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2 Answers

Special VFR. Lateral boundaries C/B.

Asked by: 816 views
Airspace, FAA Regulations

I was looking at 7110.65 under Special VFR and it says "Only within the lateral boundaries of Class B, Class C, Class D, or Class E surface areas, below 10,000
feet MSL." 

So, an airport under the charlie lateral boundaries where G starts at the ground up to 699AGL, then E from 700 to the base of the C, is not eligible to receive SVFR above 700AGL in E, even though it's within the lateral boundaries of C?

It seems like the FAA should have maybe written it as "Only below 10,000 MSL within the SURFACE AREAS WHITHIN the lateral boundaries of Class B, Class C, Class D, or Class E." 

There are several class E to the ground airports in the "middle of nowhere" (KAST, KSSI, KBQK, KMRJ etc) that are eligible for SVFR by Center, but an airport under the lateral boundaries of C/B in E aren't?    I wonder what the logic was.  All that Echo under and above Charlie lateral boundaries when the visibility is below 3SM should only have IFR traffic flying in it.

 So surface areas of B/C are only the middle core? or any layer within the B/C?

Thanks

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2 Answers



  1. Mark Kolber on Dec 20, 2023

    ATC’s 7110.65 just tracks the language of the regulation, 91.157, limiting SVFR to controlled surface area airports, where VFR is prohibited when the ceiling is below 1000’.

    I don’t know the history behind the reg, but if I were to make a semi-educated guess, I’d say its sole purpose was to allow takeoffs and landings within the confines of the surface area of an airport where ATC has the right to control operations down to the surface, and not a general grant of semi-IFR flight beyond that.

    If you’ll feel strongly about its limitations, suggest a regulatory change.

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  2. John D Collins on Dec 21, 2023

    Surface areas are where controlled airspace begins at the surface at an airport. So there is a controlling ATC facility that separates all IFR flights from each other. When VFR is not permitted, then only IFR aircraft can be in the controlled airspace, with the exception of special VFR traffic which must be on a clearance from ATC. You noted: “All that Echo under and above Charlie lateral boundaries when the visibility is below 3SM should only have IFR traffic flying in it.”, which is true, but for aircraft operating in class G airspace, they only need 1 mile and clear of clouds, so SVFR has the same visibility and cloud clearance requirements as VFR, so separation from VFR traffic within class G is not possible as ATC exercises no authority in class G.

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