Updated October 2026
Class C airspace surrounds busy airports with a control tower and radar approach control. The standard shape is a 5-nautical-mile core from the surface to 4,000 feet above the airport, and a shelf out to 10 nautical miles that starts no lower than 1,200 feet above the ground. To enter it you need two-way radio contact with ATC, a Mode C transponder and ADS-B Out. No clearance is required.
Our local example sits right next door. Hollywood Burbank Airport (KBUR) is a Class C airport east of Van Nuys, and its shelf runs over the top of our home field. The FAA's own Van Nuys page describes our Class D as "underlying Burbank's Class C airspace". Students at Van Nuys meet the Burbank Class C early, usually as the reason the altimeter stops climbing at a particular number. The rules come first, then Burbank ring by ring with the real figures and frequencies.
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What Class C Airspace Is And Why Airports Get It
AIM 3-2-4 describes Class C as the airspace around airports that have an operating control tower and a radar approach control. They also handle enough IFR traffic or airline passengers to need it. It sits in the middle of the system. A Class D field has a tower but no radar approach control built into its airspace. A Class B airport, such as LAX, has so much traffic that every aircraft needs an explicit clearance. Class C is the step between: radar, a controller who knows who you are, and a simple entry rule.
The point of Class C is to get every airplane near a busy airport onto a radar screen and a frequency. Once you are talking to approach and they can see you, controllers sequence VFR arrivals to the main airport and separate IFR from VFR traffic. AIM 4-1-18 calls this Class C service. It does not separate one VFR airplane from another, so your eyes stay outside.
Class C airports in Southern California include Burbank, Santa Barbara, Bakersfield Meadows Field and Palm Springs, all on our list of cross-country destinations from Van Nuys.
Dimensions: The 5 And 10 NM Rings, 4,000 Feet, The Outer Area
The textbook Class C is two stacked cylinders, and the FAA's numbers are short:
| Part | Radius | Floor | Ceiling |
|---|---|---|---|
| Surface area (core) | 5 nautical miles | The surface | 4,000 feet above the airport, charted in MSL |
| Shelf area | 10 nautical miles | No lower than 1,200 feet above the ground | 4,000 feet above the airport, charted in MSL |
| Outer area | Normally 20 nautical miles | Not Class C airspace | Not charted; a procedural area for radar service |
Real Class C areas are tailored. Rings get cut where they meet another airport, floors rise over high terrain, and slices are removed where a Class B sits on top. On the sectional, Class C is drawn in solid magenta. Each segment shows its ceiling over its floor in hundreds of feet MSL, so "48 over 30" means Class C from 3,000 to 4,800 feet. SFC as the floor means the core reaches the ground.
The outer area catches students on the knowledge test. It is not Class C airspace and nothing is required there, but approach will provide service if you are talking to them. Inside the shelf and the core, the rules below apply.
Entry Requirements: Two-Way Radio Communication (And What "Standby" Means)
Under 14 CFR 91.130(c)(1), you must establish two-way radio communication with the ATC facility before you enter Class C. You keep it while you are inside. "Established" has a precise meaning, and AIM 3-2-4 spells it out: the controller has answered using your call sign.
- "Cessna 7030B, SoCal Approach, standby." Communication is established. You may enter.
- "Aircraft calling SoCal Approach, standby." No call sign, no communication. Stay out.
- "Cessna 7030B, remain outside Class Charlie airspace." Stay out until you are called back, even though the controller used your call sign.
That is the whole difference from Class B, where you need to hear the word "cleared". In Class C, your own call sign coming back to you is what opens the door.
Departures have their own rules in 91.130(c)(2). From the primary airport or a satellite airport with an operating tower, you talk to that tower and then follow ATC instructions while in the Class C. From a satellite airport without an operating tower, you call the approach facility as soon as practicable after takeoff.
No particular pilot certificate is required. AIM 3-2-4 lists "no specific certification required", which means a student pilot may fly solo into Class C with the normal solo endorsements and no separate airspace endorsement. Class B is the one that needs its own training and endorsement under 14 CFR 61.95.
Equipment: Mode C Transponder And ADS-B Out
Section 91.130(d) points to two other rules. Unless ATC authorizes otherwise, an aircraft in Class C needs the transponder equipment of 14 CFR 91.215 and the ADS-B Out equipment of 91.225.
