Special use airspace, TFRs and military routes for drone pilots

Special use airspace marks places where unusual activity happens or where flight is limited for security. The test expects you to recognize each type on a sectional chart and know whether you may fly there.

The types

• Prohibited areas (P-): flight is not allowed, usually for national security. Examples include the airspace over the White House and Camp David.
• Restricted areas (R-): hazards that are often invisible, such as artillery firing or missile tests. Under 14 CFR 107.45 you need permission from the using or controlling agency to fly a drone inside one. Times and altitudes are listed in the chart margin.
• Warning areas (W-): similar hazards, but beginning 3 NM offshore over international or domestic waters.
• Military operations areas (MOAs): named, not numbered, and used to separate military training from IFR traffic. You may fly in a MOA, but watch for fast, low military aircraft.
• Alert areas (A-): high volumes of pilot training or unusual activity. Flight is allowed; everyone shares responsibility for avoiding collisions.
• Controlled firing areas: activity stops when an aircraft approaches. They are not charted.

Temporary flight restrictions

A TFR is issued by NOTAM to protect people or property from a hazard, to keep sightseers away from a disaster, to protect the President and other VIPs, or for space operations. Section 107.47 requires remote pilots to comply. Firefighting TFRs are especially important: a drone near a wildfire can ground water bombers. Check NOTAMs before every flight.

Military training routes

Military training routes are labeled IR (instrument) or VR (visual) and a number. A four-digit number means no segment is above 1,500 feet AGL; three or fewer digits means at least one segment is. Military jets on these routes fly fast and low, often above 250 knots, so treat any route near your site as active unless you know otherwise.

Wildlife areas and national security areas

Pilots are requested to stay above 2,000 feet AGL over wildlife refuges, national parks and wilderness areas. A drone cannot meet that, so the practical answer is to avoid disturbing wildlife and to check local rules. National security areas ask pilots to avoid them voluntarily, and flight there can be prohibited temporarily by NOTAM.