Airspace

Airspace is a not a concern on Oahu for pilots staying local at a given site (except notably at Diamond Head under class B with a floor of 1000 feet). But XC pilots need to be familiar with our military class D and restricted airspaces, marked by blue circles and pink polygons: Kaneohe on the right, Wheeler in the middle, Kalaeloa at bottom, and Restricted on the left. Our understanding of the airspaces has evolved over the decades we've flown here, and continues to evolve! Please let us know if you have any special insight or corrections to the information on this page. 

Kaneohe (affecting XC routes between Makapuu and Kahana) 

Active on weekdays, and on Saturdays during the summer. Closed Sundays, and closed on some holidays by NOTAM. (Hours from AirNav web page). There is a ceiling of 2500 feet. We think we are legal to fly above 2500 feet when it's active, though even if we’re above that, we try not to fly very far inside the circle. It's possible though often tricky to fly the mountain route completely outside the circle. To check if there is a special condition, or if it's closed on a given holiday, refer to the FAA NOTAM web page using PHNG as the search term. 

There was one day years ago when the tower called the police, who sent a helicopter and a few squad cars, to intercept a bunch of us who had flown in or above or past the airspace. We spoke with tower staff who was upset we had been in the way of a big helicopter operation, and they said we need to call them on the phone to coordinate on any day we’re going to be near their airspace. For a few years we tried to do that, but recently they seem more confused than calmed by our calls, so we no longer call to give them the heads up.

Wheeler (affecting XC routes over the back of the Waianae mountains, and from Kaena Point) 

Active on weekdays, closed on weekends, and on some holidays by NOTAM. (Hours from AirNav web page). To check if there is a special condition, or if it's closed on a given holiday, refer to the FAA NOTAM web page using PHHI as the search term.

Kalaeloa (affecting XC routes on the south end of the Waianae mountains) 

We don't generally fly routes affected by this airspace but be aware of it just in case. 

Restricted (affecting XC routes in the Waianae mountains and Kaena Point) 

There is a two level stack of Restricted airspaces over the Waianae range divided into four corners for each level. The top level has a floor of 9000 feet and we never get that high. The low level below 9000 feet is our concern. The Restricted airspace is only active intermittently by NOTAM. We can check the active status at the Defense Internet NOTAM page. Check the PHZH Honolulu box at the bottom, and then select the View Notices button below. Look for references to the R-3109 and R-3110 airspaces. They will be labelled ACT if they are active on a given day, with details on the hours.