Airspace
"Look, Up In The Sky..."
by Tom Buchanan, S&TA

(UPDATED MAY 2004 TO CHANGE REFERENCES TO THE USPA 2003 SIM TO THE 2004 SIM)

"Hey, what's that airplane doing over the Ranch!!!  Doesn't he know this is a drop zone and he can't fly here when we're jumping?"

Public Use Airspace: Occasionally we will look overhead and see an airplane above The Ranch, perhaps flying a bit too close to our friends as they deploy their parachutes.  Some jumpers have the impression that the airspace above a drop zone is restricted, or that other airplanes are not allowed to fly overhead without special approval and air traffic control (ATC) clearance.  Actually, much of the airspace above the United States is unrestricted and designated for public use.  In a few places there are some restrictions, but most of the national airspace remains available for use by us, the general public.  It's important for skydivers to understand the concept of public use airspace because our access to the sky is governed by this federal policy.

Airspace Overview: The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has established several kinds of restrictions and several levels of airspace to control busy traffic areas and protect the public.  It isn't important for skydivers to understand every detail about the national airspace system, but we should at least understand the level of control exercised above our drop zone, how other areas are protected, and how The Ranch fits into the national airspace picture.

All airspace above 18,000 feet is designated as "class A."  Flying in class A requires the approval of air traffic controllers and special proceedures.   The airspace around most major cities such as New York is designated as "class B."  Pilots flying in class B must be in direct communication with ATC and operating with ATC approval.  The New York class B airspace extends about 20 miles from each of the three major airports and only up to about 7,000 feet, so it doesn't cover very much area.  Some of the airspace above secondary city airports such as Albany is designated as "class C", and pilots must at least make contact with ATC before entering this airspace.  The Albany class C extends for just 10 miles from the city airport and up to only 4,300 feet.  Some smaller airports such as Stewart in Newburgh, or Dutchess in Poughkeepsie, are designated as "class D" airspace, but this protected area only extends about 5 miles from the airport and generally no higher than about 3,000 feet.  Air traffic controllers manage flights in class D airspace, but unlike controllers responsible for class A, B, or C, they may not have radar available to help them.  In fact, radar coverage may be very limited away from the nations major cities, especially at low altitudes.  The airspace outside of the busy airport/city zones is generally designated as class "E" or "G", depending on the level of expected traffic.

The sky over The Ranch is class E, meaning that airplanes can fly overhead without any guidance, communication, or direction from ATC as long as the weather is not too cloudy, or visibility isn't restricted.  In fact, an airplane flying above The Ranch doesn't even need to have a radio, and many, such as old bi-planes or gliders, don't have any communication devices at all.  When weather conditions deteriorate we are required to stop skydiving, and the traffic above The Ranch must be controlled by ATC.  Since we can only jump when conditions are VFR (Visual Flight Rules), and most pilots don't need to contact ATC when conditions are clear, it stands to reason that when we are jumping other airplanes can be overhead without talking to ATC, and without any restrictions.

Specific VFR cloud clearance and visibility standards for skydiving are listed in FAR 105.17.  These are the same standards that pilots use when determining if weather conditions require contact with ATC.  Part 105 is included in the USPA Skydivers Information Manual (SIM).  The 2004 SIM is available from the USPA store as a spiral bound book, or can be downloaded from www.uspa.org at no charge.  The Ranch skydiving school has a copy of the 2004 SIM that can be borrowed for use on the drop zone.  Part 105 is also available on the web at www.diverdriver.com/Regulations/regulations.htm .

Air Traffic Control: The airspace directly above The Ranch is handled by controllers at New York Approach (below 6,000 feet) and by Boston Center (above 6,000 feet).  All skydiving pilots are required to talk with ATC prior to allowing any jumping activity.  This requirement is clearly listed in FAR 105.13.   The specific requirements for communication will vary with each drop zone location, and are generally governed by either 105.13 or a formal letter of agreement between the drop zone and ATC.  Since skydivers above The Ranch fly through airspace managed by both NY and Boston, our pilots are required to talk with BOTH controlling agencies prior to allowing any jump activity.  Generally, this communication begins about two minutes prior to our exit.

