Free Lifetime Updates
The best explanations in the business
Fast, efficient study.
Pass Your Checkride With Confidence!
FAA Practical Test prep that reflects actual checkrides.
Any checkride: Airplane, Helicopter, Glider, etc.
Written and maintained by actual pilot examiners and master CFIs.
The World's Most Trusted eLogbook
Be Organized, Current, Professional, and Safe.
Highly customizable - for student pilots through pros.
Free Transition Service for users of other eLogs.
Our sincere thanks to pilots such as yourself who support AskACFI while helping themselves by using the awesome PC, Mac, iPhone/iPad, and Android aviation apps of our sponsors.

1 Answers



  1. Jim F. on Jul 16, 2013

    From the Pilot/Controller Glossary (I suggest you get one immediately if you don’t have one): “SURFACE AREA− The airspace contained by the lateral boundary of the Class B, C, D, or E airspace designated for an airport that begins at the surface and extends upward.”

    So yes, it’s only the inner ring. It’s the AREA of the airspace which touches the SURFACE. (I wonder how they came up with the name “surface area”??? lol)

    0 Votes Thumb up 0 Votes Thumb down 0 Votes


The following terms have been auto-detected the question above and any answers or discussion provided. Click on a term to see its definition from the Dauntless Aviation JargonBuster Glossary.

Answer Question

Our sincere thanks to all who contribute constructively to this forum in answering flight training questions. If you are a flight instructor or represent a flight school / FBO offering flight instruction, you are welcome to include links to your site and related contact information as it pertains to offering local flight instruction in a specific geographic area. Additionally, direct links to FAA and related official government sources of information are welcome. However we thank you for your understanding that links to other sites or text that may be construed as explicit or implicit advertising of other business, sites, or goods/services are not permitted even if such links nominally are relevant to the question asked.