Inside the Class C that means a transponder with Mode C altitude reporting, under 91.215(b)(1), and ADS-B Out, under 91.225(d)(1). The requirement does not stop at the ceiling. Above the Class C and within its lateral boundaries, the same equipment is required up to 10,000 feet MSL (91.215(b)(4) and 91.225(d)(3)). And you need a working two-way radio, because entry depends on it.
Around Van Nuys the question is mostly settled before you get near Burbank. The field sits inside the 30-nautical-mile Mode C veil around LAX, where a transponder and ADS-B Out are required from the surface to 10,000 feet anyway. Our guide to transponder codes and ADS-B covers 1200, discrete codes and what "ident" does.
Speed Limits In And Under Class C
14 CFR 91.117(b) sets 200 knots indicated as the limit at or below 2,500 feet above the surface within 4 nautical miles of the primary airport of a Class C or Class D area. ATC can authorize or require otherwise. Everywhere else below 10,000 feet MSL the limit is 250 knots under 91.117(a).
There is no special speed limit under a Class C shelf. The 200-knot rule for the airspace underneath a shelf, 91.117(c), applies to Class B only. That distinction shows up on written tests more often than it shows up in a Cessna 162, which cruises at 118 knots.
The Burbank Class C, Ring By Ring
The FAA restated Burbank's legal description in the Federal Register in September 2015. The name and coordinates were updated; the boundaries did not change. The FAA's airspace description calls it Bob Hope Airport; the Chart Supplement lists it as Hollywood Burbank, field elevation 778 feet, with runways 15/33 at 6,886 feet and 8/26 at 5,802 feet.
| Part | Altitudes | Lateral Limits | Exclusions |
|---|---|---|---|
| Core | Surface to 4,800 feet MSL | 5-mile radius of the airport | Below 3,000 feet MSL within 1.8 miles of Whiteman; below 3,500 feet MSL in a slice of the north-east core |
| Shelf | 3,000 to 4,800 feet MSL | 10-mile radius, from the 104-degree bearing clockwise to the 004-degree bearing | South of the Los Angeles Class B north boundary, and trimmed to 8 miles and 5 miles on the north-west and north sides |
Three things follow for a Van Nuys pilot. First, 4,800 feet MSL is 4,022 feet above Burbank's field, the standard 4,000-foot ceiling. Second, the shelf covers the west side of Burbank, which is where Van Nuys sits, and its floor is 3,000 feet MSL. The Van Nuys Class D stops at "up to but not including 3,000 feet MSL" for that reason: the two fit together like floors of a building. Third, the shelf does not cover the north-east quarter, so the Burbank Class C is not a full circle.
The rings are only half the picture. Burbank's runway 8 final comes in from the west, over the Valley. The Van Nuys Chart Supplement entry warns that aircraft on that final have received TCAS resolution advisories, and asks Van Nuys pilots to fly pattern altitudes and climb gradients exactly. The FAA's Van Nuys page adds that VNY tower is not talking to those aircraft. Climb above pattern altitude at Van Nuys and you can set off an airliner's collision-avoidance system.
Flying Past Burbank From Van Nuys: Frequencies And Procedures
The Burbank Chart Supplement entry says "Class C service, contact approach control". Approach here is SoCal Approach, and both the Van Nuys and Burbank entries in the current edition (29 October to 24 December 2026) split it into four sectors.
| Sector In The Chart Supplement | Frequency |
|---|---|
| South: between the BUR 150-degree and VNY 160-degree bearings | 124.6 |
| West: VNY 160 to 280 degrees | 134.2 |
| North: VNY 280 degrees to BUR 050 degrees | 120.4 |
| East: BUR 050 to 150 degrees | 135.05 |
| Burbank Tower | 118.7 |
The Chart Supplement is reissued every 56 days. Read the frequency for your route off the edition in force, not off this page.
Most local training never enters the Burbank Class C. Departures to the north-west for the Simi Valley practice area leave the Class D below 3,000 feet and head away from Burbank. When a flight does need to go east, the procedure we teach is simple:
- Before departure, decide where the boundary is on your route and at what altitude you will meet it.
- Call SoCal on the sector frequency well before the boundary, with call sign, position, altitude and request. Flight following is the usual request.
- Do not climb into the shelf or cross into the core until approach has answered with your call sign. If they say "standby" with your call sign, you may enter; without it, hold your altitude and stay out.
