Vertical and geographic divisions of domestic airspace
Canadian Domestic Airspace (CDA) splits vertically (low vs high level) and geographically (NDA vs SDA). Airspace class (A-G, the VFR-entry ladder) is separate.
Vertical split of CDA (CAR 101.01):
| Level | Extent |
|---|---|
| Low level airspace | Below 18,000 ft ASL |
| High level airspace | At or above 18,000 ft ASL |
- Low-level controlled airspace: 2,200 ft AGL up to but not including 18,000 ft ASL (TC AIM RAC 2.7.1).
Geographic split (both delineated in the Designated Airspace Handbook (DAH), TC AIM GEN 5.1):
| Region | Extent |
|---|---|
| Southern Domestic Airspace (SDA) | Canada-US border north to NDA's southern limit |
| Northern Domestic Airspace (NDA) | North Pole south to SDA's northern limit |
- NDA runway headings given true, not magnetic (TC AIM RAC 2.2.1).
Flight information regions (FIRs) (TC AIM RAC 2.4): airspace of defined dimensions extending upward from the surface. Provides flight information and alerting service.
| FIR group | Count | Members |
|---|---|---|
| Domestic | 7 | Vancouver, Edmonton, Winnipeg, Toronto, Montreal, Moncton, Gander |
| High seas | 1 | Gander Oceanic |
Controlled vs uncontrolled airspace types (CAR 601.01(1)(a)-(o) controlled, CAR 601.01(2) uncontrolled):
| Airspace type | Controlled | Uncontrolled |
|---|---|---|
| Arctic, Northern and Southern Control Areas | Yes | - |
| High level airways | Yes | - |
| Low level airways | Yes | - |
| Terminal control areas | Yes | - |
| Military terminal control areas | Yes | - |
| Control area extensions | Yes | - |
| Transition areas | Yes | - |
| Control zones | Yes | - |
| High level airspace | Yes | Yes |
| Low level airspace | Yes | Yes |
| Fixed RNAV routes | Yes, CAR 601.01(1)(f) | Yes, CAR 601.01(2)(e) |
| Restricted airspace | Yes | Yes |
| Advisory airspace | Yes | Yes |
| Military operations areas | Yes | Yes |
| Danger areas | Yes | Yes |
| High and low level air routes | - | Yes |
Trap: vertical split is 18,000 ft ASL; geographic split is a border, not an altitude. Gander Oceanic is the high-seas FIR on top of the seven domestic FIRs, not one of them.
References
- CARs 101.01
- TC AIM GEN 5.1
- TC AIM RAC 2.2.1
- TC AIM RAC 2.7.1
- CARs 601.01
- TC AIM RAC 2.4