R-4101 near HYA

matt152

Well-Known Member
Was in the HYA area today on an IFR flight plan. Our clearance took us through R-4101. I checked the enroute chart and it shows the altitude for this airspace as "TO 9000." I assumed this meant from the ground to 9000.

When I questioned Cape about it, he said that airspace was not a factor because we were at 4000.

So what does the "TO 9000" mean? Is 9000 the floor? What's the ceiling?
 
Was in the HYA area today on an IFR flight plan. Our clearance took us through R-4101. I checked the enroute chart and it shows the altitude for this airspace as "TO 9000." I assumed this meant from the ground to 9000.

When I questioned Cape about it, he said that airspace was not a factor because we were at 4000.

So what does the "TO 9000" mean? Is 9000 the floor? What's the ceiling?

It goes from 0 AGL to 9000 MSL. The controlling agency can allow you to pass through it, but if they made the comment like "not a factor since you are at 4000" would result in another query from me to keep the F-16s off my ass.
 
ATC has a lot more specific information about the airspace than do us pilots. If you're IFR, it's ATC's job to issue clearances that keep you out of any airspace through which they are not authorized to take you.
 
If you are IFR, its the controllers job to keep you out of the airspace. If he didnt re-route you around it you are fine, it was either cold or he coordinated it. Even when VFR if the controlling agency (usually the controller) says its cold, you can punch through it.
 
As far as I know, while our charts show one altitude block for the special use airspace, they can be divided up internally into different chunks, e.g. R-4101 said TO 9000, it might have an internal segment of ground up to 5000, then 5001 to 9000. (I'm not exactly familiar with that area by the way, so the altitudes could be off...)
 
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