Ideally, air traffic controllers will tell our pilots about other airplanes that might create a problem, but controllers don't always have time to alert us, and sometimes the other airplanes don't even show up on radar.  While it's great to have the extra eyes of ATC helping us out, it is really our job to make sure we don't cause a problem or conflict with another airplane.  This requirement is clearly spelled out in FAR Part 105.5 that makes skydivers and jump pilots responsible for preventing hazards to other airplanes, property, and people.  All skydivers should understand the responsibility for safety as listed in 105.5.

Okay, we now know that other airplanes can fly overhead without talking to ATC, and we should understand that ATC doesn't exercise direct control over most airplanes above The Ranch.  We should understand that ATC might not see all the local traffic on radar, and they might not even tell us about all the traffic they do see.   We should also understand that it is our responsibility to make sure we don't create a hazard to other air traffic.

Now let's examine the potential for conflict from the perspective of a pilot flying over The Ranch.  Pilots can fly using Visual Flight Rules (VFR) and VFR charts, Instrument Flight Rules (IFR) and IFR charts, or GPS systems and either visual or instrument charts.  Let's take a look at all three programs.

VFR: A pilot flying with a visual chart should have an FAA sectional (see figure 1).  Gardiner airport is depicted on a sectional as a small circle with an R (the R simply means private airport), and a tiny magenta parachute symbol.  The symbol is probably difficult for you to see on the computer screen (it's in the upper right corner), but it is even more difficult for a pilot to see when he is bouncing around in a small airplane.  If you look at the sectional you may also see three magenta airplanes to the west of The Ranch (left), with a G or H inside a diamond.  The G means glider, the H means hang glider.  If you look to the south (below The Ranch) you will see a round dashed line that designates the controlled class D airspace covering five miles around Stewart Airport.  There are a few more glider areas depicted to the west of Stewart.  The charted space between Stewart and The Ranch includes a circle with an X through it.  That is the big closed airport with the "V" runways that we use as a landmark.  That abandoned airport is designated as a National Wildlife Refuge and is marked as such on the sectional with tiny blue type, so pilots are encouraged not to fly over that area at low altitudes.   If you continue looking near The Ranch you will see a few other airports, some of them private (with an R), some public use.  If you look carefully, you may see a light blue line crossing directly above Gardiner in a left to right direction.   That's a navigational airway, sort of like an electronic highway in the sky used by pilots to navigate over long distances.

Now, imagine yourself sitting in the pilot seat of a small plane with a couple of passengers, bouncing around in the sky.  Think about all the hazards that must be avoided, including controlled airspace, other airports, gliders, hang gliders, a bird sanctuary, and a giant mountain ridge.  Unfortunately, our little airport with a magenta parachute symbol doesn't pop out as an especially dangerous area.

IFR: A pilot can choose to fly by using aircraft instruments and special instrument charts, even on a nice day.   A pilot planning to use only instruments will generally have an FAA enroute low altitude chart (see figure 2).  An enroute chart does not list surface features or VFR hazards such as gliders, hang gliders, or parachutes.  In fact, pilots using this chart won't even know there is an airport in Gardiner, and won't have any idea there is a parachute operation here.  The Ranch is located along a black line marked "V58-93," near the top of the chart segment, and is just to the left of a tiny triangle called "SPECL."  The black line is the same airway that is marked over The Ranch on a sectional chart in blue ink, and is used by pilots traveling in a generally east-west direction.  The small triangle is a checkpoint used by pilots as they begin an instrument approach to runway 26 at Orange County airport, and is located less than two miles from The Ranch.  When you see a large airplane or jet overhead flying roughly even with runway heading and above 4,000 feet there is a good chance he is flying on the airway and using this chart, but is probably not even aware he is over one of the busiest drop zones in the northeast.

