Since 9/11 there has been increasing pressure by the FAA to end unauthorized entries into the airspace designated by them as CONTROLLED. This includes Class A, B, C, D, TFR's (Temporary Flight Restriction areas) and others.
Almost daily we read of another pilot whose license has been suspended and who is facing a serious fine for entering one of these Controlled airspaces without proper clearance.
Colorado Springs Airport is surrounded by Class C airspace, which may not be entered without first establishing two way radio contact with them. If Meadow Lake Airport were under the Class C area our operations would be difficult if not impossible. Fortunately, when their Class C was established the FAA agreed to cut out a notch in the Northeast corner to accommodate our training activities as well as ease certain other problems for the power traffic.
The downside of this is that the boundary of the Class C area is only a couple miles away on the West and on the South. It is close enough that if we get only a little careless we can quickly find ourselves crossing the boundary and for that the PENALTY CAN BE EXTREMELY SERIOUS, both for the pilot involved and for the future operations of our club.
Our flight loggers (Volkslogger, etc) are great devices to document badge, OLC and other flights but they also clearly show it if we stray across the "C" fence! The result can be suspension or loss of your license and paying serious dollars in fines.
So--my word to the wise--be absolutely certain you know the horizontal and vertical boundaries of the COS Class C Airspace and avoid it like poison!
There is a display of Google photos in the trailer (April 2007) showing the boundaries and there is a display of the same information on our web site. Additionally, don't hesitate to ask any of our CFIG's or a board member for more information. BE SURE YOUR LOCAL FIELD CHECK OUT INCLUDES THIS INFORMATION.
Briefly, the western boundary of our area is Meridian Road extending south from the High School on the northwest corner, through the town of Falcon and on south to Garrett Road. Garrett is the second paved East-West road south of Meadow Lake Airport. Our southern boundary is Garrett Road eastward from its intersection with Meridian Road to a point about 3/4 mile past Garrett's east end.
The TOP of the Class C is 10,200 ft MSL. Can you fly over it legally? Sure, but there's lots of jet traffic both climbing out and approaching COS in that area -- you're LEGAL above 10,200 but it's questionable how safe it is! REMEMBER that for your altimeter to accurately tell you how high you are it must be set to the current local altimeter setting (or to 6882 ft if set before takeoff at Meadow Lake).
Can we fly east of our runway?-- We have an agreement with the airport that we won't interfere with their power traffic pattern and they won't bother ours. We can fly east however if we are a couple miles north or south of Meadow Lake OR at least 9000-10,000 ft MSL so as to be well above them.
Gliders are currently authorized to fly at any altitude up to BUT NOT INCLUDING 18,000 ft MSL but are prohibited from entering the Class A PCA which starts at FLIGHT LEVEL 180. FLIGHT LEVELS are based on a common STANDARD altimeter setting of 29.92 inches with FLIGHT LEVEL 180 being the bottom (18,000ft on your altimeter IF IT IS SET TO 29.92 INCHES). (There are exceptions to this rule related to flying in SPECIAL USE AIRSPACE like Wave Windows which require special briefings).
You can readily see the problem----it is not uncommon for the local barometric pressure to vary considerably from the STANDARD, hence if your altimeter is (correctly) registering 18,000 ft based on the current local altimeter setting, you may well be several hundred feet above (or below) the base of the PCA, i.e. FL 180 and thus violating the PCA.
Please study the information we have, ask questions, learn in detail how to identify the Class C boundaries, stay well below the PCA, fly carefully and we'll all stay out of serious trouble. Other CONTROLLED AIRSPACE areas are also nearby and you must be aware of them and their flight restrictions.
ONLY WE THE MEMBERS CAN PREVENT THE NEXT ACCIDENT OR INCIDENT - BY BEING CONTINUALLY VIGILANT.
FOR THE BOARD
John Scott, President.