Does the US own airspace?


Does the US own airspace? The United States Government has exclusive sovereignty of airspace of the United States. A citizen of the United States has a public right of transit through the navigable airspace.


Does the FAA own all airspace?

Federal law provides that the United States government has exclusive sovereignty of airspace of the United States; the FAA makes the plans and policy for the use of the navigable airspace; and any citizen has a public right of transit through the navigable airspace.


How high up does US airspace go?

Generally, that airspace from 18,000 feet MSL up to and including FL 600, including the airspace overlying the waters within 12 nautical miles off the coast of the 48 contiguous States and Alaska; and designated international airspace beyond 12 nautical miles off the coast of the 48 contiguous States and Alaska within ...


Who controls international airspace?

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) of the United States provides air traffic control services over U.S. territory and over international waters where it has been delegated such authority by the International Civil Aviation Organization.


Is the US airspace the safest in the world?

The U.S. aviation system is the safest in the world, but one close call is one too many. The FAA and the aviation community are pursuing a goal of zero serious close calls, a commitment from the Safety Summit in March. The same approach virtually eliminated the risk of fatalities aboard U.S. commercial airlines.


How much airspace does the US control?

Every day, the Federal Aviation Administration provides air traffic service to more than 45,000 flights and 2.9 million airline passengers traveling across the more than 29 million square miles that make up the U.S. national airspace system ( NAS ).


Which airspace is not controlled?

It is that portion of the airspace that has not been designated as Control Area, Control Zone, Terminal Control Area or Transition Area. According to the airspace classes set by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), the uncontrolled classes of airspace are class F and G.


What is the most restricted airspace in the US?

It houses the president of the United States and his administration along with highly protected national intelligence. In fact, ever since the 9/11 terrorist attacks, the entire DC area is considered National Defense Airspace (NDA) and is the most restricted airspace in the country.


At what altitude does airspace end?

In the 1900s, Hungarian physicist Theodore von Kármán determined the boundary to be around 50 miles up, or roughly 80 kilometers above sea level. Today, though, the Kármán line is set at what NOAA calls “an imaginary boundary” that's 62 miles up, or roughly a hundred kilometers above sea level.