Class B is the airspace around the busiest airports in the country. Los Angeles International (LAX) is one of them, and its Class B sits just south of our home field at Van Nuys. Our Los Angeles airspace guide covers the local routes. Every You Fly LA student learns to work around it, under it and, with a clearance, through it. That skill is built into private pilot training in Los Angeles with us, where the Standard package is $10,400.
What Class B Looks Like
Picture an upside-down wedding cake. The smallest layer starts at the surface around the main airport, and wider layers sit on top with higher floors. The LAX Class B tops out at 10,000 feet MSL. On a sectional chart its boundaries are solid blue lines, and each layer shows its ceiling over its floor in hundreds of feet.
What You Need To Enter Class B
- A clearance: You need to hear "cleared into the Class Bravo airspace." Two-way contact alone isn't enough.
- A pilot certificate or an endorsement: A private pilot certificate, or a student pilot certificate with the instructor endorsement required by 14 CFR 61.95.
- Equipment: A two-way radio, a Mode C transponder and ADS-B Out. The transponder and ADS-B requirements extend 30 nautical miles from the primary airport (the "Mode C veil").
LAX is one of the airports where student pilots can't take off or land at all, even with an endorsement, under 14 CFR 91.131 and Appendix D to Part 91.
Weather And Speed Rules
- VFR weather: 3 statute miles of visibility and clear of clouds.
- Speed: 250 knots below 10,000 feet. Under a Class B shelf or in a VFR corridor, the limit is 200 knots.
Flying Over LAX Without A Clearance: The Special Flight Rules Area
Los Angeles has a well-known way for VFR pilots to cross over LAX without a Class B clearance, the LAX Special Flight Rules Area. The rules are in 14 CFR 93.95:
- Fly VFR on the Santa Monica VOR 132° radial.
- Southeast bound at 3,500 feet MSL. Northwest bound at 4,500 feet MSL.
- Transponder on code 1201, and anti-collision and position lights on.
- No faster than 140 knots indicated.
- Carry a current Los Angeles Terminal Area Chart.
Pilots also self-announce on the published Special Flight Rules frequency. It's one of the best views in Southern California, straight down the LAX runways. You Fly LA students fly it with an instructor before trying it on their own. For the other classes, see Class D, Class A and all airspace classes.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can A Student Pilot Fly In Class B Airspace?
Yes, with specific training and a logbook endorsement under 14 CFR 61.95. Student pilots can't take off or land at LAX itself.
What Is The Mode C Veil?
The area within 30 nautical miles of a Class B airport where you need a Mode C transponder and ADS-B Out, even outside the Class B itself.
Do I Need A Clearance For The LAX Special Flight Rules Area?
No. You follow the rules in 14 CFR 93.95 instead.
