Warning areas

A warning area is special-use airspace that begins 3 nautical miles outward from the U.S. coast and extends over international waters. It contains activity that may be hazardous to nonparticipating aircraft — much like a restricted area — but because it lies in international airspace the United States cannot legally prohibit flight there. Hence "warning" rather than "restricted."

Warning areas are charted with a blue hatched boundary and a "W-" designator (e.g. W-386 off the mid-Atlantic coast). The hazards can include military gunnery, missile testing, and intensive training, often the offshore extension of activities that happen in restricted areas over land.

Because the airspace is international, there's no single U.S. authority that "owns" it the way a controlling agency owns a restricted area, but the published information still lists times of use and a contact facility. Pilots planning to transit should:

• Check NOTAMs and the Chart Supplement for activity times.
• Contact the appropriate ATC or flight service facility for a status check.
• Be aware that offshore operations may not be visible on standard radar coverage, and that drifting into an active gunnery area over water carries the same lethal hazards as over land.

For most light-aircraft pilots, warning areas matter mainly on coastal cross-countries and island hops — plan around them and verify status before launching.

*Reference and training only. Consult current charts, NOTAMs and the FAA AIM.*