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8 Answers

Airspace, When the tower closes

Asked by: 2448 views Airspace

The sectional chart clearly shows that the KPSP class D goes to E airspace when the tower closes. However, the Chart Supplement (AFD) shows it as reverting to class G.
Which is correct? and why the difference?  thanks! 

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8 Answers



  1. KDS on Mar 08, 2019

    I believe what you are looking at on the chart is this:

    See NOTAMSs/Supplement
    for Class D/E (sfc) eff hrs

    What that is saying is that the Class D and associated Class E have service hours.

    Then the supplement explains that it is Class G airspace during non-service hours.

    You did hit on and break the code for a point that stumps a lot of applicants. While looking at a chart, the examiner asks what does the Class D airspace become when the tower closes. The correct answer is that one has to look in the supplement for that information.

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  2. Mark Kolber on Mar 09, 2019

    The point here is that the sectional chart **does not** clearly show that the KPSP class D goes to E airspace when the tower closes. It clearly shows you need to look at the Chart Supplement.

    There are a number of logos and symbols which tell us to check beyond the sectional picture. We all need to be aware of them.

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  3. John D Collins on Mar 09, 2019

    Also, the chart is updated roughly every 6 months, while the supplement is every 56 days. Stuff can change in the Chart supplement long before it appears on the sectional.

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  4. KDS on Mar 09, 2019

    Well John, since we have your attention, let me ask you a question. In this text that is on the sectional:

    See NOTAMSs/Supplement
    for Class D/E (sfc) eff hrs

    WHY do they include the (sfc)?

    Every Class D goes to the surface. The associated Class E is not to the surface. So what is it telling us to put (sfc) in there?

    Thanks, KDS

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  5. Russ Roslewski on Mar 09, 2019

    The associated Class E DOES go to the surface. It’s the dashed magenta line. That, for example, surrounds the PSP VORTAC. The statement say that for the effective times of the SURFACE Class E, see the Chart Supplement. There is also standard 700′ Class E and 1200′ Class E, but this is not relevant and is not what’s being shown in the Supplement.

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  6. John D Collins on Mar 10, 2019

    KDS,

    Not sure of the relevance of the “Well John, since we have your attention” remark, as it seems a little snarky to me. But Russ answered most of your question. The legend shows that the magenta dashed line is used to for “Class E (sfc) Airspace”. If you look at the sectional, you will also see a gray outline of the area around the airport that includes the “Class D Airspace” and the “Class E (sfc) Airspace” which is the area used for “Terminal Radar Surface Area (TRSA)”. There are two “Class E (sfc) Airspace” areas that are attached to the “Class D Airspace”, one is the area surrounding the VOR and the other is the extension to the southeast. Both are there to require class E visibility and cloud separation requirements to the surface to support IFR approaches to the airport.

    So the note “See NOTAMs/Supplement for Class D/E (sfc) eff hrs” is simply using the legend descriptions for the relevant airspace and there is nothing special about the usage of the (sfc) as it is part of the standard description of this airspace type.

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  7. Mark Kolber on Mar 10, 2019

    I guess it’s not a surprise that a good number of student pilots fail private checkride orals on map reading.

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  8. KDS on Mar 10, 2019

    Thanks John and no, no, absolutely not intended to be snarky or anything close to it. You do a great job and I appreciate everything you write. If you read it as anything other than respectful, then it’s just a matter of my failure to clearly express myself.

    Thanks Russ. Yes, I should have picked that up but didn’t.

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