- Expect a discrete squawk and "radar contact". From then on, fly the altitudes and headings you are given and read them back.
The calls are written out word for word on our radio calls for student pilots page. We rehearse the first ones in the full-motion simulator, at $120 an hour inside a package, where a fumbled call costs nothing but a restart.
Class C Vs Class B Vs Class D
| Item | Class B | Class C | Class D |
|---|---|---|---|
| Local example | Los Angeles (LAX) | Burbank (KBUR) | Van Nuys (KVNY) |
| Typical top | About 10,000 feet MSL, in shelves | 4,000 feet above the airport | About 2,500 feet above the airport |
| Entry | Explicit clearance: "cleared into the Class Bravo" | Two-way radio contact | Two-way radio contact |
| Student pilot solo | Needs 61.95 training and endorsement | No airspace endorsement | No airspace endorsement |
| Transponder and ADS-B Out | Required | Required | Not required by Class D itself |
| VFR weather | 3 statute miles, clear of clouds | 3 statute miles; 500 below, 1,000 above, 2,000 horizontal | 3 statute miles; 500 below, 1,000 above, 2,000 horizontal |
| Chart symbol | Solid blue | Solid magenta | Dashed blue |
Next: Class B, using LAX, Class D, using Van Nuys, and Class E, which fills the gaps.
Related Reading
- Airspace classes explained: all six classes and the VFR minimums table.
- Class E airspace: the controlled airspace around and between the Class C rings.
- Transponder codes and ADS-B: the equipment Class C requires.
- Radio calls for student pilots: the SoCal Approach calls word for word.
- Los Angeles airspace guide: the Class B, the corridors and the routes around them.
Class C Airspace FAQ
What Are The Dimensions Of Class C Airspace?
The standard shape is a core with a 5-nautical-mile radius from the surface to 4,000 feet above the airport. Around it, a shelf reaches 10 nautical miles, from no lower than 1,200 feet above the ground to the same ceiling. A procedural outer area normally reaches 20 nautical miles but is not Class C airspace.
Do You Need A Clearance To Enter Class C Airspace?
No. 14 CFR 91.130 requires two-way radio communication established before entry. If the controller answers with your call sign, even followed by "standby", you may enter. If the reply has no call sign, or tells you to remain outside, you stay out.
Can A Student Pilot Fly Into Class C Airspace?
Yes. AIM 3-2-4 lists no specific certification for Class C, so a solo student with the normal solo endorsements may enter after establishing two-way communication. Only Class B needs a separate training endorsement under 14 CFR 61.95.
What Is The Speed Limit In Class C Airspace?
200 knots indicated at or below 2,500 feet above the surface within 4 nautical miles of the primary airport, under 14 CFR 91.117(b), and 250 knots elsewhere below 10,000 feet MSL. Unlike Class B, there is no special speed limit beneath a Class C shelf.
What Are The VFR Weather Minimums In Class C?
3 statute miles flight visibility and 500 feet below, 1,000 feet above and 2,000 feet horizontal from clouds, under 14 CFR 91.155. Inside the surface area you also need a 1,000-foot ceiling and 3 miles ground visibility to take off, land or enter the pattern under VFR.
Is Van Nuys Inside The Burbank Class C?
Van Nuys sits beneath it. The Van Nuys Class D runs up to but not including 3,000 feet MSL and excludes the Burbank core, and the Burbank shelf over Van Nuys runs from 3,000 to 4,800 feet MSL. A departure that climbs to 3,000 feet or higher near the field is entering Burbank's Class C.
What Frequency Do You Use For The Burbank Class C?
SoCal Approach, on the sector frequency for where you are. The Chart Supplement of 29 October 2026 lists 134.2 west of Van Nuys, 120.4 to the north, 124.6 to the south and 135.05 east of Burbank. Check the edition in force before you fly.
Hear SoCal Approach For Yourself
Class C makes sense the first time you hear a controller say your call sign back. On a 60-minute discovery flight for $229 you fly from the left seat at Van Nuys, under the Burbank shelf, with an instructor working the radio beside you. The two-hour beginner flying lesson is $349 in a Cessna 162 or Piper Warrior. Our private pilot course starts at $10,400 with a payment plan from $2,500 down, and you can book a free consultation to plan it.
Book A Discovery Flight — $229 Book A Free Consultation Call (818) 330-1318
