Cruising the flight levels, you’re above any of those pesky MOAs. Except some of them have a high-altitude clone that you won’t find on any chart: Behold the ATCAA.
The MOAs Attic
The light jet revolution wasnt televised because it never happened. At least not yet. There has been a quiet proliferation of small kerosene burners on the ramps and in the flight levels, however, and that means more pilots are experiencing the pleasures and pitfalls of life in Class A airspace.
Key Takeaways:
- ATCAAs (ATC Assigned Airspace) are unchartable, high-altitude military training areas, often extensions of MOAs above 18,000 feet, designed to segregate military and IFR traffic.
- Within ATCAAs, military aircraft conducting various activities (e.g., combat maneuvers, refueling) receive first priority and may operate without ATC contact or transponder signals.
- Pilots flying in these areas may face ATC re-routes due to the nature of military operations, potential altimeter setting differences, and challenges in maintaining radar separation.
- Although not found on standard aviation charts, ATCAAs can be located and viewed on the FAA's special use airspace website (sua.faa.gov) by activating their specific map layer.
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