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Home › Course › Lesson 9: Airspace & Where to Fly
1. Welcome to the Hobby2. Safety & Rules3. Types of RC Planes4. Buyer’s Guide5. Simulators6. LiPo Batteries7. Your Transmitter8. Flying Skills9. Airspace & Where to Fly10. Weather11. Finding a Club12. Maintenance
Lesson 9 of 12

Airspace — Where You Can Fly

How I check a flying spot before I put an airplane in the air.

You Are Sharing the Sky

It is easy to look at a big empty field and think there cannot be an airspace problem. The trouble is that we cannot see the lines on an aviation chart from the ground, and full-scale aircraft can be lower than people expect.

Your RC airplane is part of the National Airspace System. The basic job is to know where you are flying, stay within the altitude you are allowed, keep the airplane in sight, and get out of the way of other aircraft.

The Two Situations Most Beginners Need to Understand

Class G

In uncontrolled Class G airspace, recreational flyers may fly at or below 400 feet above ground level without an airspace authorization. The other recreational rules still apply.

Controlled airspace

Class B, C, D, and surface Class E designated for an airport require prior FAA authorization. Recreational flyers normally request it through LAANC or DroneZone.

The old five-mile airport rule is not the current system. You cannot measure a circle around an airport and know the answer. Check the actual airspace.

What Happened to the B4UFLY App?

B4UFLY is still the FAA’s name for its recreational airspace-awareness service, but it is no longer one standalone FAA app. The FAA now lists approved companies that provide mobile and desktop tools.

See the FAA-approved B4UFLY services →

Use one before visiting a new location, and check again on the day you fly. Temporary Flight Restrictions and emergency activity can change an answer at a field you have used before.

Airspace Permission Is Not Property Permission

A map may show that the airspace is available, but that does not mean a park, school, or private property owner allows RC airplanes. You need both: legal use of the airspace and permission to operate from the ground.

A club field may have its own authorization, FRIA status, traffic pattern, or operating limits. Ask instead of assuming those details follow you to every field.

If you see or hear a full-scale aircraft, give way immediately. Do not wait to decide who technically has the right of way. Bring the model down or move it safely out of the area.

My Short Version

Check an FAA-approved service, read the warnings instead of stopping at a colored map, get authorization when it is required, and follow the rules of the flying site. If you are unsure, do not guess. The FAA recreational-flyer page is the place to verify the current rule.

Next Up

Lesson 10 covers the other thing that can turn a good field into a bad flying day: the weather.

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