GPS: Not all pilots carry sectional or enroute charts.   Some will navigate by global positioning systems (GPS) alone.  Most GPS receivers are programmed to display all public use airports, but The Ranch is a private airport and will generally not be included in the electronic database.  Most GPS receivers also neglect to display hazards such as gliders or parachutes.  So, it is quite possible for a pilot to fly overhead using a state of the art GPS unit and have no idea there is a drop zone nearby.

The Parachute Symbol: Now let's get back to the magenta parachute symbol on the VFR chart.  That symbol is not designed to scare pilots away or restrict their flight.  In fact, it's more like a common street sign that says "SLOW CHILDREN PLAYING."  The parachute symbol means that pilots are free to fly through the area but that they should be a bit more vigilant than usual.  A pilot is welcome to fly directly over a drop zone, but the symbol tells him he should be paying attention and looking for parachute hazards as he speeds by.

Another significant problem with the parachute symbol is that it is used to represent tiny Cessna drop zones with just a few hundred jumps each year, as well as huge drop zones that are responsible for tens of thousands of annual skydives.  To a pilot, both levels of activity are represented by the same magenta parachute symbol.  The chart doesn't offer a transient pilot any way to determine that The Ranch is responsible for roughly 50,000 jumps each year, and represents a much more significant threat than a tiny military drop zone like West Point, depicted with the same symbol at the lower right of Figure 1.

Pilot Warnings: You may have heard mention of a Notice To Airmen (NOTAM) as an alert about skydivers that is sometimes given to pilots.  A NOTAM is just a basic caution that parachute activity is taking place at a specific place and time.  Generally, skydivers will file a NOTAM with the FAA when planning a demonstration jump someplace other than at a drop zone.  That NOTAM will be passed along to pilots if they ask for an official weather briefing from the FAA, but many pilots don't bother with those technical weather briefings.  A NOTAM that covers a longer period of time than just a few days will be filed away and only delivered to pilots if they specifically ask about it.  A regular drop zone such as The Ranch has an annual notice on file with the FAA, and pilots are expected to know about the jump activity based on the magenta parachute symbol published on VFR charts.  A charted drop zone such as The Ranch isn't mentioned to pilots, even if they get an official weather briefing and ask about skydiving operations.  The basic rules governing NOTAMs for skydiving operations and the notices we are required to provide are listed in FAR 105.15, 105.21, and 105.25, and are included in the 2003 SIM.

There is one other official place that a pilot can find out about drop zone activity, called The Airport Facility Directory (AFD).  This is a small handbook published by the FAA with a textual description of every public use airport within a given region.   The Ranch is located in the edition covering 13 states in the Northeast region.   Unfortunately, drop zones are grouped together and buried in the back of the book, roughly on pages 337-340.  The Ranch listing is included with about 25 other drop zones in New York, and simply says that jumping takes place within 4 miles of a point that is 15 miles from the Kingston navigation aid, at and below 14,000, feet from sunrise to sunset.  Most pilots are initially exposed to the AFD when they take flying lessons, but very few pilots ever consult the book again.  If a pilot does look at the AFD he will need to figure out what drop zones are relevant to his flight, then try to plot them on one of the charts.  It's a cumbersome process that very few experienced pilots ever bother with.

In Review:

	Skydivers and jump pilots are responsible for collision avoidance as dictated by FAR 105.5.
	The airspace above The Ranch is generally available for public use without restriction.
	Air Traffic Controllers may mention traffic conflicts to our pilots, but controllers may not actually see troublesome airplanes, or may be too busy to pass a warning along.
	Pilots flying with VFR charts may not see the parachute symbol printed above The Ranch, or may be so busy avoiding other local hazards that they don't bother detouring around the drop zone.
	Pilots flying with IFR charts or GPS systems may not have any idea a drop zone is nearby.
	Pilots that see the magenta parachute symbol on a sectional chart will not know what the actual activity level is, or when the DZ is active.
	Even if a pilot knows there is a drop zone nearby; he is under no obligation to avoid our airspace.

Additional thoughts about traffic avoidance and how to spot airplanes before you jump can be found at: Article 1 - Checking for Traffic