Canadian airspace

Canadian airspace is the region of airspace above the surface of the Earth that falls within a region roughly defined as either Canadian land mass, the Canadian Arctic or the Canadian archipelago, as well as areas of the high seas.[1] Airspace is managed by Transport Canada and detailed information regarding exact dimensions and classification is available in the Designated Airspace Handbook which is published every fifty-six days by Nav Canada.[2]

Canadian Domestic Airspace

The "Canadian Domestic Airspace" includes all of Canada and extends out over the Pacific, Arctic, and Atlantic Oceans. It is broadly divided into the "Northern Domestic Airspace" (NDA) and the "Southern Domestic Airspace" (SDA).

There are three main differences between the two areas, the most important of them being that the NDA is designated as a "standard pressure" region while the SDA is an "altimeter setting" region. This means that pilots operating in the SDA will calibrate their altimeters to atmospheric pressure according to information available at airports and through weather services. Conversely, in the NDA, pilots calibrate their altimeters to 29.92 inches of mercury (1013 hPa) regardless of the actual atmospheric pressure. This is done because weather information is not available for all areas of the far north, so it is better that all pilots use a standard setting in order to avoid collisions.

Another major difference between the NDA and SDA is that magnetic declination is not used in the NDA. Because the magnetic north pole is in the NDA, magnetic declinations are very large; sometimes even 180°. This is further complicated by the fact that magnetic north moves approximately 200 miles (320 km) in an elliptical path every day. For these reasons, "true" tracks are always used in the NDA while magnetic tracks are frequently used in the SDA for convenience.

The final difference between the NDA and the SDA has to do with the location of Class A airspace in each region. This is explained in more detail below.

Airspace classes

There are seven classes of airspace in Canada, each designated by a letter (A through G).

Airspace classes A through E are controlled. Class F can be controlled or uncontrolled. Class G is always uncontrolled.[3] Airspace is managed by Transport Canada and detailed information regarding exact dimensions and classification is available in the Designated Airspace Handbook which is published every fifty-six days by Nav Canada.[2]


type A- more than 6 aeroplanes, more the 20 passengers, maximum gross take off wight is 45,455kg or more, complex operation type B- 20 or more passenger, less than 45,455kg, 6 or less airplanes, not complex operations type C- Cargo only airplanes or operating airplanes, have passengers seating less than 20, 30 or less propeller driven

Other important features

Some control zones have unique procedures because of terrain or air traffic demands. These procedures are published in the Canada Flight Supplement. Another important feature of Canadian airspace is the Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ) that surrounds North America.

Saint Pierre and Miquelon

The Terminal Control Areas of the French islands of Saint Pierre and Miquelon are located within Canadian airspace. They are as follows:

References

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Tuesday, April 19, 2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.